December 2014 next wave

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THE NEXT WAVE www.icof.net PUBLISHER

Shoes in Heaven

By Ralph Day

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Contributing Editors David Tait, Derrick Day, Lea Bates, J. Samuel Willoughby, Bernie Wade,

Night of Hope Joel & Victoria Osteen

LIFE FEST 2014

John Rogers, Cindye Coates, Doc Burkhart, Barney Phillips & Bobby Sutton.

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Leadership Principles

by Barney P. Phillips

Science tells us some things about Our Solar System  Our solar system is about 6,000,000,000(billion) miles across.  Our galaxy, called the Milky Way, contains roughly 400,000,000,000 (billion) stars, which are suns, each with its family of planets.  The nearest star is 26,000,000,000,000(trillion) miles away.  It is estimated that there are 100,000,000,000(billion) galaxies like the Milky Way.  This would make up 40,000 million million million (40 sextillion) stars or suns in space (the number of planets would be mind boggling!)

Shoes in Heaven Rev. Dr. Ralph E. Day, Jr.

I heard a story once about a small church in the south. They met on Sunday nights (a lot of churches today have done away with this service, much to this author’s dismay). It was the practice of this small church to have a volunteer choir on Sunday nights. The Pastor asked everyone who wanted to go to Heaven to come to the choir. Each and every member walked up to the choir to sing except for one man sitting in the back of the church. The Pastor turned to him and asked, “Sir, don’t you want to go to Heaven?” The man politely answered, “yes, but I thought you were getting a bus load up now!”

This certainly does not prove nor disprove that Heaven is only a state of being. But with numbers like this, I would think God has in mind a little more than those that go to Heaven simply float around on a cloud playing a harp for eternity.

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Sin cannot enter heaven. The Bible well documents that on many occasions, sin has entered into Heaven (See 1 King 22:19-27; Job 1:6; 2:1; Isaiah 14:1214; Luke 10:18; Revelations 12:7-12).

3. Saved men send material up to heaven to build their mansions. We send no material items to Heaven. Our works are as filthy rags to God (See John 14:1-3; Hebrews 11:16; Revelations 21:3, 5,6, 10, 27).

4. Nothing to do in heaven but rest (We will cover this in a little bit).

5. There are seven (7) heavens (See 2 Corinthians 12:1-4).

Everyone I talk to wants to go to Heaven. Not all of them know exactly how to get there.

The Bible shares a lot with us concerning Heaven. It answers questions like: There are three (3) heavens: 1. The first heaven is the clouds (See Genesis 1:8-9; Job 26:8; Job 38:9, 25-34).

2. The second heaven is the starry space (See Genesis 1:14-19; 15:5).

3. Finally the third heaven is the planet Heaven (yes, I did say planet) (See 2 Corinthians 12:3).

Now let’s look at Twenty Facts about the Planet Heaven

There are several fallacies about Heaven.

1. Heaven is only a state of being 3

The Scripture declares: 1. Heaven is a created planet like earth (See Genesis 1:1,2; Psalms 8:3) 2. A better country (See Hebrews 11:10-16) 3. A paradise (See 2 Corinthians 12:1-4; Revelations 2:7) 4. Highest planet (See Ephesians 1:21, 4:10; Hebrews 7:26) 5. Gods’ dwelling place (See Deuteronomy 26:15; I Kings 8:30, 39, 43, 49) 6. A heavenly country (See Hebrews 11:1418) 7. Location: In the north part of the universe, in relationship to the earth (See Isaiah 14:12-14; Psalms 75:6-7)  Above - I Kings 8:23  And in the highest part of creation (See Job 22:12; Luke 2:14; Ephesians 1:21; Ephesians 4:10) 8. Shape: round (See Job 22:14; Psalms 19:6)  Like the earth (See Isaiah 40:22 Ecclesiastes 1:6)  Size: unknown, but perhaps larger than earth, judging from the size of its cities (See Revelation 21:6-27)  From the size of other planets compared to the earth and from the number of its inhabitants (See Jeremiah 33:22; Hebrews 12:22-23)  Has real cities (See Hebrews 11:10-15; Hebrews 13:14; Revelations 21:2, 9-27 9. Mansions (John 14:1-3) 10. Temples (Psalms 11:4; Revelations 3:12; Revelations 7:15; Revelations 11:19; Revelations 14:17; Revelations 15:5; Revelations 16:1-17; Isaiah 6:1) 11. Foundations (Job 38:4-7; 2 Samuel 22:8) 12. Tabernacle (Psalm 15:1; Revelations 21:3) 13. Sanctuary (See Hebrews 8:2) 14. Ark of the testament (See Revelations 11:19) 15. Golden altar, censer, etc. (See Revelations 8:3-5) 16. Fire, tongs, etc. (See Isaiah 6:1-7) 17. Thrones (See Isaiah 6:1; Daniel 7:9-10; Revelations 3:21; Revelations 4:2; Revelations 22:3)

18. Books (See Luke 10:20; Hebrews 12:23; Revelations 5:1; Revelations 13:8; Revelations 20:11-15, 19) 19. Swords, sickles (I Chronicles 21:16-17, 27, 30; Revelations 14:14; 4:17-18, 21) 20. Keys, chains (Revelations 9:1; 20:1)

REQUIREMENTS FOR GOING TO HEAVEN

A Psalm of David asks, “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in they holy hill? Psalms 15:1 God’s answer: the perfect man; 12 characteristics of a righteous and perfect man.

