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#23/ 17-May-2000

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

       ----- http://www.posword.org/ -----
      ----- http://www.peterwade.com/ -----
   ... helping you discover who you really are!


IN THIS ISSUE...
1. News this month!
2. Songs I Remember
3. Positive Words for Today
4. Searchlights from the Word
5. Bible Study Outlines

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1. NEWS THIS MONTH

FOR YOU TO READ...
   "Quiet Talks On Prayer" by S.D. Gordon -- we have placed the final
FIVE chapters of this author's largest selling book online, this time
on "Jesus' Habits of Prayer"... 
< http://www.posword.org/articles/gordsd/prayer00.shtml > . There are
at least 15 recorded incidents of Jesus praying, and we can learn from
these as we watch and listen, as much as we can from what Jesus taught
about prayer.

ALL NEW ARTICLES on our site now have a "printer-friendly version"
available (see the five chapters above). This means that instead of
printing out the large font and narrow column we use on the website,
you can conserve paper with a normal type size on a normal width of
text. Try it out!

There's still time to listen to "THE NEW YOU", the first session of
the Denver September 1999 "In Christ" seminar. This will give you a
good taste of what to expect in the upcoming August "In Christ"
seminars in Cleveland OH, North Bay area CA, and Seattle WA. This
powerful teaching covers the two great doctrines of the Church.
< http://www.peterwade.com/modules.php?name=zina >


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PETER'S SCHEDULE FOR 2000 / 2001

In Christ Seminars: *** Note NEW dates:
   --> Cleveland, OH      (August 11-13) 
   --> North Bay area, CA (August 18-20) 
   --> Seattle/Tacoma, WA (August 25-27). 

IF YOU WANT TO BE ON OUR MAILING LIST FOR THESE EVENTS, please email
us your postal address.

Peter & Vivien Wade:
JANUARY 5-11, 2001 (Fri-Thur): *** Australian Bible Conference ***
Halls Gap, Victoria, with group tour from USA. Speakers: Dr. Norman
Campbell, Dr. Peter Wade. Motel-style accommodation in the beautiful
Grampian Mountains.

Changes in dates DO occur... please check before making travel plans.

_____________________________________________________________________
2. SONGS I REMEMBER

Charles H. Gabriel was one of the most prolific songwriters at the
turn of the 20th century. His songs were made popular by Homer
Rodeheaver in the great Billy Sunday campaigns of the 1910s. For most
of his songs Gabriel wrote both words and lyrics, but in this case the
lyrics of this song were written by R.H. McDaniel and the music by
Gabriel. I can remember singing this song with great gusto as a young
man.

   What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought
   Since Jesus came into my heart!
   I have light in my soul for which long I had sought
   Since Jesus came into my heart!

Chorus: Since Jesus came into my heart!
   Since Jesus came into my heart!
   Floods of joy o'er my soul like the sea billows roll,
   Since Jesus came into my heart!
   
   I have ceased from my wand'ring and going astray;
   Since Jesus came into my heart!
   And my sins which were many are all washed away,
   Since Jesus came into my heart!
   
   I'm possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure,
   Since Jesus came into my heart!
   And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure,
   Since Jesus came into my heart!
   
   There's a light in the valley of Death now for me,
   Since Jesus came into my heart!
   And the gates of the City beyond I can see,
   Since Jesus came into my heart!
   
   I shall go there to dwell in that City I know,
   Since Jesus came into my heart!
   And I'm happy, so happy as onward I go,
   Since Jesus came into my heart!

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3. A POSITIVE WORD FOR TODAY (Peter Wade)

                       NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU

"In whom you also are built together for an habitation of God through
the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22).

The New Testament demonstrates that God's presence is to be understood
by the New Creation in a very intimate way. "And God placed all things
under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the
church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in
every way" (Ephesians 1:22- 23). I am filled with all the fulness of
God. I am a container of God, and while God is everywhere present, He
wants me as a New Creation to be especially conscious of the truth
that all that God is, is within me.  
   "And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling
in which God lives by his Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22). Jesus Christ is
the corner stone and the believers are forming a holy temple in the
Lord, a place where God is understood to "dwell."
   In Colossians chapter 2 our faith is strengthened when we read,
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and
you have been given fullness in Christ" (Colossians 2:9-10a). I am not
complete because of my good works or my praying much, but I am
complete because I am in Him. And how complete is Christ? All the
fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him, so I have the completeness of
God dwelling in me because it is "Christ in you, the hope
[expectation] of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
   Hebrews 13:5-6 reads, "Keep your lives free from the love of money
and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I
leave you; never will I forsake you.' So I can say with confidence,
'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'"
If He is never going to leave me or forsake me, then I can be
confident of His presence at all times. When I am walking down the
street, God is there with me. When I am driving my car, God is the One
who is at hand. Remember to practice the presence of God. (From "You
Are A New Creation", Chapter 2, adapted by Hildy Matthews.)

