connection magazine 2010 spring

8/9/2019 Connection Magazine 2010 Spring

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/connection-magazine-2010-spring 1/40

K.P. YOHANNAN | RICHARD HOOKER | LENYA HEITZIG | BOBBY MARTINEZ

SKIP HEITZIG p. 6

p. 16

p. 11

p. 32

ISSUE 7 | APRIL-JUNE 2010

“I DID NOT WALKIN INTEGRITY”

STRANGERSWITH CANDY

TARNISHEDTREASURES



02



Dear Friend,

Our world just moved through one of the worst economic

recessions since the Great Depression. People lost theirhomes, their jobs, perhaps even their retirement. As Iwrite, we are still feeling the effects of this recession. It’snever a fun thing to go through difficulties—but be sureGod is using them to stretch our trust in Him.

Many respond to an economic crisis by hiding away theirmoney. They check their stocks, 401Ks, bank accounts,and investments several times a day—all the whilekeeping a firm eye on each and every penny. For thesepeople, money rules their lives.

But the believer responds to an economic crisis bytrusting God. We remember that He cares for Hischildren. We rest in Jesus’ promise: “For your Father knows the things you haveneed of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). The true believer allows God—notfinances—to rule their life.

Which one are you?

In this issue of Connection—the magazine , we’ll tackle the difficult subject of moneyand the Christian life. Did you know that the New Testament spoke regularly on thetopic of money? Jesus Himself discussed its proper role in our lives. Paul touchedon it, too. Why? Because all people—including Christians—have a tendency to makemoney an idol. We all risk giving finances and possessions precedence over God.

My friend, K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia, writes on how Christians canmaintain absolute honesty and integrity in finances

My lovely wife, Lenya, reminds believers how treasures we withhold becometarnished and corrupt—persuading us to unclutter our own lives.

In “Hot Spots”, I’ll address the infamous “Prosperity Gospel,” and answer the oftenasked question regarding the supposed “biblical” teaching on acquiring wealth. Our“From the Blog” inquiry tackles another tough issue: is gambling a sin?

And one of our own Calvary pastors, Bobby Martinez, sits down to clarify theChristian’s relationship to money versus their relationship with God.

As usual, you’ll find great resources, articles, and relevant information to help yougrow in your walk with Jesus Christ.

May God be with you as you learn to be a good steward of His abundant blessings.

In His strong love,

Pastor Skip

03

Skip’s Note



Money Matters...Skip Heitzig

Walk withIntegrity

...K.P. Yohannan

TarnishedTreasures...Lenya Heitzig

this issue06

12 From Lenya

04

16

11

22

30

2832

36

38

35

3415

10 6 7 $ ) ) 3 , & . 6

20 S T A T I O N L I S T I N G S



A publication of

PublisherSkip Heitzig

skipheitzig.com

Director Chip Lusko

Editor-In-ChiefBrian Nixon

ManagingEditors

Penny Rose,

Jerry Rood, andJoan Polito

Copy EditorRebekah Hanson

ContributorsLenya Heitzig, Penny

Rose, K .P. Yohannan,Richard Hooker, andBobby Martinez

Creative & ArtDirector

Brandi Sea Heft

Our Mission:Connectingyou to God’s

never-changingtruth in

ever-changingtimes.



06



07

ZKDWZRXOG\RXGRIRUWHQPLOOLRQGROODUV"

PDWWHUV

7ZR UHVHDUFKHUV

-DPHV3DWWHUVRQDQG3HWHU.LPZRQGHUHGWKHVDPHWKLQJ7KH\GLVFRYHUHGWKDWWZRWKLUGVRI$PHULFDQVSROOHGZRXOGDJUHHWRGRRQHRUPRUHRIWKHIRO ORZLQJIRUWHQ