1. Walk uprightly – without blame 2. Work righteousness 3. Speak truth inwardly  Psalms 15:2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

4. Be free from backbiting 5. Do no evil to neighbors 6. Receive no reproach about neighbors  Psalms 15:3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his

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neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

7. Hold vile people condemned 8. Honor them that seek the Lord 9. Keep word even to own hurt  Psalms 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

10. Take no advantage of one in need to increase riches 11. Refuse bribes 12. Protect the innocent  Psalms 15:5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

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flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

John 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

3. Labor  John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

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Reap – win souls  John 4:35-38 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

23 CONDITIONS OF ETERNAL LIFE (NEW TESTAMENT) 1. Come to Christ  John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.  John 6:44-45 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.  John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

5. Hate (love less) the life in this world  John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

6. Know God and Christ  John 17:2-3 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

2. Eat His flesh – drink His blood  John 6:50-51 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my

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7. Enter right gate  Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

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8. Cause no offense  Matthew 18:8-9 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

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9. Keep commandments  Matthew 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

10. Forsake all  Matthew 19:27-29 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's

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sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Mark 10:28-30 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

Luke 18:28-30 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. 29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, 30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

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Live free from sin  Romans 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 8:1-13 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh…

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Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

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12. Continue in well doing and seek eternal life  Romans 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

I Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  I Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 16.

Endure temptations  James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

13. Sow to the Spirit  Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

17. Let the promise of it remain in you and continue in God and Christ  I John 2:24-25 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.  I John 5:11-20 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

14. Fight the good fight of faith: lay hold on it  I Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.  I Timothy 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

15. Be sober and hope to the end for it

18. Love everybody 7

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as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

I John 3:14-15 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

21. Be faithful unto death  Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.  Hebrews 12:1415 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

19. Keep yourself in the love of God, looking for eternal life  Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.  Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

20. Overcome sin  Revelations 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.  Revelations 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.  Revelations 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.  Revelations 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:  Revelations 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even

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Believe and obey the gospel John 5:15-19 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 5:36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.

23. Be born again, hear Christ, and follow Him.  John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  John 3:3-8 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

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he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

I Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; Revelations 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life

Reap it  Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

We get eternal life now and keep it forever if we meet the above conditions, but it does not become an non-forfeitable eternal possession until

And inherit it in the world to come  Matthew 19:27-29 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

We “enter into” it  Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Matthew 18:8-9 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

And at the “end” of this life  Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

E. Day, Jr. has been in the ministry for over 40 years now. He has pastored, taught, mentored and ministered to many in several states. Retired now from pasto

Receive it  Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried,

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ICOF members have united over 50,000 ministers representing more than 25 Million constituents, several hundred colleges, universities and other Christian schools, orphanages & feeding programs, humanitarian aid organizations, chaplains and other charities.

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JOEL & VICTORIA OSTEEN

Solomon’s Porch.

LOUISVILLE NIGHT OF HOPE

Also in attendance were Bishop Derrick and Pastor Angela Day, Bishop Sanford & Evangelist Jackie Wade, Robert Upton, Terry Tripp, Drs. Ben & Jewel Tankard and an enterage from Life Church (Iglesia Vida) which included Drs. Bernie & Daisy Wade, Pastors Bernie II & Blanca Wade, Pastor Maricela & Juan Fuentes, and a plethora of volunteers.

Louisville, KY – A crowd of more than 10,000 gathered in the KFC YUM Center in downtown Louisville Kentucky for an amazing night centered on the theme of Hope.

Hope for America. Hope that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Among the faithful that came to hear the message of Joel & Victoria Osteen were Drs. Stan & Cindye Coates who traveled all the way from Atlanta to represent their church

Before the historic Night of Hope service the ministers were guests of honor back stage with Pastors Joel & Victoria Osteen as well as Pastor Phil Munsey. It was an epic night. The group was priviledged to be joined by 12

Pastor Dodie Osteen, Pastor Joel Osteen’s mother. Drs. Bernie & Daisy Wade made a special presentation to Dodie Osteen which included a Lifetime Achievement Award from International Circle of Faith (ICOF) in recognition of her more than 50 years of service to Lakewood Church in Houston Texas in the next couple of pages we captured some of the flavor of the backstage events.

Joel Osteen, Stan Coates, Cindye Coates

Dodie Osteen with Daisy and Bernie Wade at the Louisville Night of Hope

The Mendenhalls with Joel Osteen

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Cindye Coates and Victoria Osteen

Blanca Wade, Joel Osteen and Bernie Wade II

Ben Tankard and Robert Upton

14 DAY, ANGELA DAY, AND BEN TANKARD VICTORIA OSTEEN, DODIE OSTEEN, DERRICK

SABARN STEGER WITH PHIL MUNSEY

BEN TANKARD WITH SABARAN STEGER

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A highlight for the team was the presentation by Life College President, Angela Day, of the Doctor of Letters to Pastor Joel Osteen (or Dr. Joel Osteen if you prefer)!

After the backstage festivities, the Night of Hope began in earnest. The ministry team from Lakewood Church did an amazing job leading worship.

Cindye Coates with Dodie Osteen

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At each Night of Hope Pastor Joel Osteen invites local ministers to do proclamations. Pastor Phil Munsey who is the President of the Champions Network Our own Dr. Bernie Wade joined Pastor Bob Rogers, Pastor Craig Johnson, Pastor Steve Turpin, and others.

Thousands responded to the invitation given by Pastor Joel Osteen. The night ended with all encouraged, excited and uplifted. For many of us, Friday Night was only the beginning of an epic weekend. The next morning we would begin Life Fest 2014 at Life Church in La Grange Kentucky.

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powerful blocker of destiny. It takes courage to say, "I was wrong. I did my best. I did my worst. It didn't work out. Will you forgive me?"

