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Welcome to His Way Out Ministries
January 2001 Highlights
- Kindness...It's Simple, Right?
- Nancy's Corner...
- Answering Pro-Gay Theology
- "We Come Rejoicing!" Annual Banquet
- Marriage: God's Only Provision for Sexual Expression
- Just For Fun
- Prayer Concerns
- Never Again!
- HWOM Calendar of Events
- His Way Out Ministries Services
- How You Can Help
I will be the first to admit that kindness is not a very controversial or much of a daring topic. I mean, even the Boy Scouts are brave, thrifty, clean, reverent and kind. Nonetheless, I would like to say a few words about kindness and to be specific, "simple kindness," and the chances that we have each and every day to treat people with mercy, compassion and kindness. I think we would all say that kindness is a good thing and that the world needs as much kindness as it can get. But is kindness really all that tame or subdued?
I'm really not looking for controversy, but I honestly do think if we look at this a bit more closely, we just might discover that kindness can actually be a controversial business and there are some good reasons why we as Christians ought to think twice before sounding off about the virtues of "kindness."
I believe that kindness, sometimes, can be a cover up for the real problems in life. You know, a way of smoothing over the real issues. Let me illustrate it this way...
Let's say you're visiting a church in New York City. You notice a small park with a pretty fountain next to the church. You purchase a cup of coffee and a couple of doughnuts and you take them over to the park and have a seat on the bench.
No sooner do you get the lid off the coffee than a man comes up to you and asks if you could spare him any money. You then notice that standing behind the man are several other men and they are all waiting to see what you are going to do because they're ready to take their turn in line if you have money. Got the picture?
Behind them is a city with thousands who need money. Behind them is a nation with millions in need. Behind them there is a world with billions in desperate straits. And there you are with thirty-five cents in your pocket and kindness in your heart. Could you really believe that your action, for all of its kindness, would even make the smallest dent in the real problem?
God's Word, also, knows about this matter of kindness as being a sometimes cover up for the real problems. Do you remember in the book of James, Chapter 2, verses 15 -16, when it says, "If a brother or sister needs clothes and food, and you say, go in peace, be warmed, be full, but don't do what is necessary to really help them, what good is it?" Now, these people James is talking about, the one's who say, "Be warmed, be full, have a nice day," they're not being cynical or callous. They're trying to be kind, but it is a kindness that avoids the problem.
Another problem with "simple kindness" is that it not only can cover up the point, it can just plain miss the point all together. Sometimes, we can be naive, giving people softness and tenderness when they really need firmness and toughness. Sometimes this kindness involves going to someone and sharing the engrafted Word of God with them. What is the engrafted Word? That is the Word that God wants to give to you and to me, but not necessarily the word we want to hear.
For example...Galatians 6:1-2, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
If we are going to be disciples of Jesus Christ we will need to be able to see other people and ourselves in a different light. We, as Christians, are called to be kind because every person we meet - the tired woman at the cash register, the man asleep on a bench in the bus station, the child who brings home a less than perfect report card, the friend who lets us down, even our enemies - every person we meet is a person who is fighting a tough fight and also a person cherished and loved by God as a son or daughter. We must never forget that even a sinner has a soul.
Have you considered that as Christians we are called to let the future happen in the present? What is the future we have to let happen? The Bible tells us that the future is a picture of a great feast with Jesus as our host. Gathered around the table are rich and poor, old and young, Black and White, and they're all feasting on the Grace of God. There is the woman from the grocery store...our sister. There's that rude old guy from down the street...now our brother. There is the person we used to call enemy...now sharing a meal of great joy with us. There we all are at this feast table, and how did we get there? Because we deserved it? No, we got there the way every other person gets there, by the rich grace of God in Jesus Christ. Second Peter tells us that people who don't show kindness have simply forgotten that we, too, are sinners cleansed by the grace of God.
Possibly, just maybe, the world might even get saved through kindness. Through kindness we can show the very nature of God. Showing, displaying, giving God's love just might do more to attract others to Jesus than any house-to-house canvas, evangelistic campaign, or even a new church facility.
