Planning Ahead With Purpose!

"A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word spoken in due season, how good it is! The way of life winds upward for the wise, That he may turn away from hell below." Proverbs 15:23-24 NKJV


"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:..." Ecc.3:1 NKJV
I love how God created the seasons and how He causes them to change...just about every 3 months. Right now, with the temperature over 100 degrees everyday, it doesn't "feel" like a new season is coming, BUT IT IS!!! "Autumn~Fall" is about to be in the air and this is a great time to do some evangelistic planning ahead with purpose!

As we look at the calendar we are already beginning to prepare for the seasonal activities that we know are about to take place in our lives and in the lives of others around us: Back-to-School, Muffins with Mom, Donuts with Dad, Moving back to College Campuses, Posting upcoming Fall Family Activities on the calendar, and more!

During the new season we are about to enter, let's ask God to help us see opportunities to share Jesus using some creative "seasonal" ideas.
God has created you with your creative thoughts and gifted you through His Spirit to share Him with others through His Strength & Courage! I would like to encourage all of you to finish today's blog by sharing 3 of your ideas with all of us! You can share your ideas in one of several ways; on this blog at the bottom, on my facebook page, or you can send me your ideas by my e-mail address and I will post them for you...as we share ideas and read the ideas of others please put the ideas into practice as we are networking together to make this a Fresh Season Full of our Savior:-)!

Ok, I will get us started with a couple of ways that I have has the privilege of sharing Jesus during the Autumn~Fall season of life:
Back to School Backpacks: Shared with moms/children that are visitors at church; the backpacks can be filled with school supplies-snacks & age appropriate witnessing booklets (1 for child & 1 for parent)!
9-11 Patriot Cups of Encouragement: Since the tragic attack that our Nation went through on September 11th, this year will be monumental as there will be a "10 years since 9/11 focus", ask God to use this time of the year as an opportunity to reach out to military families-veterans-anyone that may serve our nation in anyway; you can use a coffecup/mug/teacup that you already have (if you are like me you have extras!) Fill this cup of encouragement with small tokens of God's Love (scripture cards/bookmark/candy/small lotion/tea bag/individual coffee bags/etc.) BUT most of all include the Good News of Jesus Christ through a witnessing booklet!
Fall Festival of Faith: As your church or community holds Fall events...what are some ways that we can take that day and make it "the Lord's Day" and fill it with ideas that point others to Jesus?

Praying that the new Season we are entering will be "A New Season to Share our Savior" in many new creative ways!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB6jhbtDUZE (Turn! Turn! Turn!) [can you tell we are READY for this HOT weather to CHANGE!:-)Ha!]

Overcoming Fear

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.  Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with {me} in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity"  (2 Timothy 1:7-9, NAS).

Fear is not from the Lord. I have to keep reminding myself of that little fact. In Paul's second letter to Timothy, he writes that God has not given us a fear or a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and discipline. When we tap into the power of the Holy Spirit, the love of the Lord, and continue in the discipline of a sound mind, God is faithful to remove the fear. We are to never be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

On Saturday, I was blessed to see and hear Governor Rick Perry express his faith in the lordship of Jesus Christ, with no apologies! The Response prayer rally in Houston was centered on the saving blood of Jesus and on prayer for our nation. Those in all walks of the Christian faith came together to pour out their hearts for God to be known and to heal our land. In the days to come, may we all be so bold as to un-apologetically share our faith and pray for our nation!

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV).

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. (Mark 9:39-40, NIV).

"We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry" (2 Corinthians 6:3, ESV).

The Response: A Day of Prayer

Today, thousands gather in Houston, Texas for a day of prayer for our nation. To listen to The Response Livestream, go to this link: http://theresponseusa.com/

Join us as we pray for of nation. What is your response? How does God want you to be involved?