Some Liberating, Activating Thoughts for You, Your Future and for Others

Now the second idea. The first to forgive is the strongest. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong."

Where did he get that concept. From the Bible, of course. God showed us His strength by sending the Ambassador of Reconciliation, Jesus, to offer forgiveness from sin to all humankind. Why? Forgiveness makes the future possible...seventy times seven.

WITH ED DELPHs

Now the last thought. The first of forget is the happiest. Here's a story for you on this: Early is their marriage, my Dad did something really stupid. My Mom chewed him out for it. He apologized and they made up.

However, from time to time, my Mom mentioned what he had done. "Honey," my Dad finally said one day, "why do you keep bringing that up? I thought your policy was to forgive and forget." "It is," she said. "I just don't want you to forget what I've forgiven and forgotten." Enough said!

Years ago I made the mistake of buying a Christmas present from a catalog I saw at my father and mother's house. The result? Now our mailbox is the recipient of Holiday catalogs from everywhere and on everything. I feel obligated to scan the catalogs. Someone did heaps of work to find all the weird stuff in them. Christmas catalogs were created for more than my Peoria, Arizona recycle bin.

This week I found some 'word treasures' on plaques in one of those catalogs. I posted the sayings on my Facebook page. You should have seen all the 'likes' and comments. I was a 'Facebook Rockstar.'

As C.S. Lewis says, "There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

Here's one of the quotes on the plaques: “Four things you can't recover: The stone after the throw. The word after it's said. The occasion after it's missed. The time after it's gone.� That quote is by Deanna Wadsworth.

Everyone of the ideas you could find in the Bible.

Ed Delph has been responding to God's call to the community and to the nations since 1979. He has ministered or been in over 100 countries as well as serving as a pastor in the United States.

Here's another quote on a plaque from an unknown author. "Three simple rules for life: 1. If you don't not go after what you want, you'll never have it. 2. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no. 3. If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place." That's Biblical.

But here is the quote on the plaque that got the most 'likes' and comments. It's by an unknown author. "The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest." I like this one.

NATIONSTRATEGY

Let's contemplate that first idea. The first to apologize is the bravest. It takes courage to admit that we are sometimes wrong or did wrong. Isn't it interesting? We know in our minds that we were wrong but we just can't admit it. Like Adam and Eve, the second we fail in some way, we go right to the department store and buy a fig leaf. We hide. We hurl. We deny. That thick wall of selfprotection we build keeps others out but it also keeps ourselves in. We then underachieve. Hubris is a

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LIFE CHURCH OF KENTUCKY Committed to leading people to become devoted followers of Christ.

502.265.3795

http://www.lifecommunity.us

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ICOF Announces Formation Of Life Network

COULD YOU HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE AN AMBASSADOR? Life Network and the International Circle of Faith Global Network has a mandate to help usher in a new wave of the Spirit of God in this century.

The Current World Population is 7,274,086,066 154,651 Births today COULD YOU HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE AN 63,811 Deaths today AMBASSADOR?

From a handful in our beginning to networking more than 50,000 ministers impacting every nation under the heavens weBirths have this become 120,517,281 year what some call the largest Apostolic movement in history.

49,726,877

Deaths this year

90,840 Population growth today 70,790,405 Population growth this year Life Network and the International Circle of Today, Life Network and ICOF represents some 25 Faith Global Network has a mandate to help usher million people. It is our expectation that what God in a new wave of the Spirit of God in this has done in the past, He will do again. Jesus told us, century.

Top 20 Largest Countries by Population (live) “Greater things than these you WILL do!” It is 1 China 1,396,838,072 11 thatMexico 124,346,654 evident we are destined to see the glory of the 2 India 1,273,098,730 12 Philippines 100,734,335 latter house be greater than the glory of the former house.

From to networking 3 a handful U.S.A. in our beginning 323,525,487 13 Ethiopia 97,411,931 more than 50,000 ministers impacting every nation 4 Indonesia 253,911,820 14 Vietnam 92,871,442 under the heavens we have become what some call 5 Brazil 202,656,052 15 Egypt 83,884,667 the largest Apostolic movement in history.

6 Pakistan 186,252,301 16 in need Germany 82,624,743 We are of Ambassadors to every country! I am extending my hand to you and offer you the 7 Nigeria 180,366,264 17 Iran 78,852,357 chance to make application for Ambassador to you 8 Bangladesh 159,228,375 18 Turkey 76,174,567 country, state or region.

If you think you might be Today, Life Network and ICOF represents some 25 9 Russia 142,332,389 19 Congo 70,056,372 interested, please take a look at a couple of links million people. It is our expectation that what God 10 Japan 126,946,628 Thailand here 20 that will give you more67,301,796 information. has done in the past, He will do again. Jesus told us, “Greater things than these you WILL do!” It is COULD to YOU THE POTENTIAL TO BE AN AMBASSADOR? evident that we are destined see HAVE the glory of the latter house be greater than the glory of the former Life Network and the International Circle of Faith Global Network has a mandate to help usher in a house. new wave of the Spirit of God in this century.

From a handful in our beginning to networking more than 50,000 ministers impacting every nation under the heavens we have become what some call the largest Apostolic movement in history.

We are in need of Ambassadors to every country! I am Today, extending my hand toand youICOF and offer you thesome 25 million people. It is our expectation that what God Life Network represents chance to make application for Ambassador to you has done in the past, He will do again. Jesus told us, “Greater things than these you WILL do!” It is country, state or region.

If you think you might be evident that we are destined to see the glory of the latter house be greater than the glory of the former interested, house. please take a look at a couple of links here that will give you more information.