PL O O LRQEXFNVZRXOGDEDQGRQ

WKHLU IDPLO\

ZRXOGDEDQGRQ WKHL UFKXUFK

ZRXOGEHFRPHSURVWLWXWHVIRUDZHHNRUPRUH

ZRXOGJLYHXS WKHL U$PHULFDQFLW L]HQVKLS

ZRXOGOHDYHWKHLUVSRXVH

ZRXOGZLWKKROG WHVW LPRQ\WR OH WD

PXUGHUHUJRI UHHZRXOGNL O O D

VWUDQJHU

ZRXOGSXWXS WKHL UFKL OGUHQIRUDGRSWLRQ



Does money matter so much that you’d doalmost anything to obtain it? Or do you have a balanced biblical view of your funds? The Bible talksa lot about earning, investments, and the rewardsof hard, diligent work. But Scripture also speaksof the dangers of an unhealthy desire for money.Jesus spoke more about finances than anyoneelse in Scripture.

:KDWVWKH6LQ"n and of itself, wealth is not evil. Paul said to

Timothy, “The love of money is a root of all kinds ofevil” 1 Timothy 6:10. Love for, preoccupation with,consumption of, or desire for money is at the rootof all evil. You can be poor and love money.

Many people in the Bible were wealthy. Somewere wealthy as a direct blessing of God—likeAbraham. God blessed him with a large family,

a standing army, over 300 servants, numerousherds, and pastureland. Job was also a wealthylandowner, though God took everything away fora time of testing. The Bible says God blessed Jobmore in the latter days than in the beginning. Joseph, a very godly man, was the second wealthiest guy on earth because he was secondincommand to the pharaoh of Egypt—who controlled thewealth of the world. Thus, the Bible is clear thatbeing wealthy is not a sin. Loving wealth is the sin.

The second truth about money is this: Godenables us to be productive. Moses said, “Youshall remember the Lord your God, for it is He whogives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers,as it is this day” Deuteronomy 8:18. God empowers us to be productive, and we find in the Biblethat a good work ethic is praised. People whowork hard and are diligent will be rewarded. Theproverb reminds us, “n all labor there is profit, butidle chatter leads only to poverty” Proverbs 14:23.

Gerald May wrote about money: “ satbriefly with an old dollar bill in my hand,feeling its softness, wondering whereit had been. What other hands hadgrasped it or given it? What human toilhad earned it, spent it, earned it again?What small human needs had it fulfilledin its time? Was it once stolen, lost,found? Had anyone ever noticed it? Fora moment, money seemed almost likebreath, like the air that circulates amongus all, continuously given and received,linking us in a deep, spiritual intimacywith God and one another. We are allfamiliar with how money can be an idol;how it so easily becomes a substitutefor God, encouraging our attachmentby promising security, happiness, andpower... But could money really be an

08

icon... a vehicle for seeing andbeing seen by God?”

6DWLVIDFWLRQMoney is to many unbelievers

what Christ is to the believer.

People put their trust in money.They believe money is theirrefuge in times of trouble. Buthumans are creatures made foran eternity. We were made byour heavenly Manufacturer andwe can only be satisfied by Him.Jesus was right when He said,“Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life doesnot consist in the abundance of

the things he possesses” Luke12:15.

Prosperity will never satisfyus. First, wealth invites a crowd.You’ve probably noticed thatwhen a person comes intomoney, people start showing upin his life. spoke to a firemanwho won seven million dollarsin the Texas lottery and askedhim, “What changed?” He said,

“Everything. All of a sudden had friends never heard ofbefore. Churches had neverbeen associated with were suddenly interested in me and mywelfare.” t turned out that thereweren’t just more friends andlong lost relatives. Lots of otherpeople came around: estateattorneys, tax attorneys, and

accountants. Therewere a lot of mouthsto feed. ew foundmoney or overnightsuccess is a lot liketurning on the light—the bugs are attractedto it.