The bottom line...people today are not persuaded...they are attracted. We must be able to communicate far more by what we are than by what we say.
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Nancy's Corner...
From Trash to Treasure
I shared with you last month how I am a collector of "stuff". What I failed to tell you is that I am also a "trash digger". This confession embarrasses some of my friends and they laugh at me, but that doesn't bother me much because some of the things I value most have come from the trash.
My favorite "trash treasure" is the comforter I crawl under every night I go to sleep. I can almost hear what you are thinking...let me tell you about it. One of my jobs when I worked for Prison Fellowship was to go to the Post Office, which was located in an abandoned shopping center. (I had on occasion found some "valuables in the dumpster" that impressed even my boss. You know, those really nice acrylic poster holders which sell for anywhere from $18-$25. They worked really nice at all our fundraising events. After he got done laughing at me he had to admit it was a pretty good find. Back to the comforter.)
I had picked up the mail and was leaving the parking lot when I noticed a large white bag sitting off in the corner by itself. I had to stop and check it out. You will never believe what was in the bag. A brand new king-size bed in a bag: sheets, pillowcases, ruffle and comforter. (I had gotten a new bed a few weeks earlier and hadn't been able to afford all the trimmings and was asking God for a new comforter.) I wasn't sure what to do with it...ya right. I knew if I had purchased it and lost it I would have gone back to the store. I tried every way I could to give it back to someone, but I couldn't find an owner. There was one slight glitch though, it was for a king-size bed and mine was a full.
When I told one of my friends about my find, she told me she'd been looking for a king-size comforter. She liked mine. She took mine, took me to the store, let me pick out my own and bought it for me. Every night I go to bed, I am reminded that God, who is the "God of All Comfort," loves me and cares enough about the things that concern me, to send me a "comforter" via the trash and the love of a friend.
I think many times we discount the trash and imperfections in our lives and think it has no value. God attaches great value to what we consider the trash, weaknesses and imperfections in our lives. As a crafter, one of my favorite sayings is, "There are no mistakes, it doesn't have to be perfect, there isn't anything that can't be redeemed by a couple of changes." My friends take great pleasure in quoting it back to me when I am about to trash a project I deem imperfect or inferior. It is usually back to the drawing board and with just a few modifications, the creation is saved and no one is the wiser. Is it the project I first had in mind? No, sometimes it's better and usually just as functional.
Personally, I like to think of God as a sort of "trash digger". He seems to take pleasure in the things he finds. The words of the song, "Something Beautiful" by Bill and Gloria Gaither say it best. "All I had to offer him was brokenness and shame yet He made something beautiful out of my life."
When it appears there is nothing but trash in our lives and we are sick of dealing with it, be encouraged, there are no mistakes and there isn't anything He cannot redeem and make a treasure out of. The Word says that God gives us treasures out of darkness. Don't discount your trash and dark times. You never know what valuable things there really are in there. Let Christ change it and you, and make you into something new, valuable and very usable.
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Answering Pro-Gay Theology
Argument: "People become saved on the basis of their faith in Jesus Christ and not their sexuality, whether they are heterosexual or homosexual."
Response: "God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and sexual morality are two very distinct and separate issues. Accepting heterosexuality as God's divine plan for human sexuality does not imply that heterosexuality saves people, anymore than affirming biblical injunctions against excessive drinking implies that sobriety saves people."
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"We Come Rejoicing!" Annual Banquet
It's hard to believe that the annual His Way Out Ministries banquet is fast approaching once again. "We Come Rejoicing" will be an informative evening of testimony, special music, a detailed ministry update, and a delicious dinner.
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 P.M.
Location: Chester Avenue Baptist Church
1509 South Chester Avenue
There is no cost for the banquet, but reservations are required to receive your complimentary ticket(s). To make your reservations, or for further information, please contact our office at 589-4262.
Hurry! Seating Is Limited.
