Get a Fresh Start for the New Year! Find out the keys to starting anew! Setting Goals Look Up! Your Redemption Draweth Nigh! Page 2 Finishing Strong Page 3 Rebuilding Your Altar A Letter to Pastor Gordon Page 4 Pastor Gordon’s Encouraging Words Tech Bite Page 5 Upcoming Events The Top Ten Editorial Team Page 6 Sept- Dec. 2011 Vol. II, Issue IX New Year Edition Newsletter for Miracle Temple Ministries Int. Overseer: Pastor Bishop E. Stewart
Transcript
Get a
Fresh Start for the New Year!
Find out the keys to starting anew!
MIRACULOUS TIMES
Setting GoalsLook Up! Your Redemption Draweth Nigh!Page 2
Finishing StrongPage 3
Rebuilding Your AltarA Letter to Pastor GordonPage 4
Pastor Gordon’s Encouraging WordsTech BitePage 5
Upcoming EventsThe Top TenEditorial TeamPage 6
Sept- Dec. 2011 Vol. II, Issue IX
New Year Edition
Newsletter for Miracle Temple Ministries Int. Overseer: Pastor Bishop E. Stewart
Look up! Your Redemption Draweth Nigh!
Reporter: How long was fasting and prayer to be inspired with a theme for this convention?
Sis. Edwards: As a team, we started to fast and pray for God’s guidance and His theme for convention ever since May of 2011.
Reporter: What was your first reaction to the theme, as it was revealed?
Sis. Edwards: My first reaction to the theme was…what does it mean to me? Then I asked God what he wants me to understand, and then, what does he want to say to the people? I received confirmation that this was the right theme, when speakers discussed topics that God had placed in my spirit which
I did not mention to the speakers. This theme was just right because so many things are happening in the world today. People are falling away from Christ in general and are now following a new age doctrine and straying away from the teachings of the Bible.
Reporter: What was most protuberant to you this women’s convention?
Sis. Edwards: The theme reached the hearts of the people. Testimonies from the saints confirmed this, and overall convention was a blessing.
Reporter: Do you believe this convention was successful and why would you say this?
Sis. Edwards: Yes, because spiritual struggles were apparent. The enemy did not want this word to go forth. I felt there was a spiritual battle and the forces of darkness were working strongly against what God had planned. Once again, peopled said they were blessed, this is most important.
Reporter: Is there anything you would do differently?
Sis. Edwards: Yes, I would like to do many things differently such as having women’s convention for a week, involving more members both young and old. Also, in our past conventions workshops were conducted and I would like to have them started again.
Reporter: Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions.
Sis. Edwards: You are welcome, and I would like to thank Bishop Stewart for allowing us to have Women’s Convention. Also thanks to the Women’s Choir and all Auxiliary of the church who participated. I would like to give a special thanks to the young people for their increased involvement this year. I anticipate that next year will be an even greater blessing.
By : Abby Campbell
With the intent of finding out the preparation process for women’s convention 2011 and our women’s president thoughts, we conducted an interview with Sister Edwards, the women’s department president. Here is our conversation with Miracle Temple Ministries New York woman’s president.
Setting Goals The Goal Setting Theory was developed by Locke in 1968, in order to explain human actions in specific work situations. However, before Locke’s theo-ry, Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 14:28 asked a very important question which illustrates why it is important to set goals. He asked the following: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first,and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” Jesus’ statement to his audi-ence suggests some critical steps to goal setting which are evident from the verse that is referenced. Jesus’ declaration begins with a pragmatic approach by presenting the obvious to his audience and grabbing their attention with the words, “For which of you….” There is also a purpose or an intention to achieve a desired goal. The example used by Jesus is the plan to build a tower; a tower represented a structure that was critical to the defense of a city and its’ people. The existence of the tower would have enabled a city and its’ inhabitant to enjoy a state of wellbe-ing and religious stability. But for those goals to be achieved there must be the following:-A purpose, a desire or a cause,-A men’s, idea, or a methodology to accom-plish the purpose,-Plan(s) established to bring about the goals/purpose,-Plan for contingencies/alternatives for the unforeseen events,-Establish reasonable time constraints and deadlines,-Cost and Benefit analysis for the good of all, if not most,-Sustainability of the plan when it is achieved,-Choose qualified administrators of the plan, purpose driven, unselfish,-Consider the short term and long term benefits,-Goals are not immutable and should be
adaptable to changing needs.An ideal goal setting mechanism will prioritize goals, reconcile conflicting goals, overcome setbacks, avoid duplica-tion of roles by the goal administrator(s), and also set up reconnaissance- feedback audits in order to attain the desired goal objective. Some of our desired goals are for pleasure, work, love, friendship/fellow-ship, family, food/diet, entertainment, sports and recreation, leisure time, and accomplishments. In our Christian walk, love is ultimately important because it is our prevailing experience with God who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omnis-cient, that we are therefore reassured by our goal to be in his presence which is our source of joy and pleasures for evermore.