II John 7-11

"Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world.  Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.  Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.  Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God, whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.  Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work." (II John 7-11)

In this passage, John gets to the main part of his message.  He is warning the recipients about a heresy that has been intruding into the church--it is a heresy called Gnosticism that totally denies that Jesus was fully human and fully God.  the phrase" runs ahead" meant to go beyond.  "Any development in theology that does not continue in the teaching of Christ is to be condemned and rejected without compromise.  there is no place for any type of universalism or inclusivism."  (Akin, Commentary on I, II, and III John)

Any false teaching will cause disruption and division.  He is telling them to "Watch out!"  There are many false teachings in our culture today that are creeping into the church.  It can be easy for some people to water down the gospel to please others or question whether or not absolute truth exists.  Today, in our current lives, we must watch out that the doctrine of Jesus Christ remains true.  We must constantly be on guard for anything that would distort the truth.

John has another command in this passage that says "do not take him into your house or welcome him..."  this is NOT talking about building a relationship with an unbeliever in order to talk to him/her about Christ.   What he is saying is not to help anyone who is spreading false teaching.  We should not give anyone assistance to anyone who is trying to distort the truth of Jesus Christ.  For example, we should not let Mormons use our church buildings for a function or allow them to come and preach.  That would give blessing or a platform for a heretical group to spread their doctrine.  We are commanded not to do this.

We must not dilute the message of salvation nor reduce Christ to something less than what He is.

This week, let's evaluate the teachings of Christ and His Word by scrutinizing TV shows movies, commercials, magazine ads, newspaper articles, etc. and  see if we can recognize ways that the truth of the Gospel and of God's Word is being maimed or minimized. 

Henna Drawing Contest

Announcing:
Henna Drawing Contest!





Jaye Martin Group (JMG) will choose up to five simple drawings for use in henna evangelism. Those with wiinning original designs will be paid $50 for each one.

Selected designs should follow these guidelines:

1. Submissions should be one design per page, 8 1/2" x 11", in PDF or scanned format. If selected, originator agrees to send the original document, paint, publisher, or other file.
2. Design should be no larger than 3" x 6" (actual size) and no smaller than 2" x 3".
3. Pattern should be simple enough to be reproduced in henna.
4. The henna pattern should tell the gospel story. Two examples would be to use the HeartCall method (heart, cross, & arrow) or the Gifted2go concept (empty box, cross in box, and bow). However, any simple design that communicates the gospel will be considered.
5. Designs should be emailed to jaye@jayemartin.com by midnight, August 20, 2011.
6. The gospel presentation does not have to be included but if the design follows a certain verse or format, that can be included in the email or on the design page.
7. Winners will be notified by September 1, 2011.
8. Winners will be listed on this blog: http://jayemartin.blogspot.com/.
9. Designs become the property of JMG.

A great website about using henna evangelism is http://www.go2southasia.org/resource/evangelism/henna/.
These designs are beautiful and quite complicated and we would like to simplify the process so that any woman could draw the designs in ink or henna, sharing the gospel message as she draws.

Just to get you started, here are some ideas that might be converted into a henna pattern:

Another place where there are lots of ideas for henna is on etsy.com. Search henna and just look at all the designs! http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit=&q=henna&order=date_desc&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

May God grant you lots of ideas and the time to put your design ideas on paper!

If you have other ideas for creative evangelism, please post them on this site! Please pass this on!

CALL on Him!

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray..." Luke 11:1

In "HeartCall: A New Heart" (http://www.namb.net/heartcall/), which is a free downloadable simple discipleship guide, session seven teaches about Prayer! I would like to share with you the simple Pattern for Prayer - A CALL to Prayer that is written in "A New Heart". Please feel free to download "A New Heart" and share it with others!!

"This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6:9-13

In these verses (Matt. 6:9-13), we see some specific steps to take as we pray. Jesus is calling us to have a lifestyle of prayer as we share heart to heart with Him. Every believer is called to prayer. God is always there, always listening, and always has an answer to our prayers based on His Perfect Will! Don't you love to talk with someone that loves you and always has your best interest in mind? God is the one that loves you more than anyone else and He has a special plan for your life! (Jer.29:11-13) Let's look and learn a simple pattern for prayer using the acrostic CALL:

Confess your sins so God will hear your Prayer! "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Matt. 6:12

Confessing your sins is simply admitting to God the things that you have done that are not pleasing to Him. Psalm 32:5 teaches confession, repentance, and forgiveness. Take some time to write Psalm 32:5 in your own words. Read Psalm 103:3, & 8-12. According to these verses, what does God do with your sin when you confess it to Him and turn away from it? Confession is a Key to our Prayers being heard by God!

