~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This newsletter is sent only to subscribers. See the
end of this message for subscription information if
you received it from a friend.
YES... please share it with your friends -- use the
Redirect feature of your email program.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#08/ 04-Apl-1999


          P O S I T I V E     W O R D S
               Editor: Peter Wade

     ----- http://www.peterwade.com/ -----

H E   L I V E S ...   W I T H I N   M Y   H E A R T 


IN THIS ISSUE...
1. At the Positive Words site
2. Songs I Remember
3. Positive Words for Today
4. Searchlights from the Word
5. Humor

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1. NEW AT THE POSITIVE WORDS SITE
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Learn more about the resurrection life of the Christ
within you at Positive Words this month. "Because He lives,
we too live!"

THE CHRIST CROWNED: THE FACT by S.D. Gordon
  Christ is crowned. Not in any vague far-fetched meaning,
but in the plain common-sense meaning of the word, He is
crowned.
  For crowned means put in the place of highest power,
with full right to exercise that power at will. And when
the crucified Jesus went up that Olivet day, before the
astonished eyes of the disciples, into the sightless blue,
on the cloud, He was received in the upper world by the
Father. And He was lifted up into the place of highest
honour and greatest power. He sat down at the right hand of
the Father (Mark 16:19).
  He had said it would be so. Breathing the air thick with
bitter hate on the night of His trial, He had quietly said
to the Jewish rulers that even so it would be, bringing at
once about His person the bursting of the storm of hate
(Matthew 26:64). Now His unfaltering trust in His Father
has its sweet reward.
  The Holy Spirit poured out on Pentecost, the birthday of
the Church, was the gift of the crowned  Christ. The
rushing sound as of a mighty wind that filled all the
house, the tongues of flame plainly seen, the bold talking
to the crowds of foreign Jews of God's mighty power, the
faithful witnessing about the crucified Jesus in the city
that hounded Him to death, the convinced crowds openly
declaring at the peril of their lives their belief in the
despised Jesus, the strangely rare unselfishness even in
money matters, and the winsome graciousness of spirit that
marked, not only the inner circle, but these greatly
increased crowds, -- all this said one thing in clear
unanswerable tones of unmistakable power, Christ is crowned
(Acts 2:33; 3:13-16; 5:31-32; 7:55,66). For the sending
down of the Holy Spirit was the act of the crowned Christ.
  And every touch of the Holy Spirit's presence within
trusting hearts, -- the sweet peace, the quiet assurance,
the longing for purity, the drawing away to prayer, the
hunger for God's Word, the intense desire to have others
saved, the passion to please this wondrous God of ours, --
all these simple marks of the Holy Spirit's presence in our
hearts, all tell us, and each tells us, in unmistakable
tones, that Christ is crowned. For this wondrous Spirit
within is the gift of the crowned Christ.
  When Jesus went up from the earth, holding as His sure
captive the captivity of suffering and death to which He
had with such great strength yielded, He received gifts,
coronation gifts. The Father gave Him all. He gave Him the
disposal and control of all. This was the crowning.
  And in His great out-reaching love Christ received these
gifts on behalf of men, His blood brothers. And at once He
gave to men, to His trusting disciples, the all-inclusive
gift, the Holy Spirit, His coronation gift (Psalm 68:18;
Ephesians 4:8; Acts 2:33). So God came anew to dwell with
men as originally planned.
  This blessed Presence within tells me, by His mere
presence, that Christ is crowned.

*** Read the rest of this two-part article at...
http://www.peterwade.com/articles/gordsd/crowned1.shtml

OTHER ARTICLES
The Whole Outlook Changes (Peter Wade) 
A special Easter message based on Phillips' translation of
Romans 5:21, including a bonus article "Love in Four
Dimensions" examining John 3:16.
http://www.peterwade.com/articles/wade/wholeout.shtml

The Names of Jesus (E.W. Bullinger)
A powerful study on how the name of Jesus changed after
the Resurrection and what the various combinations of "Lord
Jesus Christ" signify.
http://www.peterwade.com/articles/bullingr/jesuschr.shtml

Raised With Him (E.W. Kenyon)
An inspirational article on how you and I were involved in
the Resurrection.
http://www.peterwade.com/articles/kenyon/raised.shtml

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2. SONGS I REMEMBER
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I've been trying to decide which hymn is my favorite for
Easter Sunday, and it hasn't been easy. Is it "Christ the
Lord is risen today, Alleluja!", or "Up from the grave He
arose", or perhaps the majestic "Thine is the glory, risen,
conqu'ring Son"? All express the greatness of this pivotal
event on the Christian calendar. Yet my choice happens to
be have been first published in the year of my birth, and
the words and music came from the pen of Alfred H. Ackley
who died in 1960. It is usually simply titled "He Lives" in
most hymnals.

  I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today;
  I know that He is living, whatever men may say;
  I see His hand of mercy, 
  I hear His voice of cheer,
  And just the time I need Him He's always near.

     He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
     He walks with me and talks with me 
     Along life's narrow way.
     He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
     You ask me how I know He lives?
     He lives within my heart.

  In all the world around me I see His loving care,
  And though my heart grows weary, 
  I never will despair;
  I know that He is leading 
  Through all the stormy blast,
  The day of His appearing will come at last.

  Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, 
  Lift up your voice and sing
  Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!
  The Hope of all who seek Him, 
  The Help of all who find
  None other is so loving, so good and kind.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
3. A POSITIVE WORD FOR TODAY
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

              The Principle of Giving

"Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the
firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be
filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new
wine"	(Proverbs 3:9-10 NKJV).

In Old Testament times, the believers had been trained to
give the first 10 per cent of their income to God with no
questions asked. They were to honor God with their money
and the first portion of the crops, "off the top". God is
not saying He wanted their capital; so relax, sit back and
enjoy what God meant. He is saying is that He wanted the
first portion of their income -- the income that has been
produced by employing their capital and sufficiency. 

The firstfruits, the first part, was God's system of
taxation, because it was a requirement. I am not under that
system today but I am to apply the same proportional
principle: "Give, and it will be given to you" (Luke 6:38,
see also II Corinthians 8:11). I am to give out of my
income. I, too, honor God by my giving. I cannot go through
the year and say, "Yes, I trust God, I acknowledge Him and
I reverence Him, but I don't want to give."

God said to test Him out (Malachi 3:10), and I will do thi
by giving.  I will take my hands off my gift and thank the
Father for giving me those rich, divine, prospering ideas
that fill my barns to overflowing. (From "Outdo, Outwit, &
Outperform", Chapter 6, adapted by Hildy Matthews.)

AFFIRMATION: I will continue to invest in my future by
giving and letting God bless me with His prosperity.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4. SEARCHLIGHTS FROM THE WORD
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

G. Campbell Morgan was a well-known preacher and
writer from the turn of the century. In this spot each
issue we reproduce a comment from one verse in every
chapter of the Bible. We continue with the so-called
"Prison Epistles" of Paul: Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, Philemon.

  "The might of His glory" (Colossians 1:11).

  That is a far more arresting translation than the old
one, "His glorious power," and it is more accurate. The
latter is a phrase in which the emphasis is laid on a
quality of the power -- it is glorious. The real thought of
the phrase is that it lays an emphasis on a fact concerning
His glory, and that is, that it is characterized by might.
The Apostle was recording his prayer for the saints, that
they might be filled with knowledge in order to walk
worthily, bearing fruit. The condition for all this is that
they should be strengthened with all power. Of this power
he gives a description in this phrase, "The might of His
glory." 
  God is essentially the God of might. The first great
name by which the Hebrew people knew Him was Elohim, which
speaks of that might in all its greatness. Everything of
God has in it this quality of strength. In no application
is the fact more unusual than in this of His glory. Glory
is splendour, all the qualities of beauty and brilliance,
whether material or mental; and one of the most marked
qualities of human glory is that of its weakness. "Sic
transit gloria mundi" is a proverb expressing this
conviction. Glory fades, passes, and that because of its
weakness. The glory of God knows no fading, no passing, no
perishing. It abides undimmed because of its strength. When
the glory of God is seen, when to realize it becomes the
passion of a life, it is found that in the vision there is
strength, in the effort there is energy. His glory not only
captures the mind; it empowers all upon whom it shines. It
not only lures -- it lifts.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5. HUMOR
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Each issue includes some of the best pieces we have
seen since our last issue. So here goes...

THE SIGNS OF THE CHURCH
"No God -- No Peace. Know God -- Know Peace."
"Free Trip to Heaven. Details Inside!"
"Try our Sundays. They are better than Baskin-Robbins."
"Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!"
"God so loved the world that He did not send a committee."
"When down in the mouth, remember Jonah. He came out
alright."
"Fight truth decay -- study the Bible daily."
"How will you spend eternity -- Smoking or Non-smoking?"
"If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-
turns."
"If you don't like the way you were born, try being born
again."
"Forbidden fruit creates many jams."
"In the dark? Follow the Son."
"Running low on faith? Stop in for a fill-up."

An ad for St. Joseph's Episcopal Church has a picture of
two hands holding stone tablets on which the Ten
Commandments are inscribed and a headline that reads, "For
fast, fast, fast relief, take two tablets."

"People are like tea bags -- you have to put them in hot
water before you know how strong they are."

"The Resurrection," a singing group, was scheduled to sing
at a church. When a big snowstorm postponed the
performance, the pastor announced on the outside sign, "The
Resurrection is postponed."
--Author unknown.

TEN REASONS GOD CREATED EVE
10. God worried that Adam would always be lost in the
garden because He knew men would never ask directions.

9. God knew that Adam would one day need someone to hand
him the TV remote because men don't want to see what's on
television -- they want to see WHAT ELSE is on television.

8. God knew that Adam would never buy a new fig leaf when
the seat wore out and therefore would need Eve to get one
for him.

7. God knew that Adam would never make a doctor's
appointment for himself.

6. God knew that Adam would never remember which night was
garbage night.

5. God knew that if the world were to be populated, there
would have to be someone to bear the children, because men
would never be able to handle it.

4. As "Keeper of the Garden," Adam would never remember
where he put his tools.

3. The scriptural account of Creation indicates that Adam
needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him
hiding in the garden.

2. As the Bible says, "It is not good for man to be
alone."  He only ends up getting himself in trouble.

1. When God finished the creation of Adam, he stepped
back, scratched his head and said, "I can do better than
that."
  --From "Bill's Punch Line" at tcmrtalk@airmail.net.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THANKS for reading Positive Words. Please share it
with a friend!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

(c) 1999 Peter Wade
http://www.peterwade.com/