We are in need of Ambassadors to every country! I am extending my hand to you and offer you the chance to make application for Ambassador to you country, state or region.

For more information: ambassadorprogram@lifenetwork.us 24

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WHATEVER YOU NEED

By Jeremiah Johnson

the sinner. If the animal was without blemish, God accepted the animal sacrifice as well as the offerer who brought the animal. So when you come into God’s presence, don’t do any self-examination and be discouraged when you find faults in your life. God does not examine you. He sees you through the full value, and all the loveliness and acceptance of His Son. (Ephesians 1:6) He sees you holy and without blemish!

Ephesians 5:27 27that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Have you been to a worship service where you stood with your hands raised, ready to worship God, only to hear the worship leader say, “Before we worship God, let’s all search our hearts”? Then, as you search your heart, before long, you dig up something that you don’t like.

The next thing you know, your hands are no longer raised and soon, you find yourself sitting down — you don’t feel good worshiping God any more.

Remember the woman who was referred to as a sinner, possibly a prostitute?

She went to the house of the Pharisee who was hosting Jesus and wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair.

(Luke 7:36–50) That was her act of worship. She came to Him as she was. Yes, she knew that she had sinned, but she worshiped Jesus first because of who He is. She was Jesus-conscious. Then, she heard Jesus say, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48) She received the forgiveness she needed from Him.

My friend, I have good news for you. Come and worship Him as you are.

Come into God’s presence Jesus-conscious, forgiveness-conscious and grace-conscious!

Come into God’s presence bringing only Jesus the spotless Lamb of God as your offering.

Whatever you need from the Savior, come to Him as you are. Worship Him for who He is and then you will hear Him say, “Go your way. Your restoration has come. Your prosperity is here. You are healed. You have been made whole!”

Your worshiping God is like the times God’s people in the Old Testament brought their offerings to the priest. The priest examined the animal sacrifice to ensure that it was without blemish. The priest did not examine 26

The 2014 LIFE NETWORK EXECUTIVE BOARD SESSION WAS CHAIRED BY ICOF PRESIDENT DERRICK DAY.

Following the festivities of the Night of Hope was LIFE FEST 2014! Life Fest is the annual celebration of the Life Network.

The focus of Life Fest is to bring together representation from the body of Christ in education, business, media, community (government), arts, sports, church and more!

We were excited to start Life Fest with a meeting of the Life College Board of Regents chaired by Life College President, Angela Day.

Pastor Melvin Erwin, Dr. Roderick Williams, Dr. Benrie Wade, Dr. Daisy Wade and Dr. James Blackmon

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Dr. Ralph Day

Pastor Jeremiah Johnson

Following the morning sessions was the Life Fest Luncheon. A quartet of leaders brought presentations during the Life Fest Luncheon. These included Deana Karem from the Oldham Country Chamber of Commerce, George Saliba Owner of McDonalds in Henry and Oldham Counties, John Zeydel (with Christy Smallwood) owner of ARKHAM and Michael Pate family court attorney.

LIFE NETWORK EXECUTIVE BOARD

John Zeydel of ARKHAM addressing the Life Fest Luncheon

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Attorney Michael Pate, Pastor Phil Munsey and George Saliba at Life Fest

Music ministry is a tremendous part of LIFE FEST pictured are Pastor Stan Coates, Pastor Ben Tankard and the Life Church Praise Team.

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Christy Smallwood with LIFE FEST Executive Director Birgit Zepf

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Phil Munsey addresses Life Fest after receiving the Life College Doctor of Letters degree. Pictured with him are Alumni of Life College.

During the Life Fest Luncheon Life College President, Angela Day, joined Life College Chancellor, Bernie L. Wade, in making special presentations to Phil Munsey, Jewel Tankard and Ben Tankard. All three received the prestigious Doctor of Letter degree from Life College.

Life College President Angela Day, Dr. Phil Munsey, Dr. Bernie Wade and Bishop Derrick Day

Life College President Angela Day, Pastor Jewel Tankard, Bishop Derrick Day and Life College Chancellor Bernie L. Wade, Ph.D.

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Angela Day and Jewel Tankard

Pastor Jeremiah Johnson, Bernie L. Wade with Bishop Sabaran Steger

Phil Munsey with Stan & Cindye Coates Life College Provost Dr. Cindye Coastes and Life College President Angela Day

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Dr. Barney Phillips and Bishop Derrick Day

Dr. Cindye Coates with Dodie Osteen

Rebecca Thurman, Pastor Sarah Phillips, and Dorrie Cutlip, these and many others helped make Life Fest and the Life Fest Luncheon possible.

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Pastor Blanca Wade, Pastor Victoria Osteen and Pastor Maricela Fuentes

Secretary General.

International Circle of Faith (ICOF) seeks a person to serve as Secretary General for North America. http://www.icof.net For more information contact Bishop Derrick Days office.

Derrick@derrickday.com

IF YOUR COMPANY, MINITRY OR ORGANIZATION HAS AN JOB OPENING, MINISTRY OPENING OR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY YOU CAN HAVE IT LISTED HERE. EMAIL: BW@ICOF.NET

Secretary General. Life Network seeks a person with experience in government, or with a political action committee (PAC), or similar to serve as Secretary General of the Life Network. http://www.lifenetwork.us For more information email: bw@icof.net

LIFE NETWORK is preparing for their January 5th 2015 launch and is looking for a variety of talented individuals. Some are listed below. http://www.lifenetwork.us For more information email: bw@icof.net

Executive Vice President of Business. LIFE NETWORK seeks an experienced entrepreneur / business person to serve as the key person for our business division. http://www.lifenetwork.us For more information email bw@icof.net

Editor – Next Wave magazine is looking for an editor. The Next Wave magazine is the monthly voice of Life Network and is published 12 times annually. For more information email bw@icof.net 34

MINISTER OF MUSIC. Life Church is seeking a minister of music for the La Grange Campus. For more information visit http://www.lifecommunity.us Email: lifechurchky@live.com

LIFE AMBASSADOR - As a Life Ambassador you will serve your city, area, state, or nation in bringing the vision of Life Network. For more information please email: ambassadorprogram@lifenetwork.us

January 4th, 2015. Life Network Fellowship Meeting. Life Church. 1901 Prestwick Drive. La Grange, KY 40031.