Adore God for who He is as we praise Him! "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." Matthew 6:9

To "adore" is to praise, respect, love, cherish, honor, esteem highly, worship, idolize, and much more. God is the ONLY ONE that is worthy of our total adoration! He Is Holy!! Read Psalm 63. Fill in the blanks of Psalm 63:3-4 "Because your __________is better than _________, my _________will __________ you. I will __________ you as long as I __________, and in __________ __________ I will lift up my hands." Psalm 63:3-4. Let's pause right now and pray a prayer of adoration and praise to God as we admire Him for Who He Is! Write down some of the words of adoration and praise that you just shared with God in prayer.

Let go and trust God to provide for your daily needs! "Give us today our daily bread." Matthew 6:11

God knows what you need and He wants you to turn to Him for everything! Are you totally depending on God? He is your daily provider in every area of your life. When you pray and ask Him to provide for your "daily bread", you are acknowledging that God is in control of your life. As you pray and communicate to God that you trust Him, you are letting go and letting God have control of your life!! You can TRUST God!!! He will never leave you, forsake you, or let you down...fall into His arms, let go, and let God have control of everything in your life! Make a list of all the burdens, cares, or concerns that are in your life today. Write down a commitment to God, sharing with Him the 100% trust you have placed in Him. If there is a struggle with trusting God, pray and ask Him to help you and teach you how to trust Him, He will answer your prayer!!

Lift up your requests to God, thanking Him for every answer to prayer! "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...And lead us not into temptation, deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6:10, 13

As you pray, God wants you to lift up your specific needs, one by one, as you ask Him for His Will to be done. God has a special purpose for each one of His children! Ask God to show you His special purpose for your life. He will! It is important to also ask God for help to live for Him daily as you stay away from evil. When (not if) you are tempted by the enemy, God will provide the protection and deliverance you need to have Victory over temptation. You can live a victorious life in Christ that is dedicated to God daily through prayer!! Read Psalm 141:1-2 and make a list of the prayer requests that you have. According to these verses, how should you begin your day? Set a specific time and place that you go to God in prayer daily. Keep a record, a prayer journal, of your prayer time with God. You may want to us a spiral notebook, tablet of paper, prayer folder on your computer, or journal to keep a HIStory of prayer requests and answers to prayer!

When we lift up everything to God through prayer, we will have the peace of God ruling in our lives! Prayer protects our heart and mind because we are using prayer as a guard in Jesus Name!! Let's ask God to turn our worries into prayers. The more we pray, that less we will experience anxiety (Phil. 4:6-7). This sounds like a Prescription for Peace = Confess, Adore, Let-go, and Lift-up...CALL on GOD today!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmiebkAEzfc (When I Call on Jesus! by Nicole Mullen)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCtnCoYYWhU (Let Us Pray! by Steven Curtis Chapman)

change

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matt 9:17, HCSB).

Change is difficult, even when it is the right thing to do. Sometimes as a ministry leader, we need to lead change. In fact, change is a necessary part of the Christian life. We are to change to be more Christlike, we are to change our desires for God's desires, and we need to adapt to change that happens in relationships and in ministries. No one ever said it was easy.

As I look at the changes going on in my own life right now, I'm reminded of the points in my Women Leading Women chapter (14) on change:

1. Seek God and His Timing
2. Seek Wise Counsel
3. Set the Direction
4. Share the Changes
5. Choose to Change
6. Continue to Change

The challenge of the change IS the change. Whatever we are going through, we just need to continue to seek God and continue to seek Him through each step of the way. The good news is: He is faithful! He will continue to be there as we continue to change to be like Christ.

You know you are loved,
Jaye