By: Wayne Murray
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Miraculous Times
2
Finishing Strong
You can’t begin to imagine the work and dedication a runner puts in, to be physically, mentally and spiritually ready for a big race or marathon. They put in full effort, and time to make sure that they meet all requirements for greatness. They must be willing and dedicated and open to help from team mates, friends, and family; they must have a trainer or coach which is very important for their success.
The trainer or coach ensures to instill everything the athlete must know to win and make it past the finish line. They work with their trainee; pushing them through sweat, body aches, and tears to certify that they have the confidence to finish strong. A good coach is passionate about their trainee, not allowing them to give up or take breaks because they knows the bumps and hurdles that the trainee must endure on race day, or even while racing. DEHYDRATION—a runner’s biggest fear, can lead to exhaustion and muscle failure—and INJURY are two hurdles runners may face.
The trainee is now prepared and race day is here, it’s now or never. At this point she is fully prepared, but there are some things that she has to make sure she does before going on the tracks.
1) Eating a high carbohydrate breakfast. Some runners get so nervous that they can’t eat or simply forget to, but breakfast is essential and it helps maintain blood and sugar levels.
2) Warm up. Forty minutes before a race, racers are required to begin warming up: spending time going through range of stretches, focusing on a number of primary
muscles and making sure that they get maximum use out of them.
3) Maintaining a Positive attitude. They’re encouraged to use their forty minutes warm up time to focus and think about the goals they’ve set for the race,—ex: winning, beating a personal record or simply FINISHING — clear thoughts of failure and visualize achieving their goal/s. The number one tip in maintaining a positive attitude is to separate from others.
4) Wear Sun block. It is a known fact that racers are often exposed to UV rays; too much exposure can cause future skin damage.
5) Lastly, ensure that breaks are allowed
while you run. Bananas and nuts are highly recommended
because they’re easy to slip into your mouth. Now that we’ve analyzed the work that goes into training for a marathon or race; how different are we as Christians from a runner? There isn’t much difference between the two. The exception is that our race as Christians is a daily dedication.
God is our coach; He has trained, prepared and instilled everything that we need to finish this race. The days where we wanted to throw our hands up, God was right there coaching us through so we don’t bend, bow, or break. He knows the blockages and everything during our race that will try to prevent us from finishing or even slow down our process of crossing the finish line. Because of this, God’s assistant coach the Holy Spirit is there on the side line waiting so that when you are faced with a road block, He steps in and takes care of it for you.
Like a racer, we need to not only be physically prepared but spiritually. Ephesians 6:12 states, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Understand that while we are racing, we are not racing only with people on the same goal level, but there are some racers that are running with different goals. The people around you may have the same running gear as you, but that does not mean that they are running for the same goal or reward.
So, 1) eat a high carbohydrate breakfast, the Word (the bible). God has given us guidelines to abide by; just like tying our shoe laces before running, starting off in God’s word to prevent trips and falls.
2) Stay hydrated. Make sure that you continue to quench your spiritual thirst with God’s living water, not risking the chance of muscle failure.
3) Do not forget to warm up. You have to stay on our faces, in God’s face, in his presence to strengthen, and to stretch out any knots in your spiritual body, making sure that you get the maximum use of everything He has instilled in us.
4) Keep a positive attitude and be encouraged in the Lord, separating from negativity.
