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Abiding Life News 2010
IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS! (12/24/10) 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town,
WHAT ARE YOU GIVING JESUS FOR HIS BIRTHDAY? (12/22)
Christmas is almost here. Everyone seems pre-occupied with gift buying, decorating, and seasonal music. This time of the year, it is natural to be thinking about what gifts you will give to your varous family members and friends. The real question shouldn't revolve around what gifts we give to each other, but what gifts are we giving to our Savior. It is suppose to be His birthday that we are celebrating. At Christmas time, we need to each take time to think about what gifts we could give to Jesus Christ. We need to give Him the gift of ourselves, to serve Him in every way that He makes available to us. We should give Him the gift of our love (love the Lord w/all your heart, soul, mind, & strength - what Jesus called the greatest command). We need to give Him the gift of our worship. We should give Him the gift of our time. It isn't about us anyway, it is all about Him. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus
JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON! (12/21/10)
Take advantage of the holiday season to re-focus people on the Christ of Christmas. Americans as well as many people around the world celebrate Christmas, but so many of them fail to focus their attention on Jesus as being the reason for the season. It has often bothered me that even many Christians focus too much of their time and attention on trivial and commercial aspects of this holiday. I noticed once at a Catholic High School that I used to work at that they displayed a lot more pictures and figurines of Santa than of Jesus, by a very large margin. Even Christian radio stations are playing songs about Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph. If the purpose of this holiday is to celebrate Jesus, then let's celebrate Jesus. He is the reason for the season, so let's keep Christ in Christmas. THE GREATEST GIFT! (12/20/10)
"For God so loved the world (that's you and me) that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus, Yeshua)..." (Jn.3:16). "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (Jn.1:14). Without question, there has never been any greater gift than this. This gift is a more complete gift than many comprehend. Within this gift is the completeness and fullness of everything we could ever need or want. Within this gift is Sozo Salvation, which brings wholeness and soundness to your entire being, spirit, soul, mind, and body. NEW TEMPORARY MEETING LOCATION! (12/18/10)
Our new temporary solution is to meet at the home of the Inscoes, 7109 Lamar Drive, Springfield, VA. In the meantime, we are actively and aggressively seeking God's will for a new semi-permanent meeting location. We are expecting a record turn out for this Sunday service, so please come and bring a friend or two WHAT'S THE FUTURE OF OUR UNIVERSITY?(12/3/10)
Many have asked what is in the future of Life Christian University of Fairfax County in light of me recently being named President of ZADOK University. On Sunday, January 2nd, I will be giving a sermon on the what is in store for Abiding Life Christian Ministries in 2011 and beyond. In this sermon I intend to explain in detail what my vision is for LCU of Fairfax County as well as for ZADOK. If you attend you should have an opportunity to ask questions in this reguard. If you are unable to attend, Abiding Life Church Sunday sermons are now available at our website. Click on our "Church" page, then click on "Sermons". We attempt to make an audio recording of all our Sunday morning sermons and make them available on that site. Eventually, I hope to be doing the same thing for all the University teachings. If you prefer having a CD copy of it, please contact the church. We request a $5 donation for all Sermons on CD. THANKSGIVING HAS A VOICE! (11/12/10)
I've studied the Seven Hebrew words for Praise for the past 28 years. The Hebrew praise word that is commonly translated "thanksgiving", Towdah, literally means the "Confession of Thanksgiving". At least half of the times where the word Towdah is used there is also a reference to your voice or the words of your mouth in the same verse or at least in the context. It is critical that we speak our gratitude unto God, voice it with our lips, verbally vocalize our appreciation for Him and the things that He has done. Thanksgiving is not a "day," it's a way life! It is to be expressed from our mouth on a daily basis. As a Christian, Thanksgiving Day should not be merely an occasion that we celebrate once a year; thanksgiving should be a continuous expression of worship we offer to our Lord daily!
