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#17/ 12-Dec-1999

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

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

     C H R I S T M A S    B L E S S I N G S ...
to all our readers. May this be a special time of the 
year for you, as you remember Who is the reason for the
season!

IN THIS ISSUE...
1. New at the Positive Words site
2. Last Opportunity!
3. Songs I Remember
4. Positive Words for Today
5. Searchlights from the Word
6. Bible Study Outlines

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1. NEW AT THE POSITIVE WORDS SITE
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POSITIVE WORDS has been awarded a 4.1/2-star TOP SITE
award from ChristSites.com. Rated as an excellent site
overall, the comments are:  Content: Excellent, 
Design: Good design and layout. Easy to navigate. 
Technology: Great use of technology. Originality: Great.
We are thankful for this recognition after over four
years on the World Wide Web. You will see an icon on
the left of our home page.

FROM ONE OF OUR READERS
"I've been reading the materials on your website as well
as those of the teachers/ministries you have linked to it.
I'm very thankful for your site! It's been a long time
(too long!) since I've studied the "In Christ" teachings
from the Word... I see that you're coming to Pittsburgh
next year. I would like to come and see you again. Thanks
again for the site. These studies are refreshing and
powerful. I've been through a lot of different Biblical
viewpoints over the past several years, but sadly, most of
them don't touch on the depth of what and who we are in
Christ."

CHRISTMAS STARTS IN GENESIS (Peter Wade)
The first promise that there would be a Christmas was
given by God after Adam sinned, and is recorded in
Genesis 3:14-20. "So the Lord God said to the serpent:
'Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all
cattle; and more than every beast of the field; on your
belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days
of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall
bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel"' (NKJV).
There are four great facts in this first promise of
Christmas (verse 15), four facts that are foundational to
the Christian faith...     [This teaching continued at 
< http://www.peterwade.com/articles/wade/genesis.shtml >

ALSO RECOMMENDED READING FOR CHRISTMAS...
The Helpless Babe (E.W. Kenyon)


Fear Not! Behold a Savior (Peter Wade)


The Manifestation of Christ (F.E. Marsh)



THE PEACE OF GOD by A.J. Gordon
"And came and preached peace to you which were afar off,
and to them that were nigh." -- Ephesians 2:17.
   In the passage from which my text is taken, it is first
said that Christ "made peace," and then that He "preached
peace." And this is very important to be noted. He did
not make peace by declaring it; He declared it because He
had made it. Men often put words before deeds, and
promises before performances; but Christ never does. His
work stands ever as the solid background of His word.
What He promises to us is always backed and buttressed by
what He has performed for us.
   Now, I think the mistake which superficial readers
of the New Testament make about the gospel is, that they
do not recognise the antecedent relation of Christ's work
to His gifts and promises. The scheme of salvation which
they deduce from the Scriptures is deficient in this,
that it lacks perspective, if I may say so; like a
Chinese picture, in which all the objects are in the
foreground, with no relief of darker shades and deeper
lines, so that they see Christ's peace and pardon as the
prominent things in the gospel, without seeing the cross,
the punishment of sin, the battle with death, and the
bloody victory over the powers of darkness, which
constitute the groundwork of this peace.   [Continued at
< http://www.peterwade.com/articles/gordaj/peace.shtml >


DIVINE UNION by Hannah Whitall Smith
   All the dealings of God with the soul of the believer
are in order to bring it into oneness with Himself, that
the prayer of our Lord may be fulfilled: "That they all
may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us... I in them, and thou in
me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the
world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved
them, as thou hast loved me."
   This Divine union was the glorious purpose in the
heart of God for His people before the foundation of the
world. It was the mystery hid from ages and generations.
It was accomplished in the death of Christ. It has been
made known by the Scriptures; and it is realized as an
actual experience by many of God's dear children.
   But not by all. It is true of all, and God has not
hidden it or made it hard; but the eyes of many are too
dim, and their hearts too unbelieving for them to grasp
it. It is therefore for the purpose of bringing His
people into the personal and actual realization of this
that the Lord calls upon them so earnestly and so
repeatedly to abandon themselves to Him, that He may work
in them all the good pleasure of His will.   [Continued
here

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2. LAST OPPORTUNITY... SALE SPECIAL
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*** We have secure CREDIT CARD facilities online and
can accept US checks online also.  

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3. SONGS I REMEMBER
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Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander (1823-95) was the wife
of an Anglican minister who later became Archbishop of
Ireland. She was very active in Sunday School work,
and wrote over 400 hymns and poems, many of which are
still popular today... "There Is A Green Hill Far Away",
"Jesus Calls Us O'er the Tumult" and one of my favorite
Christmas carols, "Once in Royal David's City." Here 
are some verses...

   Once in royal David's city
   Stood a lowly cattle shed,
   Where a mother laid her baby
   In a manger for His bed.
   Mary was that mother mild,
   Jesus Christ her little child.

   For He is our childhood's Pattern,
   Day by day like us He grew;
   He was little, weak, and helpless,
   Tears and smiles like us He knew.
   And He feeleth for our sadness,
   And He shareth in our gladness.

   And our eyes at last shall see Him
   Through His own redeeming love.
   For that Child, so dear and gentle
   Is our Lord in heaven above;
   And He leads His children on
   To the place where He has gone.

