~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Positive Words 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; this way they will know
it is not spam, and you can add some words at the start of the
email. Friends don't let friends live without Positive Words! 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#35/ 02-May-2001

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

       ----- http://www.peterwade.com/ -----
 ... the realities of in Christ and Christ in you!

IN THIS ISSUE...
	1. New at Our Site
	2. The Best Tunes
	3. Positive Words for Today
    4. Searchlights from the Word

-----------------------------------------------------------------
1.   n e w   a t   o u r   s i t e
-----------------------------------------------------------------

LINKS
We recently ran a program that reported our site had 701 internal
and external links. We believe they are all working, but please
let us know if you find one that isn't.

SEARCHES
We have improved our main search engine and it now gives
meaningful results. Remember to put references or phrases in
quotation marks.

UNION WITH CHRIST
My good friend Rev. Milford Bowen has located and scanned the
rare book, "Shall We Continue In Sin?" by A.T. Pierson (1896) for
us. We have included the Introduction and the first two chapters
on our site this month under the title "Union With Christ". Don't
miss the powerful truths in the second chapter on our Vital Union
With Christ!

THIS MONTH'S AUDIO... 
"Many are Weak and Sick" by Peter Wade (23:46). The sequel to
"When Prosperity and Health Seem Hard". A challenging and perhaps
controversial look at I Corinthians 11:29-30, exploring some of
the major reasons why Christians are sick. Listen to this
teaching online... 
< http://www.peterwade.com/modules.php?name=zina >

-----------------------------------------------------------------
2.   t h e   b e s t   t u n e s
-----------------------------------------------------------------

        "WHY SHOULD THE DEVIL HAVE ALL THE BEST TUNES?"

The theatre in Worcester, England, was crowded for the visit of
General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. It was
January 22nd, 1882, and even the General himself "had great
difficulty in getting in". The door was smashed by the crowd
still trying to gain admission after the place was full.
George "Sailor" Fielder, the commanding officer, had been put up
to sing. He had been a sea captain with a voice like thunder that
had often been heard above the roar of the waves. He sang his
testimony in the words, "Bless His name, He set me free."
   "That was a fine song. What tune was that?" inquired the
Army's Founder later.
   "Oh," came the reply in a rather disapproving tone, "General,
that's a dreadful tune. Don't you know what it is? That's
'Champagne Charlie is my name'."
   "That's settled it," William Booth decided as he turned to his
son Bramwell. "Why should the devil have all the best tunes?"
   The adoption of such music was soon put to full use. On
Saturday afternoon, May 13th 1882, the congregation at the
opening of the Clapton Congress Hall in London joined heartily in
the chorus of Gypsy Smith's solo, "O the blood of Jesus cleanses
white as snow" to the music of "I traced her little footsteps in
the snow." There were no qualms of conscience. Many people
gathered there knew none of the hymn tunes or gospel melodies
used in the churches; the music hall had been their melody
school.
   An early pamphlet made the Army's position clear by saying
that it "considers all music sacred when used with holy purpose".
For his Christmas message to War Cry readers of 1880 William
Booth had already written: "Secular music, do you say, belongs to
the devil? Does it? Well, if it did I would plunder him for it,
for he has no right to a single note of the whole seven... Every
note, and every strain, and every harmony is divine, and belongs
to us... So consecrate your voice and your instruments. Bring out
your cornets and harps and organs and flutes and violins and
pianos and drums, and everything else that can make melody. Offer
them to God, and use them to make all the hearts about you merry
before the Lord."
   (From "Words of William Booth" by Cyril Barnes, 1975). 

-----------------------------------------------------------------
3.   p o s i t i v e   w o r d s   f o r   t o d a y
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                  THE PRINCIPLE OF MIRACLES

"All these are the work [energizing] of one and the same spirit"
(I Corinthians 12:11).

God is a God of principle, and some have described miracles as
being the operation of principles that as yet we do not
understand. There is much truth in this statement. God is a
miracle working God.
   I am a child of this miracle-working God, so why should not my
life be composed of a string of miracles? The only thing stopping
me are the limiting beliefs I have allowed to sway my mind. I
need to peel away layer by layer, these bonding concepts and walk
boldly in faith and power.
   In the phrase "To another the working of miracles" (I
Corinthians 12:10 KJV), the word "working" is translated from the
Greek word for "energizing," and is based on the Greek "energeo"
which is transliterated into the English "energy". Therefore, I
can perform the act, and the spirit within me energizes the act,
and a miracle is born.
   When I understand clearly the principle of miracles (I act and
the spirit within me energizes) then I will be aware that there
are more miracles in my life than I have recognized. I now
understand miracles are not limited to "big" opportunities like
healing cancer or making the lame to walk. I need to have a
miracle consciousness and start counting my blessings one by one.
   God is always present everywhere. I can have my miracle
whenever I will to act. Every time I pray, it is a miracle. Every
answer to prayer is a miracle. (From "You Are A New Creation",
Chapter 5, by Peter Wade, adapted by Hildy Matthews.)
   AFFIRMATION: I live in a miracle atmosphere. I expect God to
guide me with rich, prospering ideas. Miracles will be a way of
life for me.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
4.   s e a r c h l i g h t s   f r o m   t h e   W o r d
-----------------------------------------------------------------

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 first letter to Timothy.

"If a man knoweth not how to rule his own house, how shall he
take care of the Church of God?" (I Timothy 3:5)

These words were used by the Apostle when he was giving Timothy
instructions as to the orderly government of the Church; and
their first application was to those who were to exercise
oversight, that is, to be bishops or overseers. They contain a
principle which applies to the whole field of Christian service.
It may be said that every Christian witness is a centre around
whom concentric circles are drawn in which his or her witness
will operate. We may illustrate by saying that in the ordinary
life of every Christian believer, the circles are those of home,
church, city, nation, race. While the influence of a life may not
seem to affect all these, it certainly does so in a measure.
Necessarily it is more evident in the first circles. 
   Now the principle involved in this statement is that we are
only able to exert the true influence in the wider circles as we
do so in the first. The question of the Apostle has a self-
evident answer. If a man is not able to regulate the affairs of
his own household, if his own children are unruly, he cannot
guide and guard the Church of God so as to ensure its orderliness
and power. That is so for two reasons. First, that he lacks the
power to rule. If he possessed it, he could rule his own house.
Second, that his failure in his own house must negate any attempt
he may make in the Church, for men will only obey an authority
which is evidenced by results. We may pass back to the central
fact, and say that fitness for the guidance of others, in home or
Church, or anywhere, is created by the control of one's own life
as it is wholly under the sway of the Lord.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THANKS for reading Positive Words. Please share it with a
friend -- use the Redirect feature in your email program!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

(c) 2001 Peter Wade
http://www.peterwade.com/
http://www.inChristRadio.net/