5) Do not forget your sun block; make sure that you are covered at all times from the rays of the enemy. Even if you are focused and gets distracted, Christ who is faithful, just and forgiving is seated at the right hand of God the father, interceding on your behalf.
Finally, 6) Our God allows banana and nut breaks. Miracle Temple Ministries hosts annual church, youth, women’s, and men’s conventions for you to be rejuvenated; to reminisce on where we came from and to focus on the next mile God would have you run.
So are you waiting for that great day when we’ll cross that finish line, and fall to our knees, and proudly say “I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED MY COARSE, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH!” 2 Timothy 4:7. So I challenge you today with the question, Will you FINISH STRONG?
By: Leeanna Henry
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities...”
Ephesians 6:12
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Miraculous Times
Rebuilding the Altar
All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.
It used to be that the children of Israel would go up once a year to offer animal sacrifices on the altar for the sins they had committed. Glory to God in heaven – He has sent a lamb worthy to cleanse us of all sins and unrighteousness. Our own works could not save us. God, in His mercy and loving kindness provided an entrance to the tree of life. By grace through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are redeemed. Believers need to activate the mercy through their belief in Jesus Christ. Thereafter we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The altar is now eternal in us- therefore we live in the presence of the Holy One. In His presence there is Holiness. We maintain this by walking after the spirit and not after the flesh. What does it mean to walk after the Spirit? Walking after the spirit means you do the things that are pleasing to the Spirit of God which is in you. We have to feed the spirit. Our spirit is fed through prayer, fasting, and the Word of God; the building blocks of our altar.
Earlier, I mentioned that in God’s presence there is Holiness. After such a statement, we need to examine ourselves. If in the presence of God there is Holiness that means if we are not living holy we are not living in the presence of God. It is also indicative of the fact that maybe the Holy Spirit is not taking precedence in us. There are also times when we may get to a place where there is lack of prayer, fasting, and/ the Word of God feeding us. It’s often because we allow the cares of life and lusts of the flesh to distract us. Time and time again, this may lead a believer to feeling mundane, lack of drive to witness, and/ lack of peace and joy given by the Holy Spirit. If we let sin in, or
if there is a lack of fasting, praying and/ the Word of God in our lives, our altar is destroyed. If we want to be found with oil in our lamps on the day the bridegroom returns, we need to rebuild the Altar.
The altar is where we can go to receive forgiveness, healing, and deliverance. I implore you to not forfeit that by walking after the flesh. If you sow in the flesh you will reap of the flesh. The fruit thereof is death. The word of the Lord says, “my people, you must escape from Babylon. Don’t take part in her sins and share her punishment.” Revelation 18:4. You can escape the snare of the fowler. God is faithful and just. Slow to anger and quick to forgive. Even in our darkest hour God is ready to forgive. He loves a broken and a contrite heart. “If my people, who are called by my name, will 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. Jesus dying on Calvary’s cross is the epitome of God’s mercy and love toward us. Jesus is our high priest who sits on the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf. No matter
what you go through, always remain cognizant of the fact that we can go to the altar.
Prayer, fasting and the Word of God is essential and should
be a regular part of
our lives. There isn’t a more practical approach to staying under the blood of Jesus Christ. It was while walking with Jesus that the disciples started to grow spiritual. They started to understand more because they were taught by the living Word. After the crucifixion, Jesus returned among them and even though they had walked with him all along, they now could not recognize him. Could it be that they were not allowing the Word to fill them every day? In the same, we as Christians need to walk constantly
with the Lord through prayer, fasting and His Holy Word so as to not lose sight of who our savior is. “Pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” Mark 14:38. Some demons (unclean spirit) “…cannot come out by anything except by fasting and by prayer.” Mary Magdalene was a harlot. It is said that Jesus cast demons out of her (Mark 16:9). The sins that keep us bound are of the demons that have taken up space. Fasting is sometimes needed to overcome strongholds. The Word of God cleanses and purges. “For the word of God is living and all-efficient, and much sharper than a double edged sword, and it pierces to the separation of soul and spirit and of joints, marrow and of bones, and judges the reasoning and conscience of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. Rebuild your altar, consecrate your altar, and keep it Holy.
By: Tristan Mancock
“The altar is where we can go to receive forgiveness, healing, and deliverance.”
