Monday, December 26, 2011
Children of incarcerated parents
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Gadara Ministries. Many Children woke up Christmas Morning anxiously wanting to open up gifts and many will, but did you know that 7 million children woke up Christmas morning with out one or both parents cause they're either in jail are prison. Here in Harris county there's 20 thousands children with incarcerated parents. Lets pray that God in the name of Jesus would liberated these parents and reconcile these broken relationships by restoring these families back together. Gadara Ministries works tirelessly everyday by the power of the Holy Spirit to engage these parents and offer them hope upon release by providing the necessary services needed to become productive members of society, parents, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, mentors, and most of all too operate in their God given gifts. Please keep this ministry in your prayers., along with the those 7 million children nation wide and the 20 thousand right here in Houston's Harris county with incarcerated parents.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Testimony from family member of Gadara recipient
My brother Richard liked to give orders. He was always organized and kept his room and his car spotless. I remember how we (the younger siblings) were not allowed to eat or drink anything in his care ever. He graduated from high school as a baller and won a scholarship to college, but lost his way. He got involved with drugs and became someone we just didn't know. I guess you would say he became lost to himself. I knew the person that i had known growing up was still there, just somehow lost. He went through stints of jail and incarcerations, but I always knew he was not without hope, he was just lost. Gadara Ministries has help my brother find his way back to the real him. It continues to help him to come out of the forest in which he had become lost and back to the person God had created him to be. Thank you to Gadara Ministries for helping my brother find his way back to wholeness, out of the place of darkness, the lost place which he had gone. Thank you.
Monday, December 19, 2011
We need your help!!!!!
www.gadaraministries.org
Gadara Ministries is in pursuit to reach and assist the 11,000 inmates paroled to Houston’s Harris County each year, by forming relationships with the prisons chaplains, wardens, and parole board. We send in information as to the services we provide and engage the inmate through correspondence via our post office box. Gadara begins to mentor and disciple these men and women before they are released. We are at the bus station when these men and women are released. On many occasions, the formerly incarcerated person re-entry plan into society is already in place. This plan is formed with consideration of the state parole board, family members, the Gadara staff, and partnering organizations. We walk along side and aide men and women who were sentenced by the court system to prison and labeled not fit for society. Gadara only has an opportunity to services these men and women when the state parole system feels that these men and women are again fit for society. They are released often times with $50.00 and a bus ticket. This is not enough for the formerly incarcerated, because statistics shows that when these men and women are left with no help, they fall back into life of drugs and crime. Gadara Ministries will help to reduce crime and the recidivism rate. The rate of prison recidivism in Houston Harris County is staggering. Those being released back into society need more then just a bus ticket home. With the power of love, compassion and guidance can make a lasting change. Let’s remember that society deals with the end result of men and women after prison in one way or another. Either we reach out and help them become productive member of society or ignore the need and they fall back into the life of crime, drugs, and etc, victimizing their communities.
http://www.gadaraministries.org/
Gadara Ministries is in pursuit to reach and assist the 11,000 inmates paroled to Houston’s Harris County each year, by forming relationships with the prisons chaplains, wardens, and parole board. We send in information as to the services we provide and engage the inmate through correspondence via our post office box. Gadara begins to mentor and disciple these men and women before they are released. We are at the bus station when these men and women are released. On many occasions, the formerly incarcerated person re-entry plan into society is already in place. This plan is formed with consideration of the state parole board, family members, the Gadara staff, and partnering organizations. We walk along side and aide men and women who were sentenced by the court system to prison and labeled not fit for society. Gadara only has an opportunity to services these men and women when the state parole system feels that these men and women are again fit for society. They are released often times with $50.00 and a bus ticket. This is not enough for the formerly incarcerated, because statistics shows that when these men and women are left with no help, they fall back into life of drugs and crime. Gadara Ministries will help to reduce crime and the recidivism rate. The rate of prison recidivism in Houston Harris County is staggering. Those being released back into society need more then just a bus ticket home. With the power of love, compassion and guidance can make a lasting change. Let’s remember that society deals with the end result of men and women after prison in one way or another. Either we reach out and help them become productive member of society or ignore the need and they fall back into the life of crime, drugs, and etc, victimizing their communities.
http://www.gadaraministries.org/
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
GADARA MINISTRIES PRESENTS
GADARA MINISTRIES PRESENTS
Inductive Bible Study Methods
When: Starting January 7, 2012
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where: City of Refuge
3150 Yellowstone
Houston TX 77054
Teacher: Reverend Carroll Bobb
Transportation will be provided if needed
If you are in a Season in Life that you want to…
Know Him
Know His Word
Know what He is saying to you
Come join us to know Christ and His Word better, be convicted and impacted so you can line your life up to His.