Phone:502.265.3795 Email: lifechurchky@live.com April 19, 2015 Life Church Anniversary Service. 1 PM. 1901 Prestwick Drive. La Grange, KY 40031.

Phone:502.265.3795 Email: lifechurchky@live.com

MUSICIANS. Life Church is seeking musicians for the Life Church Praise Band for the La Grange Kentucky campus. For more information visit http://www.lifecommunity.us Email: lifechurchky@live.com

September 4, 5, 6. LIFE FEST. La Grange, KY. Life Church. 1901 Prestwick Drive. La Grange, KY 40031. Phone:502.265.3795 Email: lifechurchky@live.com

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LIFE NETWORK Social Media Coordinator Volunteer



 

Ability to identify threats and opportunities in user-generated content Basic SEO knowledge Ability to produce quality editorial and technical output

Position Overview Functions, Duties, & Responsibilities

Social Media Coordinators help engage the target audience via various social media channels



Expectations



Education/Certifications/Experience 



Degree in marketing, journalism, new media, advertising, entertainment or social media experience. Will train in lieu of experience.

Digital or communications experience

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

Computer Skills  Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite

Utilizes posts, tweets, podcasts, articles, videos, or screencasts to interact Moderate and promote communications that encourage the exchange of user-generated content Create strategies and tactics to increase participation and ensure the clarity of the message across social media channels Coordinates campaign calendars with online activity Contact: Dr. Ralph Day LIFE NETWORK VP of Social Media

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities  Demonstrated, participatory expertise in various social media channels, including LinkedIn, YouTube, Foursquare, Twitter, Bookmarking sites, Flickr, Forums, Wikis, blogs, etc

ambassadorprogram@lifenetwork.us

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O.C. Isom II O. C. Isom II is the founder, Bishop, and Senior Pastor of Word up Apostolic Ministries founded in 2003.

He also serves as a Bishop of the State of Michigan of the International Circle of Faith.

He has a Bachelors Degree in Theology and a Masters Degree in Counseling from Cypress Bible College. He is the author of Wounds Caused By Gossip and has several years of experience dealing with negative attitudes, conflicts, and emotional wounds. For many years, he has sought to find a beautiful groundbreaking solution that will restore glory and bring about restoration resulting in the alignment of the body of Christ.

He has written this book which covers the complete spectrum on attitudes among Christians. His focus is on educating leaders and Christians on how to improve communication skills and how to deal with conflicts that exist in church today. He writes practical implications, shines the light to expose gossip, and conflict within the Body of Christ by having a kingdom mindset. He has a lovely wife Marilyn, two daughters, Tiffany and Karissa, and a son Andre.

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Hi Bishop Wade, It was wonderful this week end in Ghana. it was during the 22nd anniversary celebrations of Kingdom Grace chapel.

God moved in unprecedented ways and souls were saved, healed and delivered. Amongst the many things the Lord did was the election of Rev Dr Seth Nana Opoku as Bishop pending consecration, which we pray will take place next year first week of July God willing. I will keep you posted as things unfold. My regards to the family of God under your care.

Bishop Tembi Alfred Tembi Director Revival Gospel Radio, President Revival Gospel Ministries CEO Christian Communication Network PO Box 598 Buea SW Region Cameroon. Africa. cell:23777640241. House 237 33322359

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EDUCATING TOMORROWS LEADERS http://www.lifecollege.education

LIFE COLLEGE

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WANTED INTERCESSORS

IF YOU ARE AN INTERCESSOR WE NEED YOUR HELP! We are putting a team of intercessors together to pray for our new church plant. We know that we can never accomplish the vision that God has given us without intercessors.

Together we are making a real and lasting difference for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

LIFE CHURCH of Kentucky is a new church. As part of our team we need a plethora of God called intercessors.

We would love for you to be part of what God is doing in our area.

Or Call

502.265.3795

If you will commit to praying for LIFE CHURCH of Kentucky we will commit to give you timely updates on the needs.

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When adversity comes, many foil God’s plan and purpose by trying to remove the adversity.

But don’t do that. Let it reveal to you the weakness that God is trying to show you. God doesn’t send adversity to be against you, but to benefit you. (out of weakness, we are made strong) The cares of this world are the stiffest competition for your attention God has.

The Purpose of Adversity

ADVERSITY IS TEMPORARY!!

By J. Samuel Willoughby

One of my favorite lines of scripture in the Book is, Genesis 40:1 “…and it came to pass…”

Psalms 34:17-22 The righteous cry; and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Matthew 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 20 He

You need some rest and peace? Take up His yoke. Murrel and Joan Ewing wrote a song that says… “The storms don’t decide how long they will stay…when the Master says, ‘Enough!’ they just go away…”

keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The simple Truth about the Christian walk, is that adversity is no respecter of persons…it comes to every man, regardless of status or experience levels. When Jesus told the story in Matthew 7 of the contrast between the housebuilding sites of the wise versus the foolish man. The ONE constant in the story is, the flood comes to all!