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Miraculous Times
A Letter to Pastor Gordon
Dear Pastor Gordon,
I want to take this time out to give you recognition for all the things you have done. I’ve met preachers that have walked in and, out of Miracle Temple Ministries. But, I must say your humbleness and love for the Lord extremely stands out. Your loyalty that you had when you were here ,towards the man of the house, Bishop Stewart, was truly amazing. You preached under the anointing and it touched not only my soul, but everyone else who listened. Your presence at Miracle Temple was an extraor-dinary blessing and we want you to know that we appreciate you and miss you very much. We hope that God continue to bless and keep both you and your family. I pray that he keeps and strengthen you as you continue to preach the gospel of our Father. Stay Blessed. Sincerely Yours,
Samantha-Symone’ Henry
In light of the theme “A Fresh Start” Pastor Gordon made references to the fact that the Believers MUST seek God for fresh manna to give to those people in need. He said the secret really is
taking life one day at a time. Our oil,he said, should never run out, and in order for this to happen we have to be constant in prayer, consistent with our worship, and determined in our praise, no matter what situations we face in our everyday lives. Pastor Gor-don said, in fact there has to be a constant renewing and refilling of the Holy Spirit in our daily walk. It is a process and we, as believers,must read the word daily, we must seek for revelation of who God is,we must hunger and thirst for more of God because He is there waiting on us. The central points that he emphasized is that we ought to maintain unity among the brethren,keep the peace, and continue to grow in the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Pastor Gordon continued, “The bible says that ‘Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the World,’ which really means it is all about Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith. He has given all of us power to conqueror life’s trials. So with this word of encouragement saints keep the faith. I know that He is able to see you through, so don’t give up, there is greater ahead just beyond your view. Hold on to God’s un-changing hand and I promise that he won’t disappoint you.”
By: Nicholas Francis
Pastor Gordon’s Encouraging
Words
Why Not Google for the New Year?
For the less than 15 years that Google has been present, we can say aloud that its prominence is pronounced and impactful. Starting out merely as a search engine to rival Ask Jeeves and Yahoo, it has now grown into a major corporation no longer specifically specializing in search but: Advertising, Commerce & Local, Mobile (Android), Social, Chrome and YouTube of which has the central goal of making life, the easiest possible.
Gmail being very efficient is the most packed and easy email server on the market currently; simplifying, sending and reading emails at its best. Google also allows the ability for contacts to be synced remotely to Google enabled mobile devices—with the Android system at its helm of achievements and has now moved to the acquisition of Motorola. So what does this mean? No need to repeatedly ask for phone numbers or email addresses. Once you’ve saved a contact, it is saved—somewhere in the techno clouds—until you have decided to delete it. This means that you can switch phones as often as you want, carriers and all, and never have to manually enter anyone’s telephone number into you mobile phone; your contacts are automatically synced.
And we cannot forget Google Docs, which allows the central storing and editing of documents, spread sheets and presentations. With Docs, we have the ability to have one central document that can be edited by any one allowed, from any location. Rather than sending email attachments, this document is stored and worked on from the internet. With Google Docs, the need to walk around with flash drives, etc. is futile since documents can be uploaded and stored online to your
Google Docs account—which all operate under the same username and password—allowing you to access them where ever and whenever you please.
Google voice gives us the ability to create a central number where you can route calls to any number you want. You can also screen and block phone calls as well as have your voice mails transcribed and sent to you as text messages or emails. Meaning, if you are in a meeting and you can’t physically get to you voice mail, you can possible read the voice message via text. Isn’t that cool! With Google Voice, text messages can be sent and checked using your email or Google Voice account on your computer.
And finally, the life changing Google Maps; an awesome aide with directions and train or bus arrival times. Thanks to Google Map you get subway direction and point
by point navigation—mass transit, driving, or walking— right on your mobile device.
You are also given estimated travel times so you can strategically plan your daily commute.
Google has truly become a pivotal aspect for many lives and I believe implementing Google in your daily activities for the New Year, will help in so many various ways. So why not start a fresh for 2012 and make Google—whether it is: Gmail, an Android device, Google Docs, Chrome, Google TV, YouTube, etc.—your personal assistant