Wealth can also promote worry. Solomonwrote, “The sleep of a

laboring man is sweet,whether he eatslittle or much; but theabundance of the richwill not permit him tosleep” Ecclesiastes5:12. The more youown, the more youhave to manage, the

<RXFDQEH

SRRUDQGORYH

PRQH\



09

skipheitzig.com

what she lost, shecame unglued andcried, “Everything had was in there! Mywhole life was in thatbox!” That’s sad. fyour whole life is in abox, you really havelost it all.

You’ll never see ahearse pulling a UHaul. You can’t takeit with you. Once youdie, it’s over. Take agood look at a dollar bill. On the backyou’ll notice an eaglewith wings on it. Asyou look at that eagle

think of this proverb:“Do not overwork tobe rich…For richescertainly makethemselves wings;they fly away like aneagle toward heaven”Proverbs 23:4-5.You’ve heard the saying, “Money talks”?

Mostly it screams “Goodbye!” to

us as it flies away.

Your view of money dependsupon which kingdom you’re serving. Some are interested only intheir own kingdom, growth, andearnings. These people live onlyfor the here and now—the kingdomof this world. Jesus told us, “Butseek first the kingdom of God andHis righteousness, and all these

things shall be added to you” Matthew 6:33. n other words, if wetake care of what matters to God,He’ll take care of what matters tous. ncluding money matters.

Skip Heitzig is the author of thebook Godprint and is the senior

pastor of Calvary of Albuquerque.

more you have to pay taxeson, and the more you have toworry about.

Picture a guy who punchesthe time clock, goes home toa simple life, and eats simplemeals. He kisses his wife,wrestles with his kids, sits

down to watch the eveningnews, and a couple of hourslater—he’s out. There’s notmuch anxiety connected withhis life. But the rich are occupied with their pursuits andlawsuits, financial entanglements and future installments.Both day and night. At age 53,billionaire John D. Rockefellerwas a sick man because he

was so worried about hiswealth. His meals weren’t filetmignon; they were milk andcrackers, because his stomachwas so upset. Deciding to givemany of his resources awaywas a turning point—he gotbetter and lived to be 98 yearsof age.

Billionaire Ross Perot said, “Just remember

if you get lucky, if you make a lot of money, ifyou get out and buy a lot of stuff, it’s going tobreak. You’ve got the biggest, fanciest mansion in the world, it has air conditioning, and it’sgot a pool—just think of all the pumps that aregoing to go out. Or go down to the yacht basin,any place in the world. obody is smiling and’ll tell you why: something broke that morning. The generator’s out or the microwave ovendoesn’t work. Things just don’t mean happiness.”

2XWRIWKH%R[Money is a good servant but a poor master.

As believers, we need to have a light touch withit. Paul wrote to Timothy and said, “But thosewho desire to be rich fall into temptation and asnare, and into many foolish and harmful lustswhich drown men in destruction and perdition”1 Timothy 6:9. The more you have, the moreyou have to lose. And those who lose the most

are the most miserable.n 1929, the stock market crashed. Many busi

ness executives were so depressed by theirlosses they jumped out of office windows orcommitted suicide. Six armed gunmen rushedinto a bank at gunpoint and took seven milliondollars out of the bank. The gunmen also stolea box of jewelry valued at five hundred milliondollars. When the owner of the jewelry heard

LIZHWDNHFDUH

RIZKDWPDWWHUVWR*RG+HOOWDNHFDUH

RIZKDWPDWWHUVWRXV

,QFOXGLQJPRQH\

PDWWHUV



10

% 93% of retirees carry some debt

% 30% of retirees describe their debts as a problem

% 27% of homeowner retirees haven’t paid off their mortgages

% 24% of Medicare beneficiaries report financial problems from medical bills

% 14% of 64-year-olds face retirement with a negative net worth

To help you learn the biblical teachings concerning money issues, The Connectionstaff chose some relevant teaching and audio for you to consider:

% Money is the leading cause ofdisagreements in marriages

% We worry more about moneythan our marriages, our health

% 65% of Americans would live on adeserted island all by themselvesfor an entire year for $1,000,000