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Marriage: God's Only Provision for Sexual Expression
"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." - Gen. 2:24, Matt. 19:5, Mark 10:7-8, I Cor. 6:26, and Eph. 5:13
Yes, this passage, with slight variations, is in the Bible five times - in the Old Testament, in the Gospels, and in the Epistles.
The standard way for most Christians to debate the acceptability of homosexual practice is to cite Romans 1, I Corinthians 6:9-11 and the other Scriptures that specifically declare homosexual practice to be sinful.
This is perfectly acceptable. These prohibitions are there for a purpose. However, there is another approach that might be more effective. It is recommended in Father John Harvey's excellent book, The Truth About Homosexuality, and it focuses not on what God says we shouldn't do, but on what we should do; on what God's purpose is for sexuality. The Scriptures cited above provide God's only provisions for us to experience sexual intercourse - one man, one woman, a lifetime union.
This approach has several advantages. One, it is positive, not negative. It doesn't stir up in the hearers the idea that Christianity is nothing but a series of "no's." Second, it circumvents the old arguments whereby advocates of homosexuality have developed a whole theology to explain that Scripture doesn't really say what Christians have always believed it says about homosexuality. Third, it shifts the debate to what is the larger, more critical issue. Homosexuality is but one battleground in the larger war brought on by the sexual revolution.
We face a marriage crisis in our culture, and ultimately people's attitudes regarding homosexuality will be strongly affected by their view of marriage. This approach enables us to go on the offensive, pointing out all the ways in which mankind (and especially womankind) has suffered when it has endorsed unbridled sexual intercourse outside of the marriage covenant, the context for which God created it.
Reprinted by permission from Regeneration
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Just For Fun
Three friends die in a car crash, and they find themselves at an orientation to enter heaven.
They are all asked, "When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning over you, what would you like to hear them say about you?"
The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time, and a great family man."
The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."
The last guy replies, "I would like to hear them say... LOOK! HE'S MOVING!!!"
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Prayer Concerns
We thank God for:
- The year 2000 and the many who found the joy of His salvation and experienced healing and restoration in their lives.
- His healing and deliverance in the life of each man and woman participating in our "Moving On" advanced level discipleship series.
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Never Again!
Never again will I confess "I can't." "For I can do everything with the help of Christ Who gives me the strength I need." (When I need it) Philippians 4:13 NLT
Never again will I confess lack for "This same God who takes care of me will supply all of my needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to me in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 NLT.
Never again will I confess fear, "For God has not given me a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline." II Timothy 1:7 NLT
Never again will I confess weakness, for, "The people who know their God will display strength and take action." Daniel 11:32 NAS
Never again will I confess supremacy of Satan over my life, "Because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world." I John 4:4b NAS
Never again will I confess defeat, for "Thanks be to God, Who always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus." II Corinthians 2:14 NAS
Never again will I confess lack of wisdom, for "God alone made it possible for me to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself." I Corinthians 1:30a
Never again will I confess worries and frustrations, for I am "Casting all my anxiety on Him because He cares for me." I Peter 5:7 NAS
Never again will I confess bondage, for "The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." I Peter 1:7 NAS and "...I am the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in me." I Corinthians 3:16 NAS
Never again will I confess condemnation, for, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1 NAS
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| Date | Session / Topic | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| Every Tuesday 8:00 - 8:30 A.M. Prayer at HWOM Office | ||
| January 4, Thursday 9:30 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. |