You will not be disappointed
Contact : Minister Thornton 832-677-4286
Joshua Clemons: 832-206-1416
E-mail: gadaraministries@yahoo.com
What is Inductive Bible Study?
It is a tool and a discipline which enables us to get more out of what we read, so we can see a text in its background and then gain the intended meaning, not what we want it to mean. As a tool, it is an examiner and a detective that interviews a passage in a comprehensive, extensive and serious manner. This will enable our better understanding of the Bible that helps us draw out more of the meaning for our personal understanding and spiritual growth.
Inductive Bible Study Methods
When: Starting January 7, 2012
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where: City of Refuge
3150 Yellowstone
Houston TX 77054
Teacher: Reverend Carroll Bobb
Transportation will be provided if needed
If you are in a Season in Life that you want to…
Know Him
Know His Word
Know what He is saying to you
Come join us to know Christ and His Word better, be convicted and impacted so you can line your life up to His.
You will not be disappointed
Contact : Minister Thornton 832-677-4286
Joshua Clemons: 832-206-1416
E-mail: gadaraministries@yahoo.com
What is Inductive Bible Study?
It is a tool and a discipline which enables us to get more out of what we read, so we can see a text in its background and then gain the intended meaning, not what we want it to mean. As a tool, it is an examiner and a detective that interviews a passage in a comprehensive, extensive and serious manner. This will enable our better understanding of the Bible that helps us draw out more of the meaning for our personal understanding and spiritual growth.
Gadara Ministries Monday Night Bible Conference Call
Gadara Ministries Conference call bible study info…
Its held on Monday nights at 8pm
Dial in number is 530-881-1000
Acess code is 985868#
To listen anytime on play back dial: 530-881-1099
985868#
It will ask for a reference code just press # again.
So its 530-881-1099
985868# and # again, for play back
Its held on Monday nights at 8pm
Dial in number is 530-881-1000
Acess code is 985868#
To listen anytime on play back dial: 530-881-1099
985868#
It will ask for a reference code just press # again.
So its 530-881-1099
985868# and # again, for play back
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Yellowstone Academy
Yesterday my wife and I attended a breakfast to kick off the 10th Anniversary of Yellowstone Academy. It was an amazing event! It was held at the Westin Galleria, an upscale hotel in one of Houston's Galleria, which is one of the cities landmark locations. The Galleria boasts of some of Houston's finer retail establishments and shops. We were invited by and were guest of kind friend from our church, the City of Refuge, Karen Geisen. She is a kind lady with a generous heart and it shows. We had dining on white linen tablecloths, fine china, and black tie servers.Yet for all the pomp of the hotel and its service, and the stores and shops in the Galleria, the most beautiful thing that would happen in the Galleria on that day would be the testimonials that would be given by the teachers, students and administrators for Yellowstone Academy.
Yellowstone Academy is a miracle. It is located in Houston's 3rd ward, and is a high quality, faith based private school for those living in poverty, below poverty, and some cases extreme poverty. ( See history here http://www.yellowstoneacademy.org/history/ ) But it is more then a school. It is a sign of hope. For too many children in the 3rd ward, like most poor inner-cities, poverty, crime, drug abuse and a lack of education are go hand in hand like a beach and sand. Its just expected and the way things are....but things are different at Yellowstone Academy. Yellowstone Academy is demonstrating that with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27) The students there are excelling academically far beyond there peers and have high aspirations for the future., while still dealing with the struggles and trials of living in some of the worst and most dangerous situations imagineable. But, they are not allowing the struggles of today to determine their tomorrow. And the statistics show by the cyclical nature, that is not an easy task. But they see their future as given by divine decree. Jer 29:11 says "for I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord, "plans for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope". They see that hope and dream of that future being able to be realized because of the faithful servants that poor their hearts into their lives at Yellowstone Academy. Because people step outside of their comfort zone to be a blessing to others.