Hebrews 12:6-7 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Hebrews 12:10-13 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

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11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth; In our self-examination we need to ask ourselves, “Have we dishonored our teaching in any way?” Adversity is often God’s way of conquering our pride. Think of Moses…Joseph…David…Apostle Paul.

Proverbs 13:10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

Adversity is God’s wake-up call for self-examination—

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Time for us to thoroughly examine our actions, our attitudes, our motives, the things that drive us…If not we’re liable to miss the little OBLIQUE turn in life’s road…

Proverbs 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.

1 Corinthians 11:28-32 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

Some things are just not honorable! According to James 4:6-7 God “resists” the proud! That word means “to set the battle in array against”.

God goes to war with us when we allow pride to govern us!

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

James 4:6-7 But he giveth more grace.

Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Revelation 4:10-11 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Ephesians 6:2-3 Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

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2 Corinthians 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Bishop J. Samuel Willoughby brings a lifetime of ministry experience to his role as a Teacher in the Body of Christ. He is a member of the International Circle of Faith Fivefold Roundtable for North America.

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It's a fundamental change in the way we learn about Jesus, church, and faith. And we can't ignore it.

International Circle of Faith (ICOF)

Before we dive into anything, let's start with the statistical evidence for this fundamental change: As recently as 2009, 99% of people got their faith information from church; in 2013, 40% said they were acquiring it through other media - devices that could be used on-thego, at their desks at work, or in the comfort of their own homes.

Announcement

Instead of immediately discussing what this means for us and our church, it's helpful to set straight what this statistic does not suggest.

This statistic does not suggest the following: 

You Can't Ignore This 

There's a massive shift happening in the online world.

Currently, 1 in every 5 people in the world own a smartphone (according to Business Insider at http://www.businessinsider.com/smartphon e-and-tablet-penetration-2013-10).

Information is available to us at the press of a button. As our lives have become more mobile, so has our need for information to be more mobile.



This does not suggest that people are leaving churches in droves. It just shows we're consuming information in different ways.

This is not a reflection on the competency of our church services and church communities. Again, this is simply a shift in culture.

This does not suggest that we need to be filming our services and putting them online (quoted from prochurchtools.com at http://prochurchtools.com/dontrecord-your-church-services/). In fact, it suggests the opposite.

Alright, now that we have those out of the way, we can finally tackle the important question:

And no, the 2014 church website trend I'm talking about is not responsive websites that was 2012-ish. This trend is actually more of a paradigm shift than a new feature. In fact, it's actually much, much bigger than just a trend.

What does this mean for your church?

This statistic and shift in culture means one

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very important thing for your church: Your church's online presence is more important now than ever before.

Your church's online presence is more important than ever before.

What does this mean for Monica?

Churches need to start becoming content creators and curators. There's a world out there looking for information on faith! They want it! Unfortunately, here's how the conversation generally goes:

Consider this case study of a girl named Monica. (This is merely an illustrative case study based on the statistics, and does not represent a particular person.)

As recently as five years ago, Monica learned everything she desired to know about faith at her local church. Today, however, this is not the case. Instead of getting her faith information from church, she now gets the majority of it from the internet.

"What does the Bible say about sex in the 21st century?" - Monica "Well, we're starting a new series on sex in a couple of weeks! 9AM and 11AM. Come check it out!!!!!!!" - The Church "...Righhhhht." - Monica (disregards message from church and looks it up online) Here's the model I suggest that you follow

One day Monica is waiting for the bus on her way to work. While she waits, she recalls a conversation she had with friends the night before about alcohol and Christianity. She really wants some clarity on the issue, so she opens up her phone and googles a couple of questions looking for answers.

Let's get to some practical solutions.

Considering the information here and the statistical evidence, this is the model I suggest your church follow to get in step with this 2014 church website trend: 1. Start with your sermon series Most churches conduct sermon series. In a series there's an overarching theme that gets covered for 4-6 consecutive weeks.

This is the best place to start. This is where pastors will work through Scripture, get answers to tough questions, and provide a faith roadmap for real life.

She reads some blogs, checks out a couple of different views, and because Monica grew up in a world where the internet is viewed as an authoritative source of information, her viewpoint has now been heavily shaped by the online information she just consumed.

But don't stop there. As we've seen, if you limit this information to only Sunday mornings, you'll be severely limiting the size of your audience. And that leads to step two.

2. Repackage the series content into many different types of media Imagine that you sit down with your team.

You have the sermon series planned for the next 4-6 weeks. You have the message outlines and everything ready to go. Now ask yourself and your team, "How can we get this important information into the

Instead of texting her pastor or church leader, instead of hearing a sermon in church, Monica has most of her faith views shaped online.

Why this is good news for your church We generally like to chalk-up change as a bad thing. But in this case, I think we can view this change in culture as a positive.

Instead of just waiting inside our four walls for people to come to us and learn about faith, it's our job to go to them.

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hands of as many people as possible?"

on Tuesday through email, send out blog posts on Thursday through email, and continue to update the social media feed throughout the week.

Assuming your sermon series is all about sex in the 21st century, here's a list of content that you could create: 







The key idea here is to be always publishing new material in different media.

Someone like Monica isn't likely to wait for a 30-minute sermon in hopes of getting the answer she's looking for, but if you've sent her out a podcast and a blog post that week, she's much more likely to check your church website and quickly read through that instead of blindly searching the internet.

Conclusion

Podcasts: Host a roundtable each week with your team and discuss a hot topic. Use a discussion format and just talk about it as if you were at a coffee shop as friends (Example: Is living together before marriage a bad idea?).

Blog Posts: Write a couple of short, punchy blog posts (Example: 5 Things You Didn't Know the Bible Says About Sex).