SERMONS AVAILABLE ON-LINE! (11/5/10) WATER BAPTISM THIS SATURDAY (11/3/10) REFORMATION CELEBRATION (10/12) VISIT OUR DISCUSSION BOARD! (9/17/10) NOW WE'RE ON FACEBOOK! (8/21/10) BUDDY WALK OF NORTHERN VA! (8/14/10)
I believe strongly in proclaiming the gospel of grace. Our salvation is purely based upon the work that Jesus did, not based on the work we do. The teachings of Jesus were so opposed to the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees that some might assert that he was a destroyer of the law. But Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law and the prophets". He replied that he had not come to destroy it, but to fulfill it. All religious works and law are fulfilled and completed in Him. To fulfill means to complete its purpose. He was the end or the completion of the law and any form of working for salvation. The law was a "schoolmaster to bring us to Christ" (Gal 3:24), but Paul declares by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "After faith is come we are no longer under the schoolmaster." In other words, we are no longer under the law, because of faith. (II Cor.3:6-13; Eph.2:15; Rm.10:4; Col.2:14-16; Rm.7-8) But inevitably, when we proclaim these truths, someone will bring up Philippians 2:12, ".work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Read the rest of this article at www.abidinglife.net/work or other articles at www.abidinglife.net/abiding_articles.) HOW TO LIVE A BLESSED LIFE (7/15/10) TARGETING ALEXANDRIA, ANNANDALE, AND ARLINGTON!(6/30/10)
HOUSING NEEDED FOR MINISTER VISITING FROM AFRICA!(6/29/10)
Pastor Kenneth Mutyaba and an associate of his from Abiding Life Christian Centre in Uganda desire to be in our metro area during the month of October this year. He said that the airline tickets are already purchased. The only thing they need now is someone to provide housing for that month. Does anyone have an extra room or two for these great men of grace and faith? 100 DAYS UNTIL 10*10*10! (6/21/10)
Please consider coming out to this Special Event that we have planned for July first! All who have expressed interest in the starting of Faith Christian Fellowship of Northern Virginia. What: A casual gathering of family and friends, for food, fellowship, worship, the Word, and an opportunity to ask questions about the future of this ministry. This is coming up on Thursday 7/1/2010 at 7:30PM - 100½ days before the start of FCFnv services on 10/10/10. Where: Bishop Ireton High School (in the school cafeteria) 201 N. Cambridge Road Alexandria, VA.(Enter from south side entrance from the big parking lot)
On April 16th, I was told that my wife has Multiple-Myeloma. For the past three months, Toni has been having severe back pain, which was increasingly becoming more and more intense and painful. It got so bad that she spent a week in the hospital from April 9th through 16th. During that week a doctor informed us that she had cancer. At the end of the week they told us that it was Multiple-Myeloma. They immediately began radiation treatments on her. But God is still on His throne and the sacrifice of Jesus is still significant. Complete and total healing has been bought and paid for. Many people have prayed for her and we have a promise from our Lord that she shall recover (Mk.16:17-18). The God "Who forgives all your iniquities" is the same God "Who heals all your diseases" (Psalm 103:3). The devil is mad, but we have the guarentee of complete victory.
ALLOW GOD TO IMPART LIFE INTO YOUR BODY! (4/17/10) MIN. PRACTICUM & INTENT TO GRADUATION FORMS!(4/11/10)
We are still looking at 6/26 to be the LCU graduation date. But there is still a possibility that we may have to push it back to 7/10/10. But I need to begin the graduation paperwork this month. If you believe that you will qualify for a diploma or a degree this June, please fill out your Ministry Practicum and Intent to Graduate forms THIS MONTH. This needs to be done right away, even though we haven't completed some of the course. Fill out all the information that you know and leave the grade blank. If the main campus doesn't receive this paper work 8 weeks before the graduation, they cannot guarantee that we'll have the robes and other material that we request from them on time for the graduation ceremony. Thanks for your cooperation. WE'RE STILL SEEKING PRAYER PARTNERS! (4/7/2010)
Last year we set out to find 120 people who would agree to become "Prayer Partners" with this ministry. A Prayer Partner is someone who would agree to pray for this ministry and its vision on a regular basis, as the Lord brings us to your mind, preferably at least once per week. At this time, we still have a ways to go to reach that goal of 120 Prayer Partners. If you have not done so yet, please consider being a Prayer Partner by going to the Prayer Partner page of our website, www.abidinglife.net/prayer_partner. As a Prayer Partner, you are not committing to attend any meetings or to donate any money. The only thing you are committing to do is to pray. But prayer, when mixed with the God-kind-of-faith, is the most powerful force on Earth. Thanks for your support.