Gadara Ministries is following the lead of ministries like Yellowstone Academy. Although we are not scholastic ministry to children, we see are call as one and the same. A call to make a difference by the power of God. Because real hope and real change only come about as the people of God do the "good works that good prepared in advance for us to walk in"....Eph 2:10
Yellowstone Academy is a miracle. It is located in Houston's 3rd ward, and is a high quality, faith based private school for those living in poverty, below poverty, and some cases extreme poverty. ( See history here http://www.yellowstoneacademy.org/history/ ) But it is more then a school. It is a sign of hope. For too many children in the 3rd ward, like most poor inner-cities, poverty, crime, drug abuse and a lack of education are go hand in hand like a beach and sand. Its just expected and the way things are....but things are different at Yellowstone Academy. Yellowstone Academy is demonstrating that with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27) The students there are excelling academically far beyond there peers and have high aspirations for the future., while still dealing with the struggles and trials of living in some of the worst and most dangerous situations imagineable. But, they are not allowing the struggles of today to determine their tomorrow. And the statistics show by the cyclical nature, that is not an easy task. But they see their future as given by divine decree. Jer 29:11 says "for I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord, "plans for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope". They see that hope and dream of that future being able to be realized because of the faithful servants that poor their hearts into their lives at Yellowstone Academy. Because people step outside of their comfort zone to be a blessing to others.
Gadara Ministries is following the lead of ministries like Yellowstone Academy. Although we are not scholastic ministry to children, we see are call as one and the same. A call to make a difference by the power of God. Because real hope and real change only come about as the people of God do the "good works that good prepared in advance for us to walk in"....Eph 2:10
Gadara Ministries Lauches Inductive Bible Study Methods class
Inductive simply means to use logic induction and reasoning by examining the particulars, facts and essence of a text first before making any conclusions. Thus, inductive Bible Study enhances the exegesis process by enabling us to read the Bible for all its impact, value and significance. In practice, we first examine the ideas and words of the text, then this leads us to the meanings and interpretations, and then we are led to the conclusions and applications. As we are interviewing a passage, we are also allowing His Word to intervene and interview us. And then we are to do this with reverence, respect and humility without our preconceptions or agendas. Thus, seeking what God is actually saying before we seek what a passage means. Then we can apply it to our life in a more effective and effectual manner. In other words, I want to know Christ and His Word better, to be convicted and impacted so I can line my life up to His.
The mission of the bible study is to provide the formerly incarcerated the training and skills needed to study extract and apply the doctrines and principle of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Many formerly incarcerated persons whom have given there lives to JESUS CHRIST often sometimes never get the chance too pursue a Christian education because of the tremendous challenges faced reintegrating into society. Things like housing, employment, and ect can prove difficult for the average citizen let alone one with a felony.
Many formerly incarcerated persons don’t come into society ignorant of the challenges. Those of us who have decided to give our lives to JESUS CHRIST even though there challenges exprience peace in the midst of the storms. Our faith is in, the little we know of, the applicable word of GOD we apply. GOD’s word will keep all mankind sane as we travel through life stresses. The bible study methods class will give a great advantage to those men and women returning from prison with a desire to live, not just right, but righteous as they become productive members of society. To the point of no return.
COMING SOON!!!!!!! 2011
The mission of the bible study is to provide the formerly incarcerated the training and skills needed to study extract and apply the doctrines and principle of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Many formerly incarcerated persons whom have given there lives to JESUS CHRIST often sometimes never get the chance too pursue a Christian education because of the tremendous challenges faced reintegrating into society. Things like housing, employment, and ect can prove difficult for the average citizen let alone one with a felony.
Many formerly incarcerated persons don’t come into society ignorant of the challenges. Those of us who have decided to give our lives to JESUS CHRIST even though there challenges exprience peace in the midst of the storms. Our faith is in, the little we know of, the applicable word of GOD we apply. GOD’s word will keep all mankind sane as we travel through life stresses. The bible study methods class will give a great advantage to those men and women returning from prison with a desire to live, not just right, but righteous as they become productive members of society. To the point of no return.