Tweets and Facebook posts: See an article from another pastor or blogger that falls in line with what you're teaching? Share it on your church's Twitter account or Facebook page (Example: What Should Christian Women Look for in a Man via Jarrid Wilson).

E-books & devotionals: Create an ebook of devotionals to go along with your series: a new devotional everyday that lines up with the trajectory of the series.

As the landscape of online media continues to change the way our world communicates, our churches need to change the way we communicate as well.

Standing at our pulpits once a week won't cut it anymore. We need to become content creators and curators in every type of media.

Maybe Monica won't hear the sermon on Sunday, and maybe she won't read any blog posts, but maybe one of the roundtable discussion podcasts will pique her interest and she'll decide to give it a listen.

3. Publish the content and get it to as many people as possible Now that you have your series and your various forms of content, it's time to publish it and send it out. For this step, I suggest you follow the model. Everything here is centered on email.

The more content your church creates, the greater the audience it will reach. And in this way we can continue to influence and teach our churches about faith, and stop letting the internet do it for us.

A major goal on the site is to use your email address to communicate with you in the most intimate way online - through email.

Don't ignore this 2014 church website trend - it's a big one.

For instance, if your church had a series containing all the content mentioned above, I would suggest that you send out podcasts

By Dr. Ralph Day

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Here is what I found:

Humanistic Theism?

By Lea Bates

noun: humanism an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.

Today I observed someone accusing another of being humanistic – in other words they proclaimed that the other person practiced humanism.

The words said were an all-out verbal attack that really saddened me. I can’t say I know the person being attacked very well so therefore I couldn’t defend them against this accusation. Besides, as aggressive of a personality as the accuser had it would have been pointless anyway. Kind of like casting pearls in the direction of swine. I did however look up this term – humanism, because the case the accuser made seemed to attack many out there who are (or claim to be) Christians.

 a Renaissance cultural movement that turned away from medieval scholasticism and revived interest in ancient Greek and Roman thought. noun: Humanism  (among some contemporary writers) a system of thought criticized as being centered on the notion of the rational, autonomous self and ignoring the unintegrated and conditioned nature of the individual.

I suddenly realized as I read this terminology how dangerously close the body of Christ has leaned towards this direction. No one wants to hear a negative commentary; but we must be real here. We attend church services where “the praise team is wonderful” or we go to this church because “they still sing the old hymns.”

Either music is fine with me, but if we are determining our attendance of a fellowship 50

(ekklesia G1577 Strongs) gathering based on the music, or the dress, or even the people, or the pastor, then have we not become humanistic in our own right? Have we forsaken our First Love? Who is at the Head?

sting of the death to self? Therefore our sin calls us unto the strength of the law (1 Corinthians 15:56), because we follow our fleshly desires instead of dying to self so He can reign within us.

God takes no pleasure in our desire to bask in selfish desires. “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” (Hebrews 10:38). He predestined those he called – to be conformed into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29-30), according to the good pleasure of His WILL (Ephesians 1:5, 11). Our God is faithful to those He has called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:9). He longs to scoop us up on eagle’s wings.

Christ is centered as the Head of the Church.

We didn’t choose God, He chose us (See 1 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Romans 9:16). God chose the people he called Israel and called them out to bring them unto himself (Exodus 19:4). Not to satisfy their wants, but because He cared for them and to bring them into a covenant and communion with Him. Jesus came as a propitiation for our sins (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10).

His sacrifice didn’t give us carte-blanch to our own desires. No! We were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). Oh, death where is your sting? Have we fallen short of facing the 51

Leadership Principles

women if they are to develop into able and effective Leaders.

Dr. Barney Phillips

In order to skillfully lead in our world today, we must have Leaders who possess, among others, the following essential qualities, which through experience become mastered skills:

Leadership is the privilege to have the responsibility to direct the actions of others in carrying out the purposes of the organization. Leaders must take responsibility and be accountable for both success and failure. No model or system of leadership behaviors can anticipate the circumstances, conditions and situations in which a leader must influence the actions of others. An evaluation of leadership principles is an effective base upon which to build other skills that may be important to success in various fields. I can find no better base of principles then the Bible.

LOYALTY—above all things, a Leader must be loyal. Disagreement is not necessarily disloyalty. A Leader, who, in the best interest of the organization, disagrees, should be listened to. On the other hand, a Leader who actively participates in or encourages actions that are counter to the good of the organization is disloyal. This person must be expeditiously removed. Their ability to influence and discourage loyal people and other leaders is a contagious disease. In cases where disloyal actions and attitudes cannot be changed, harsh action must be taken to rid ourselves of those among us who see no value in and subvert our vision and purpose.

It is essential to every organization, church, company and nation, that we have in position leaders at every level who possesses the skills, abilities and attitudes that will enable them to successfully carry out the responsibilities they are faced with. There is no quick way to develop leaders. Leaders must learn throughout their lives—never ceasing as students, never being above gaining new insights or studying innovative procedures or methods—whatever the source.

DEPENDABILITY—If a Leader cannot be depended upon in all situations to carry out his roles and responsibilities, relieve him of them.

COURAGE—Leaders who lead must have courage. They must be fearless and have the fortitude to carry out assignments given them—the gallantry to accept the risks of leadership. They must not balk at the sight of obstacles, nor must they become bewildered when in the presence of

Our Leaders must learn early in their service certain basic qualities and have opportunities to mature in them. We must teach these qualities to our young men and 52

adversity.