AFFIRMATION: As I pray, I know that God wants the best for me. Each
minute of every day I believe God is in me and never leaves me nor
forsakes me.

_____________________________________________________________________
4. SEARCHLIGHTS FROM THE WORD

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 Philippians.

"I counted... and I count" (Philippians 3:7,8)

These words occur in the page of autobiography in which Paul employed
his own experience as an argument in appealing to his spiritual
children in Philippi. They refer to a mental and spiritual activity.
The two exercises were separated by at least thirty years. The first
took place when Christ broke through upon him in all the radiant glory
and revolutionizing power of His risen life. The second took place as
he wrote, in prison, and amid all the difficulties and trials created
by his Apostolic ministry. 
   Between the time when he counted his gain loss and abandoned
everything, and this hour, what experiences he had passed through!
Nothing had occurred which in any way altered his first reckoning and
decision; and so, to the "I counted" of the first revelation, he added
the "I count" of the present experience. And this should ever be so.
We are never more in peril than when we are trusting to a past
experience. Yet how often it is done! 
   We remember the day when the light broke upon us. It was a very
real thing. It changed all our outlook. It compelled us to
reconsideration of all the facts of life. We obeyed. We turned our
backs upon all sorts of gains, counting them as merely worthless
things. We yielded to the call and glory of the life in Christ. It was
all excellent. But what about the present? Is the old attitude
maintained? Are the activities of today those of the first days? Or
have we gone back to the abandoned things? Do we allow ourselves to
seek again the lower things? It is only as we can express the decision
of the past in terms of the present, the "I counted," as "I count,"
that there is any real value in the past.
  
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5. BIBLE STUDY OUTLINES

These Bible Study outlines come from the excellent book by F.E. Marsh,
"1,000 Bible Study Outlines".

"BE SOBER"
Frequently we are exhorted to "be sober," to "think soberly" (Rom.
xii. 3), and to "live soberly" (Titus ii. 12).
1. "Be... Sober" in all the spheres of life, that the office filled
may be commended -- I Tim. iii. 2.
2. "Be Sober" in wakefulness, and not allow the sleep of slothfulness
to mar us -- I Thess. v. 6.
3. "Be Sober," and put on the armour of faith, love, and hope, and
thus be prepared for the assaults of the enemy -- I Thess. v. 8.
4. "Be Sober," and thus be vigilant to qualify against the assaults of
the Devil, and overcome his devices -- I Peter v. 8.
5. "Be Sober," and "watch unto prayer," for the end of all things is
at hand -- I Peter iv. 7.
6. "Be Sober," is the command to young and old -- Titus ii. 2,4,6, for
unless we watch we shall be worried.
7. "Be Sober," and "hope to the end" -- I Peter i. i3, for the Coming
of the Lord draweth nigh.

"BE NOT AFRAID"
1. "Be not afraid" when Christ says, "It is I" (Matt. xiv. 27).
2. "Be not afraid" when He says, "Arise" (Matt. xvii. 7).
3. "Be not afraid" when told to "go" and "tell" (Matt. xxviii. 10).
4. "Be not afraid" when Christ says, "Believe" (Mark v. 36).
5. "Be not afraid" of what may happen, provided God is feared (Luke
xii. 4-7).
6. "Be not afraid" when God commands us to "speak" (Acts xviii. 9).
7. "Be not afraid" when ungodly men are a "terror" (I Peter iii. 14).

"BE STRONG"
God's commands are His promises, which enable us to carry out His
precepts.
1. "Be strong" to possess God's possessions, as He urged upon Joshua -
- Joshua i. 6.
2. "Be strong" to obey Jehovah's commands, by unfaltering response to
them -- Joshua i. 7.
3. "Be strong" in the face of difficulties, because the Lord is with
us to see us through them -- Joshua i. 9.
4. "Be strong" in the face of the declension of others, for the Lord
bids us to be of "good courage" -- Joshua i. 18.
5. Pass on His Word, "Be strong," to others, as Joshua did to the
children of Israel, and overcome all your enemies -- Joshua x. 25.
6. "Be strong," for the Lord bids thee "fear not" those who oppose us,
for He pledges Himself not to fail us -- Deut. xxxi. 6.
7. "Be strong," for the Lord hath sworn to give what He has promised -
- Deut. xxxi. 7.