   Not in that poor lowly stable,
   With the oxen standing by,
   We shall see Him -- but in heaven,
   Set at God's right hand on high;
   When like stars His children crowned,
   All in while shall wait around.

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4. A POSITIVE WORD FOR TODAY (Peter Wade)
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                 NOW I UNDERSTAND

"His divine power has given us everything we need for 
life and godliness through our knowledge of him who 
called us by his own glory and goodness" (II Peter 1:3)

The revelation to the apostle Paul of the New Creation in
Christ is perhaps the most important and the most positive
concept of truth for Christians today.  The New Creation
affects my prayer life, guidance, confidence -- every
aspect of my relationship to God. I can stand in God's
presence with a sense of worth, for the Christ in me makes
me worthy. 
   Now I understand that applying my knowledge of the New 
Creation will determine my success in every aspect of my 
life. 
   Now I understand God placed within me something
entirely new. "The old has gone, the new has come" 
(II Corinthians 5:17b) 
   Now I understand the New Creation is a complete
spiritual blessing. I do not deserve it, but God in His
grace and mercy gave me a complete blessing. 
   Now I understand I am complete in him. I have
everything I need for meeting every situation in life. 
   Now I understand the gift of spirit within, the New
Creation, is God's communication system. The New Creation
within me is a reservoir of divine ideas and inspiration.
(From "You Are A New Creation", Chapter 1, adapted by
Hildy Matthews.)

AFFIRMATION: Now I understand the New Creation is God's
way of giving me direction, power and guidance.

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5. SEARCHLIGHTS FROM THE WORD
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G. Campbell Morgan was a well-known preacher and writer
of over 60 books from the first half of the 20th century. 
In this spot each issue we reproduce a comment from one 
verse in every chapter of the Bible. We continue with 
Paul's letter to the Galatians.

"Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye
now perfected in the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3). 

In these questions we have the principle for which the
Apostle contended, applied to the processional aspect
of Christian experience. If Christ did not die for nought
-- that is, if we indeed are admitted to the possibility
of righteousness through faith in Him, and through that
alone -- then is it to be supposed that we shall be able
to realize in actual experience the things of
righteousness by going back to those methods which were
unable to create the possibility or to communicate the
power of righteousness? 
   The first phase of salvation is justification -- that
is, the reconciliation of our essential spirit-life to
God. There we begin our Christian life. Is it reasonable
to suppose, that departing from that central and initial
way, we may now hope to make progress in the Christian
life and experience by employing the methods of the
flesh? Is it so, that any activity of the flesh whatever
can strengthen the life of the Spirit? It is
inconceivable. 
   And yet here is the place where repeatedly the
children of God have been carried away. All sorts of
fleshly devices have been resorted to in the vain and
foolish hope that activity of the flesh tends to
strengthening of the spirit. It is never so. The process
is exactly opposite. The spirit controls the flesh,
employs it, commands it, sanctifies it and thus makes it
the instrument of service to others. Therefore the
process of the soul to perfection is ever by faith, a
spiritual activity, and never by works, a fleshly method. 
  
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6. BIBLE STUDY OUTLINES
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These Bible Study outlines come from the excellent book
by F.E. Marsh, "1,000 Bible Study Outlines".

ACTIVITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
1. Shining. Arising to shine -- Eph. 5:14.
2. Running. Running to win -- I Cor. 9:24-27.
3. Helping. Helping to succour -- Phil. 4:3.
4. Sowing. Sowing to reap -- Gal. 6:7-9.
5. Fighting. Fighting to subdue -- I Tim. 6:12.
6. Praying. Praying to bless -- I Tim. ii. 1, 2.
7. Fishing. Fishing to catch -- Matt. 4:19.

MORE ACTIVITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
1. Following to prove -- John 10:27.
2. Growing to attain -- Eph. 4:15.
3. Walking to accomplish -- Eph. 5:1,2.
4. Working to benefit -- Rom. 12:6-16.
5. Wrestling to conquer -- II Tim. 2:5.
6. Washing to cleanse -- John 13:14.
7. Reaching to gain -- Phil. 3:13,14.

"ALL" IN ROMANS
1. Sin. "All have sinned" (Rom. 3:23).
2. Subjection. "All under sin" (Rom. 3:9).
3. Sacrifice. "Gave Him up for us all" (Rom. 8:32).
4. Supply. "Freely give us all things" (Rom. 8:32).
5. Supplication. "All who call upon Him" (Rom. 10:12).
6. Superintendence. "Lord over all" (Rom. 10:12).
7. Support. "The God of Peace be with you all" (Rom.
   15:33).

"AFTER THAT"
1. Trusting after hearing -- Eph. 1:13.
2. Communion after cleansing -- Lev. 14:8.
3. Revelation after separation -- Gen. 13:14.
4. Service after consecration -- Num. 8:15,22.
5. Power after the Spirit's coming -- Acts 1:8.
6. Thanksgiving after blessing -- Deut. 16:13-17.
7. Glory after suffering -- I Peter 5:10.

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THANKS for reading Positive Words. Please share it
with a friend!
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(c) 1999 Peter Wade
http://www.peterwade.com/