COMING SOON!!!!!!! 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Discipleship.....the heart of what we do.
Recently I began to think about what it really means to be a "Disciple". According to W.E. Vines Expository dictionary of New Testament words, the word itself comes from the Greek word Mathetes: a learner (from Manthano, to learn from a root Math-, indicating thought accompanied by endeavour) a disciple was not only a student, but an adherent; hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher.
I like the end of that definition....."an imitator of their teacher". As children growing up, we all have had someone in our lives that have had some effect on us to the point that we would "imitate" something about them. I was a big sports fan growing up and remember imitating Billy "White shoes" Johnson doing his dance in the end zone after making a long touchdown run. I remember imitating Ervin "Magic" Johnson making his Jr sky hook to beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Championship. How many young boys did Joe Namath inspire to want to play quarteback in the NFL? We have all had teachers, family members, friends, other people that we admired something about them and have attempted to imitate. As I get older, I look back and find myself "imitating" my parents in some regards saying the same things to my children that my mother often said to me. While we are all unique and individuals, there are some things that are common to our humanity, and imitation of someone, somehow, someway, and at sometime is as much part of our humanity as it is to be born. I recently had a conversation with a friend and we talked about doing certain things because "thats the way we always did them". Some things we imitate for so long we forget where we got the from.
Jesus Christ had a group of 12 close followers that became known as his "disciples". My dictionary app on my Android smartphone (I love technology) defines disciple as one of the 12 personal followers of Christ . He was the teacher, they were the followers.....the imitators. He didnt call them to imitate only some parts of His life and not others. He didnt say "follow me boys while the lights are on, but when they are off, dont do as I do, do as I say". No, Jesus Christ lived his life everyday, teaching his disciples to be imitators of his conduct, character, and conversation. To think like Him, respond like Him, love like Him, give like Him, serve like Him, be like Him. They would fail often, but He would never give up the mission of making disciples. Shaping and molding them into His very own image.
At the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus after He had been crucified, buried, and resurrected, met 11 of his disciples. Chapter 28 verse 18 Jesus said "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. GO therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." The teacher was passing the baton to the students. Graduation time boys, now get out and go to work!
It is the goal of Gadara Ministries to pick up that baton and continue to imitate the Master. The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ", and that is what we intend to do. Gadara Ministries is nothing if not a ministry of discipleship. It will always be the very heart of what we do. We will offer a lot of services to the formerly incarcerated in an attempt to meet their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs with different programs available throughout the community. We do so knowing that God doesnt just redeem the soul, His plan of redemption includes the whole person (Romans 8:23) But above all else, we are not in the need providing business, we are in the disciple making business. We are looking to not make disciples of our own, but those of the highest order, the greatest calling, the order of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So, we are heading our call to the great commission, to go and make disciples of all nations....anyone wanna join us?
I like the end of that definition....."an imitator of their teacher". As children growing up, we all have had someone in our lives that have had some effect on us to the point that we would "imitate" something about them. I was a big sports fan growing up and remember imitating Billy "White shoes" Johnson doing his dance in the end zone after making a long touchdown run. I remember imitating Ervin "Magic" Johnson making his Jr sky hook to beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Championship. How many young boys did Joe Namath inspire to want to play quarteback in the NFL? We have all had teachers, family members, friends, other people that we admired something about them and have attempted to imitate. As I get older, I look back and find myself "imitating" my parents in some regards saying the same things to my children that my mother often said to me. While we are all unique and individuals, there are some things that are common to our humanity, and imitation of someone, somehow, someway, and at sometime is as much part of our humanity as it is to be born. I recently had a conversation with a friend and we talked about doing certain things because "thats the way we always did them". Some things we imitate for so long we forget where we got the from.
Jesus Christ had a group of 12 close followers that became known as his "disciples". My dictionary app on my Android smartphone (I love technology) defines disciple as one of the 12 personal followers of Christ . He was the teacher, they were the followers.....the imitators. He didnt call them to imitate only some parts of His life and not others. He didnt say "follow me boys while the lights are on, but when they are off, dont do as I do, do as I say". No, Jesus Christ lived his life everyday, teaching his disciples to be imitators of his conduct, character, and conversation. To think like Him, respond like Him, love like Him, give like Him, serve like Him, be like Him. They would fail often, but He would never give up the mission of making disciples. Shaping and molding them into His very own image.