Rescue Mission Begin "Time Out" 17-Step Discipleship Series |
Nancy Schultz Pastor Phillip Lee |
| January 6, Saturday 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. |
Family Support Group & More Lesson 6: "Improving Communication, Part 2" |
Pastor Phillip Lee |
| January 8, Monday 7:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. |
"Moving On" Advanced Level Support Groups | Pastors C.J. & Sylvia Wilson Carla Cherry / Cindy Kangles Nancy Schultz / Mark Lamas Jim McArthur / Pastor Phillip Lee |
| January 15, Monday 7:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. |
"Moving On" Advanced Level Support Groups | Pastors C.J. & Sylvia Wilson Carla Cherry / Cindy Kangles Nancy Schultz / Mark Lamas Jim McArthur / Pastor Phillip Lee |
| January 18, Thursday 9:30 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. |
Rescue Mission "Time Out" 17-Step Discipleship Series |
Nancy Schultz Pastor Phillip Lee |
| January 20, Saturday 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. |
Family Support Group & More Lesson 7: "What Does The Bible Say?" |
Pastor Phillip Lee |
| January 22, Monday 7:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. |
"Moving On" Advanced Level Support Groups | Pastors C.J. & Sylvia Wilson Carla Cherry / Cindy Kangles Nancy Schultz / Mark Lamas Jim McArthur / Pastor Phillip Lee |
| January 26 - 28, Friday - Sunday |
Grace Assembly of God Missions Fair |
Pastor Phillip Lee |
| January 29, Monday 6:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M. |
His Way Out Ministries "We Come Rejoicing Banquet" |
Chester Avenue Baptist Church |
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His Way Out Ministries Services
- Consultations
- Family Support Group
- Individual Prayer Ministry
- "Time Out" Discipleship Series
- Ministry Support Network
- Speakers available to address Christian groups
- "Moving On" Advanced/Closed Support Groups
- "It's About Life" Ministry to Those Impacted by AIDS
IT'S ABOUT LIFE:
Food Ministry to Those Impacted by AIDS
AIDS profoundly impacts one's life whether that person has been infected by it or they are a family member or a friend of someone who has. The social stigmas, fears and especially the "aloneness" associated with AIDS makes it oppressive to live with. "IT'S ABOUT LIFE" is a crucial part of His Way Out Ministries. Because His Way Out Ministries is committed to compassionately communicating God's heart through a caring Christian community, His Way Out Ministries will be a receiving house for non-perishable food items. This will assist those with AIDS to maintain a balanced diet and good nutrition. Two major considerations in food donations for folks with AIDS are speed and ease of preparation. An appetite sometimes doesn't last long and the item has to be readily accessible and speedily prepared for the patient to be able to enjoy it.
We invite churches, companies, ministries, corporations, individuals, and the entire City of Bakersfield to join with us in caring. Offer your support by donating the below listed items.
| Canned tuna | Canned soups |
| Canned ravioli | Canned pasta products, e.g.Spaghettio's |
| Hamburger Helper | Peanut butter |
| Hamburger Helper | Peanut butter |
| Jams and jellies | Breakfast cereals |
| Breakfast bars | Fruit cocktail |
| Canned peaches | Top Ramen |
| Cup o' Noodle soups | Canned potatoes |
| Canned corn | Macaroni and cheese mixes |
| Rice 'o Roni type mixes | Chili beans |
| Tomato paste, Tomato sauce | Spaghetti sauce |
| Potted meats | Canned stews |
| Instant potato mixes, e.g., scalloped | Instant oatmeal variety packs |
| Kleenex | Paper towels |
| Toilet paper | Popsicles (not frozen) |
| Instant breakfast drinks | Spaghetti |
His Way Out Ministries is located at Brimhall Road Assembly of God. Items will be distributed in cooperation with other outreaches in our community. This is a continuous, on-going ministry. For further information, please call 661-589-4262. God Bless You for your giving.
Send a Donation to His Way Out
In your own church, and throughout this entire world, people are in need of God's clarity about their relationships and their sexuality. Participating in the work of H.W.O.M. is one way to acknowledge Christ's healing power for the sexually broken.
Through your financial support or volunteer involvement, you can add your voice to those who are speaking the truth of God with integrity.
His Way Out Ministries is a nonprofit, tax exempt Christian ministry associated with
Exodus International.
| You can donate using PayPal... |
Or send a contribution to:
His Way Out Ministries, 10700 Brimhall Road, Bakersfield, CA 93312
(Checks should be made payable to His Way Out Ministries)
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