MOM'S HOMEGOING! (3/31/10)
On Friday, March 19th, 2010, at about 9:40PM, my mother was welcomed home to the loving arms of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. She was 83 years old. As soon as my sister called me to notify of this news I made arrangements to travel back to Illinois. I was in Illinois all last week visiting with family and friends. The funeral was last Thursday on March 25th in Farmer City, Illinois. Mom believed that the funeral of a Christian should be more of a time of celebration than a time of grieving. Even though there is some grieving and sorrow because we certainly will miss her, there is also a significant amount of celebrating. Mom is now pain-free and living a life of eternal peace and joy. PLEASE PRAY FOR MY MOM! (2/28/10)
I'd like to request that you please pray for my mom. She's 83 years old and living in a nursing home in Illinois. She has been recently diagnosed with cancer. Thank God she is a Christian, but I strongly believe that cancer is not from God. If she is nearing her time to "graduate", that's great, but God can take her without great suffering. It is unfortunate that some of my family members which are close to her have been speaking sickness and death regarding her for at least the past five years. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Pr.18:21). I will continue to speak health and healing regarding her, regardless of her age. God has promised a long life (Ps.91:16). 83 is a long life for this family. Both of her parents died in their 60s. Two of her brothers died in their 40s. One her brothers died in his 60s. Her only sister died in her 70s. So Mom has outlived everyone in her immediate family. But she frequently has told me that she expects to reach 100. I believe that it is that faith and positive confession that has prolonged her life beyond everyone else in her family. However, the promise in Psalm 91:16 is "With long life I will satisfy him (her), and show him (her) My salvation." If Mom isn't satisfied, then neither should we be. But at bare minimum, we should agree with her for a healing from the cancer.
LCU CLASSES CANCELED FOR MONDAY (2/7/10) The Blizzard of 2010 has come and gone. But it will take a few days for everyone to get shovelled out of their neighbourhoods. Because of the overwhelming amounts of snow and ice that we are all dealing with, we are canceling the LCU classes for tomorrow evening (Monday 2/8/10). Our next LCU classes will be on President???s Day, next Monday evening (2/15/10). This will push the test date for the current courses back to the first Monday in March (3/1/10). Unfortunately, this also pushes all of our courses back, causing our last course for the year to go past our current graduation date. Therefore, I am contemplating pushing our graduation date back a couple of weeks to 7/10/10. Of course, any date change will have to be confirmed with the CNV pastor and elders, but if that date is a problem with any of you, please let me know ASAP. LIFE OF PAUL COURSE CANCELED! (2/6/10) We were planning on starting the Life of Paul course in March, but our plans have changed. The main campus has notified me that the Life of Paul Course in no longer available, so I have updated the calendar to reflect changes that I need to make. Assuming there are no more canceled Mondays, here are the current course plans... www.abidinglife.net/2009_2010_calendar COUNSELING COURSES! (02/8/10)Many of you have indicated interest in taking our LCU Christian Counseling Courses. My current plan is to have Counseling Program One taught in the 2010-2011 school year. However, you need to be aware of how to qualify for these courses. First: You can only take the LCU Christian Counseling Courses if you have completed all of the LCU Theology Program One and Theology Program Two courses. Second: The Counseling Courses build on each other, so you must take the first one (Aug.2010), and you cannot skip any courses. Third: You cannot take any of the LCU Counseling Courses as a Correspondence Course. So if you are still interested in taking the Counseling Courses, but haven???t completed Theology Programs One and Two, that would be the place to begin. If there is enough interest in it, we will probably offer the Counseling Courses again in the 2011-2012 school year. E-NEWSLETTERS!(1/20/10)