"BEWARE"
God's commands remind us of our responsibilities. Beware of...
I. The Bane of Covetousness. "Beware of covetousness" (Luke xii. 15).
2. The Dogs of Evil. "Beware of evil workers" (Phil. iii. 2).
3. The Traditions of Men. "Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men" (Col. ii. 8).
4. The Leaven of Self-righteousness. "Beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees" (Luke xii. 1).
5. The Blight of Forgetfulness. "Beware lest thou forget the Lord"
(Deut. vi. 12).
6. The Concision of Judaism. "Beware of the concision" (Phil. iii. 2).
7. The Error of the Wicked. "Beware lest ye also be led by the error
of the wicked" (II Peter iii. 17).

BIBLE
B -- BEAUTIFUL in its language -- Psa. xxiii.
I -- INCORRUPTIBLE in its nature -- I Peter i. 23.
B -- BLESSED in its bestowments -- Psa. xxxii.
L -- LOVING in its message -- John iii. 16.
E -- ENLIGHTENING in its guidance -- Psa. cxix. 105.

BIBLE STUDY ON HEBREWS XIII. 20, 21
This is one of the green pastures, and the provendor is thick, sweet,
and nourishing. Every word is weighted with intrinsic worth and holy
wealth.

1. Personal Title of God. "The God of Peace." The God of Peace
proclaims the calm of His holiness, the quiet of His love, the
stillness of His rest, the power of His Word, the resources of His
grace, the steadiness of His purpose, the harbour of His care, the
beauty of His character, and the glory of His nature.
2. Powerful Act of God. "That brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus." Without disturbing swathing bands, weight of spices, heavy
stone, God brought Christ through them all. Hades could not hold Him,
nor the grave detain Him, nor Hell hinder Him. The resurrection of
Christ proclaims the greatness of God's power, and also its might.
3. Pastoral Character of Christ. "That great Shepherd of the sheep."
His sheep are blood-bought, hand-kept, spirit-led, grace-guarded,
word-sanctified, divinely-marked, and promise-fed. He is great to do
all these things, and loves to serve them. He lives to bless them, as
He died to purchase them.
4. Propitiating Blood of the Covenant. "Through the blood of the
everlasting covenant." By means of (as "through" signifies) Christ's
Blood, Heaven is satisfied, justice is magnified, law is gratified,
Hell is stultified, saints are sanctified, sinners are vivified,
Christian workers are intensified, and believers will be glorified.
The covenant was made between Father and Son, and we get the benefit,
and that benefit is eternal in its blessing.
5. Perfecting of the Saints. "Make you perfect in every good work to
do His will." To answer to God's will by being thoroughly adjusted to
His Word, is to be perfect. For this perfection we need the Perfect
One. The will of God, nothing less, nothing more, nothing else. When
God has His way with us we get our way with Him, because we only want
what He gives. To be God-made is to be God-stayed.
6. Performance of the Lord. "Working (margin, "doing") in you." Mark
the present tense, "working." Not "did work" nor "will work," but is
"working." When the Lord puts His hand to the plough He never looks
back. There is no looking back with Jehovah. When He takes up, He
never gives up. When He begins He completes.
7. Pleasing to the Lord. "That which is well-pleasing in His sight. "
The consciousness of the Lord's presence is the soul of consecration.
To please the Lord always produces a pleasure to the one who does it.
Here again the Lord is the end, as well as the beginning and centre.
The Leviticus of His pleasure is reached by the Exodus of His
redemptive leading; and the Genesis of His grace.
8. Preposition of Grace. "Through Jesus Christ." The preposition
"through" means, by means of the active agency of our Lord. His
activities did not cease at the Cross; they began there with a new
purpose and power. He is still the active agent by means of whom all
blessing flows to us. We never can get beyond the sphere of His grace.
Any and everything we need as saints and servants, as well as sinners,
is "through Jesus Christ" our Lord.
9. Praise to the Lord. "To whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen." We
may well bless Him with our praises, since He has blessed us with His
mercies. A thankless man is a disgrace and a dishonour, but a thankful
man is a delight and an honour.


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(c) 2000 Peter Wade
http://www.posword.org/