At the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus after He had been crucified, buried, and resurrected, met 11 of his disciples. Chapter 28 verse 18 Jesus said "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. GO therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." The teacher was passing the baton to the students. Graduation time boys, now get out and go to work!
It is the goal of Gadara Ministries to pick up that baton and continue to imitate the Master. The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ", and that is what we intend to do. Gadara Ministries is nothing if not a ministry of discipleship. It will always be the very heart of what we do. We will offer a lot of services to the formerly incarcerated in an attempt to meet their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs with different programs available throughout the community. We do so knowing that God doesnt just redeem the soul, His plan of redemption includes the whole person (Romans 8:23) But above all else, we are not in the need providing business, we are in the disciple making business. We are looking to not make disciples of our own, but those of the highest order, the greatest calling, the order of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So, we are heading our call to the great commission, to go and make disciples of all nations....anyone wanna join us?
Monday, September 12, 2011
The 3rd ward area, like most inner cities is plagued with high crime rates, drug abuse, educational deficiencies, poverty, unstable single parent homes, and a tearing apart of the family structure. Many of the formerly incarcerated are parents, and Harris County has the largest percentage of returning prisoners being released back into society. 46% of imprisoned parents lived with at least one child prior to their incarceration. The average age of children with incarcerated parents is 8 years old. 22% are age 5 or younger. It is estimated that 65, 129 prisoners are returned to their communities in Texas each year. Harris County had 10,264 incarcerated persons in 2010 and had the third fastest growing jail population in the nation with an increase of 46% from 1999 – 2009. With these staggering numbers, it is of vital importance to break the cycle with this generation of formerly incarcerated, to become influencers in their communities and stop the cycle for the next generation. Delivering hope to these communities by providing the way to transformation of those who were in the past a part of the problem, and will in turn become a part of the solution. Providing the necessary tools to stem the tide of degradation of this important part of society is a necessary building block of re-establishing our community.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
SOME REASONS WHY GADARA EXISTS....
I. TO DELIVER THOSE THROUGH THE GOSPEL APPROACH FROM ... MENTAL...EMOTIONAL....AND SPIRITUAL ISSUES, WHEN COMING OUT OF PRISON. PROVIDING HOPE TO THE HOPELESS...LOVE TO THE OSTRACIZED..EDUCATION TO THE UNEDUCATED....SKILLS TO THE UNSKILLED.
The challenges faced by the formerly incarcerate can be enourmous upon release back into society. But with the power of God to transform lives by His Spirit, we believe that Gadara Ministries will make a difference.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
II. TO RE-UNITE THE FAMILY STRUCTURE BACK IN THE HOME.
The family structure is a vital building block for all society. To build bridges of hope and encouragement to the many families that are torn apart by the seperation from past behaviour resulting in incarceration, is an important stepping stone to rebuilding our communities.
Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
III. TO REDUCE CRIME.....AND THE RECIDIVISM RATE.
The rate of prison recidivism among those in the inner cities is staggering. Those being released back into society need more then just a bus ticket home. They need the power to make lasting change.
Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
IV. TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE.... FROM DRUGS AND CRIME...
The problem of crime and drugs effects all of our society, but is more prevalent in the inner city such as Houston's 3rd ward. The role of our prison systems is not rehabilitation, but rather punitive, which rarely leads to real change. Offering faith based solutions to the real problems of sinful issues is our only hope to make a difference.
Psa 91:9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
Psa 91:10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
V. TO REDUCE THE DROP OUT RATE..
Children of incarcerated parents drop out at a significantly higher rate then those with both parents in the household. Education is a primary key to opening career doors and establishing vocational success and avoiding the temptations and lures of "fast money", which ends up being "fast prison sentence".
The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge."Proverbs 18:15
VI. TO REDUCE TEEN PREGNANCIES...AND ABORTION...
Teen pregnancies rates are considerably higher in the absence of the father in the home. We believe that all life is sacred and that it is necessary to call men to responsible roles of leadership in their homes.