TIMING—essential to all acts of leadership is the timing of recommendations and actions. There is no magic formula for developing a sense of timing. One often gains this leadership skill by applying the lessons learned through failure. Knowing whom you are dealing with, their motives, characters, priorities and ambitions are critical elements even when seeking approval of the simplest recommendation.

DESIRE—few people will sustain themselves as leaders without strong personal desire—an inherent Commitment to influencing people, processes and

ACCOUNTABILITY—learning to account for personal actions and those of subordinates is fundamental to leadership. Leaders must never heap praise or lay blame on others for what they themselves achieve or fail to accomplish, no matter how glorious or grave the consequences.

RESPONSIBILITY—leaders are only necessary when someone is to be responsible to see that actions are carried

outcomes. Weak is the leader who does not want to be one. We must be careful to avoid placing people into positions of leadership that they have no desire to fulfill.

EMPATHY—leaders must develop empathy—an appreciation for and an understanding of the values of others, a sensitivity for other cultures, beliefs and traditions. However, empathy must not be confused with sympathy, which may result in unwise consolation.

DECISIVENESS— leaders must learn to be decisive, knowing when to act and when not to act, taking into account all facts bearing on the situation and then responsibly carrying out their leadership role.

out and directions followed. No leader should ever be allowed to continue to serve as a leader who will not accept full responsibility for his actions.

ANTICIPATION—learning by observation and through instincts sharpened by tested experience, leaders must anticipate thoughts, actions and consequences.

Anticipation bears a level of risk to act, when others retreat and turn to the comfort of personal security.

CREDIBILITY— leaders must be credible.

Their words and actions must be believable to both friends and foe. They must be trusted to have the intelligence and integrity to provide correct information.

Leaders lacking in credibility will not gain proper influence and should be removed from positions of responsibility, for they 53

cannot be trusted.

win the important contests. Leaders must understand that the competition inside and outside our nation is strong and not to be taken lightly. A sense of competitive anger drives those who win on the battlefield, in negotiations and in situations of internal strife. A leader without a sense of competitiveness is weak and easily overcome by the slightest challenge.

TENACITY—the quality of unyielding drive to accomplish assignments is a desirable and essential quality of leadership. The weak persist only when things go their way.

The strong persist and pursue through discouragement, deception and even personal abandonment. Tenacity is often the key to achieving difficult assignments or meeting challenging goals.

"YOU'VE GOT TO WANT TO BE IN CHARGE"

STEWARDSHIP— leaders must have the essential quality of stewardship, a caretaker quality.

They must serve in a manner that encourages confidence, trust and loyalty. People are not to be abused; they are to be guided, developed and rewarded for their performance. Disciplinary actions should to reserved as a consequence of last resort and applied only when all other attempts have failed to encourage compliance. Without a flock there can be no shepherd.

Without an army there can be no battle captains.

Without subordinates there can be no leaders. Leaders are, therefore, caretakers of the interests and well-being of those and the purposes they serve.

There is little more unsettling to an organization group church…than being under the leadership of a Leader who shows a lack of commitment in his or her responsibility as a leader.

Too often, the leadership of many falls to leaders who lack the ambition, courage and capabilities to be in charge as leaders. Such disinterest and incompetence is manifested in various actions that discourage and bewilders subordinates, thus strengthening the discord, disunity and dysfunction. It is the responsibility of all to choose and follow only those leaders who demonstrate a desire to lead. Such leaders will be of no composite character.

They will be as different from one another as one individual is different from another.

They will not be laden with all perfection, nor will they possess a flawless character.

Committed leaders, those with a zeal for leadership, a willingness to serve, will, however, be distinguishable by their wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, authority and courage. They will have a human quality and a strong commitment to their cause and to that of those they serve.

SELF-CONFIDENCE—proper training and experience develops in leaders a personal feeling of assurance with which to meet the inherent challenges of leadership. Those who portray a lack of self-confidence in their abilities to carry out leadership assignments give signs to those they are leading, peers and superiors that these duties are COMPETITIVENESS—an essential quality of leadership is an intrinsic desire to win. It is not necessary to win all the time; however, it is necessary to 54

Above all other traits, one who desires to lead must possess a willingness to serve and to accept substantial personal recognition. It’s been said that a person who cannot receive compliments; rarely ever gives compliments.

You must have resilience to overcome personal misfortunes, discouragement, rejection and disappointment.

sustained willingness to work hard. Sweat rules over inspiration!

Leaders must be willing to make unrecognized and thankless personal sacrifice for those you serve and those you lead. Spending extraordinary energies and patience to develop others and tending to the needs of those they are leading at times when your own needs go unfulfilled. You must be willing to bypass a festival in your own camp if a situation in another camp requires your presence and attention.

Leaders must be willing to remain humble and not take on an aura of false pride in your countenance. You must be willing to accept the simple fact that you have flaws and will need to work every day to become a better leader than you were yesterday.

You must have the courage, creativity and stamina to focus on accomplishing your responsibilities through the directed, delegated efforts of those you lead.

You must be committed to persevere even in the face of opposition and challenge You must not be threatened by capable contemporaries or those under your leadership. Rather, you must be wise in selecting capable captains to achieve those things a leader can attain only through strong subordinates.

A leader must not let your desire to lead take the form of over eagerness. This would cause failure for many. You must be willing to temper your zeal to lead with preparation, experience and opportunity.

Leaders must remember that success in most areas depend largely upon your

I leave you with the admonition to never accept an office of leadership for which you are not willing to pay the tribute necessary to successfully fulfill its obligations.

Dr. Barney P. Phillips serves as Chief Development Officer for Life College, as well as the ICOF Ambassador to Nigeria and Teacher on the Dream Team of Life Church. He brings a lifetime of leadership development to his service.

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