I have been sending out the "Abiding in the Vine" e-newsletter at least twice per month for about 4 years now. I send it out to anyone in the Northern Virginia area who has expressed interest in Abiding Life Christian Ministries or Faith Christian Fellowship of Northern Virginia. From now on (until further notice) I will only be sending the "Abiding in the Vine" newsletter out once per month, on the 20th of each month. This is mainly because I am now sending out three separate e-newsletters per month. On the 10th of every month I am sending out a newsletter to all my current and past Life Christian University students and others who have expressed an interest in our LCU classes. If you don't receive that monthly e-newsletter but would like to, please send me an e-mail at ken@3john4.org and let me know. Also, on the 30th of every month I will be continuing to send out an e-newsletter to our FCFnv Prayer Partners. If you don't receive that monthly e-newsletter but would like to, simply fill at the form at www.abidinglife.net/prayer_partner and agree to pray for this vision and ministry from time to time. FCFnv MEETING! (1/18/2010) Well, it has been becoming increasingly more and more obvious to me that the date of April 4th is not a practical date for the start of Faith Christian Fellowship of Northern Virginia. Truthfully, a couple of years ago I felt impressed upon my heart that the date of 10/10/10 should be the target. I don't think I told anyone that because I didn't want to believe that it would take that long for us to start the church. Well, now that is indeed the date that I am looking at. In the meantime, I am still looking for people to join the FCFnv Leadership Team and the FCFnv Launch Team. If you are willing and able to join me, please come to the meeting at the Mason District Government Center on Columbia Pike in Annandale on February 6th at 7:30PM. This meeting will be to discuss the business, leadership, organization, and official launching of Faith Christian Fellowship of Northern Virginia. We need to discuss what other events are ahead of us in 2010 also. If you want to be considered part of the Leadership Team or the Launch Team, you should be at this meeting. If you want to be a part of our Leadership Team or the Launch Team but it is impossible for you to make it, let me know. You can contact me at ken@3john2.org or 703.867.3615. We are targeting Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, and areas inside the capital beltway, presenting messages of Grace, Faith, Sonship, and the Spirit-Led Life. I cannot help but focus on the vision God has given me for Faith Christian Fellowship of Northern Virginia and Life Christian University of Fairfax County. I am reminded of the many promises of God in Scripture about the power and authority the church is to be operating in here on Earth. Though we've pushed our church start date back a few times, I am convinced that this year the FCFnv vision will come to fruition. We continue to march forward in our mission with the vision of impacting Northern Virginia and the Greater Washington DC area with the fullness of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and the proclamation of the Word of Faith and Hope. Please continue to pray for the completion of His will and plans in His perfect timing. Pray that He'll send us leaders and laborers committed to His purpose.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010! (01/01/10)
For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17 nkj). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (II Cor.5:17 niv).2009 came and went. To many of us it was a busy and somewhat stressful year. God has been laying on my heart that new and better things are in store for us in 2010. I know many people are making New Years Resolutions. My only Resolution is this: "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead; I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil.3:13-14 nkj)." | ||||
of Northern Virginia. There have been good like-minded churches in the past, but as they have grown, they moved west or south to the more distant suburbs. I want FCFnv to begin in the "Inside the Beltway" area and I want it to STAY in the "Inside the Beltway" area. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there are not already fine churches in this area, because there certainly are. And I don't want to give the impression that FCFnv will be perfect in every way. But we will be a church that will strive to not compromise Scripture at all and will primarily focus on promoting God's Truths especially in these four key ares: Grace, Faith, Sonship, and the Spirit-led life. We also always want to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His spiritual gifts. 