Isa 44:2 Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen
VII. TO BUILD OUR COMMUNITIES AND CITIES INTO SAFE PLACES TO LIVE AND GROW.
Psa 121:5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
Psa 121:6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
Psa 121:7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
Psa 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
What Gadara Ministry does....
Praise the LORD for a ministry like Gadara's. This ministry is compasionately driven by men and women who have had an life changing encounter with JESUS CHRIST.This belief that has empowered them to the point of lasting change in every area of their lives. Internal deliverance Spiritually and mentally has shown great external implications. Gadara offers this Spiritual recipe of pursuit to those entangled in spiritual bondage. CHRIST crossed over to the otherside according to mark chapter 5 into a irreligious,heathenistic land and delivered a man from demonic possesion. Gadara PURSUE'S intently with the powerful life changing GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST.PRAISE GOD for GADARA!!! And the men and womem on its staff.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Christianity that is offensive....
Today at City of Refuge church, we had Craig Whitlock, Executive Director, The Forge for Families which is located in Houston's 3rd ward., preach from Heb 5:11 - 6:10. Prince Couisnard, Program Director for The Forge for Families was also in attendance and briefly gave his testimony to how the transforming power of God has changed his life. If you have ever visited, lived in, drove through, or heard reports about Houstons 3rd ward, you will know that it is like most inner cities today. Tough neighborhood to say the least. It can be a war zone with all the darkness and despair, sin and depravity. The Forge for Families is a beacon of light and hope in the midst of that darkness and despair. These 2 men, are committed to advancing the kingdom of God in practical ways to families who are in the midst of a battle zone. I thank God for their work. http://www.forgeforfamilies.org/
Craig has a military background, having enlisted 6 years and 7 years as a US Army officer before resigning his commission as a Captain in the Ranger Training Brigade. It shows in his preaching of Gods word. The part of his sermon that gripped me was his explanation of how Christianity is not meant to be passive. As Christians, we are not suppose to be on the defensive, but on the offensive. Jesus said:
Mat 11:12From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
I read that 78% of Americans in 2009 claim to be Christians, according to a Gallup poll. By that survey, we should see a whole lotta folks on the offensive for the glory of God, advancing His kingdom. But there is a problem with these numbers. It seems there are only a "few good men" in the battlefield and on the front lines advancing the good to the glory of God. Why do we still see all the injustices and moral degradation, crime and corruption, destruction of families and eroding of values in America more and more if 78% claim to be soldiers or servants or at least followers of the Most High God? Where are all the rest of the Christian soldiers pressing forward advancing the light and repelling the darkness?
Jesus told Peter:
Mat 16:18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Notice, he didnt tell Peter that the gates of heaven would keep heaven from being stormed by the enemy. He told him the opposite. That His church, would break down the strongholds of hell! That hell wont be able to stop the mission, purpose, and power that God would give those who would enlist on His side. That just as the troops in the 2nd Gulf war broke down the walls of Sadam Hussiens kingdom, so to will Christians perform raids on Satans kingdom and set captives free!
It is the mission of Gadara to be on the OFFENSIVE! My brother and friend, Founder Nicholas Thornton, did not sit back and wait for all the stars to align, the wind to blow just right, the capital to be raised, all the programs to be in place, and buildings built to begin fighting to take ground. He began working on the vision God gave him to make disciples, to effect the lives of the formerly incarcerated by doing just that, ministering to the needs of the formerly incarcerated right where he was. He also recruited me to join with him in the fight, one that we are both intimately familiar with. I thank God for Nicholas who is both an inspiration and a freind, one I can count on to be with me in the battle as he can I. So, we are looking to take ground for Jesus sake. Our call is to the frontlines, to those who the enemy has wounded but not defeated. To come alongside them to "fight the good fight of faith" 1Tim 6:12.
You may not be called to the same "battlefield", but one thing is for sure, we all are called to the same fight. The enemy is real.
The Apostle Peter said:
1Pe 5:8Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
So, my question is, are we all engaging the enemy in battle? Is your Christianity offensive? Or do you think that there is no war to fight?
Let us not be found MIA or AWOL when our Commander in Chief appears.....
Craig has a military background, having enlisted 6 years and 7 years as a US Army officer before resigning his commission as a Captain in the Ranger Training Brigade. It shows in his preaching of Gods word. The part of his sermon that gripped me was his explanation of how Christianity is not meant to be passive. As Christians, we are not suppose to be on the defensive, but on the offensive. Jesus said:
Mat 11:12From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
I read that 78% of Americans in 2009 claim to be Christians, according to a Gallup poll. By that survey, we should see a whole lotta folks on the offensive for the glory of God, advancing His kingdom. But there is a problem with these numbers. It seems there are only a "few good men" in the battlefield and on the front lines advancing the good to the glory of God. Why do we still see all the injustices and moral degradation, crime and corruption, destruction of families and eroding of values in America more and more if 78% claim to be soldiers or servants or at least followers of the Most High God? Where are all the rest of the Christian soldiers pressing forward advancing the light and repelling the darkness?
Jesus told Peter:
Mat 16:18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Notice, he didnt tell Peter that the gates of heaven would keep heaven from being stormed by the enemy. He told him the opposite. That His church, would break down the strongholds of hell! That hell wont be able to stop the mission, purpose, and power that God would give those who would enlist on His side. That just as the troops in the 2nd Gulf war broke down the walls of Sadam Hussiens kingdom, so to will Christians perform raids on Satans kingdom and set captives free!
It is the mission of Gadara to be on the OFFENSIVE! My brother and friend, Founder Nicholas Thornton, did not sit back and wait for all the stars to align, the wind to blow just right, the capital to be raised, all the programs to be in place, and buildings built to begin fighting to take ground. He began working on the vision God gave him to make disciples, to effect the lives of the formerly incarcerated by doing just that, ministering to the needs of the formerly incarcerated right where he was. He also recruited me to join with him in the fight, one that we are both intimately familiar with. I thank God for Nicholas who is both an inspiration and a freind, one I can count on to be with me in the battle as he can I. So, we are looking to take ground for Jesus sake. Our call is to the frontlines, to those who the enemy has wounded but not defeated. To come alongside them to "fight the good fight of faith" 1Tim 6:12.
You may not be called to the same "battlefield", but one thing is for sure, we all are called to the same fight. The enemy is real.
The Apostle Peter said:
1Pe 5:8Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
So, my question is, are we all engaging the enemy in battle? Is your Christianity offensive? Or do you think that there is no war to fight?
Let us not be found MIA or AWOL when our Commander in Chief appears.....
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Jesus ministers on the other side.....
Mar 5:2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
Mar 5:3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain,
Mar 5:4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him.
Mar 5:5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
Mar 5:6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.
Mar 5:7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me."
Mar 5:8 For he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"
Mar 5:9 And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
Mar 5:10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
Mar 5:11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,
Mar 5:12 and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them."
Mar 5:13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.
Mar 5:14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened.
Mar 5:15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
Mar 5:16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.
Mar 5:17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
Mar 5:18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
Mar 5:19 And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."
Mar 5:20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
This passage of scripture was the inspiration for the name Gadara, which was a gentile region that most of the religious folk of the day, would not dare to venture into. Yet Jesus Christ would make a deliberate visit to encounter someone that no one else would. He delivered this man and his life was forever changed. The compassion of Christ is so profound, reaching out to those who were outcasts, regenerating the spiritually dead, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, and delivering captives from bondage.
According to a study by OJP's Bureau of Justice Statistics, almost 7.3 million men and women were under correctional supervision in the nation's prisons or jails or on probation or parole at yearend 2009. About 70 percent (5 .0 million) of the adults under correctional supervision at yearend 2009 were supervised in the community (either probation or parole) while 30 percent (2.3 million) were incarcerated in the nation's prisons or jails. At yearend 2009, approximately one in every 31 U.S. residents was under community supervision or incarcerated. An estimated 756 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents were incarcerated in state or federal prison or in local jails at yearend 2009. The majority will be released back into the population with strained family relationships, employment challenges, lack of education, and uncertain futures.
The mission of Gadara Ministries is to provide the formerly incarcerated with the training and tools necessary to break the cycle of prison recidivism, and become productive citizens by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Gadara Ministries is a Christ centered organization that provides for their physical, emotional, mental, and deepest spiritual needs of the formerly incarcerated. Utilizing biblical principals we will transform character and change conduct to mold productive citizens.
To the point of no return......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)