% For $10,000,000 most of us wouldabandon our family, our friendsand our church

% 92% of us would rather be richthan find the love of our lives

% Almost 30% of us say we wouldneed 3 million dollars to feel rich

%The average wedding in Americacosts a staggering $20,000.001

1 nichegeek.com

LIVING LIFEAGAINST THE FLOW

(CD TEACHG SERES)SKP HETZG

CONFRONTINGYOUR CULTURE

(LFESTYLE BOOKLET)SKP HETZG

DYNAMIC DISCIPLESHIP(BOOK)

SKP HETZG

6 7 $ ) ) 3 , & . 6

1.800.922.1888 • COECTORADO.ORG



11

ealth is not condemned in theBible—if it is acquired honestly and

distributed wisely. But well might any rich

man weep and howl who comes by wealthdishonestly and spends it selfishly,knowing that he must come to accountfor the way he squandered what Godhas provided. First Timothy 6:9-10 says,“But those who desire to be rich fallinto temptation and a snare, and intomany foolish and harmful lusts whichdrown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root ofall kinds of evil, for which some have

strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves throughwith many sorrows.” The Bible tells usthat the love of money causes greediness. t can harm our souls.

Martin Luther astutely observed,“There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, themind, and the purse.” The Bible hasa lot to say about what we should do,

and not do, with what’s in our “purses”.One thing we should not do is to hordetreasures that will erode.

James wrote to believers, “Your goldand silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against youand will eat your flesh like fire. Youhave heaped up treasure in the lastdays” James 5:3. “Heaped up” means

Lenya Heitzig is an awardwinning authorand soughtafter speaker at conferences

and retreats worldwide.

lenyaheitzig.blogspot.com

O P U I J O H N B U F S J B M M B T U T G P S F W F S

to amass or reserve, lay up treasure, orkeep in store. He is speaking of richesthat have been put in storage and growncorrupt.

For years, Hettie Green was calledAmerica’s greatest miser. When shedied in 1916, she left an estate valued at$100 million dollars. But she was so miserly that she ate cold oatmeal in orderto save the expense of heating water.When her son developed a severe leginjury, she took so long trying to find afree clinic to treat him that the doctorshad to amputate his leg because theinfection was so far advanced.

Let’s unclutter our lives. Possessionsunused are wasted. f you have clothesin your closet that you haven’t wornin a few years, give them away. Cleanout your garage and give an old biketo a neighborhood kid. othing material lasts forever. Grain will rot, gold willrust, and garments will become motheaten. Everything is slowly fading. Goddoes not hold us chargeable because

a certain sum of money, however large,passes through our hands. But He doeshold us responsible for any amount thatwe withhold until it becomes tarnishedand corrupt.



12

calvaryabqwomen.org

In The Skylark’s Bargain, G. H. Charnleytells the story of a young skylark thatdiscovered a man who would give him

worms in exchange for a feather. Hemade a deal—one feather for two worms.The next day the lark was flying high inthe sky with his father. The older birdsaid, “You know, son, we skylarks shouldbe the happiest of all birds. See our bravewings! They lift us high in the air, nearerand nearer to God.” But the young birddid not hear, for all he saw was an old

man with worms. Down he flew, pluckedtwo feathers from his wings, and had afeast. Day after day this went on. Autumn

came and it was time to fly south. Butthe young skylark couldn’t do it. He hadexchanged the power of his young wingsfor worms. This month let’s learn a lessonfrom the birds, who don’t have worthlessworries. Why should we settle for theworms of worry when we can soar in thesky with songs of praise?

*Adapted from Live Deeply by Lenya Heitzig and Penny Rose



13

Lift up…Lord, forgive me for the sin of worry.

know nothing good comes from it. Pleasehelp me to spend my time in worshiprather than worry. n Jesus’ name, Amen.

Look at…We discover two polar opposites concerning money—either amassing toomuch or anxiety about possessing toolittle. Money is not the issue; instead itis the human heart. Money, like a knife,is neutral. A blade can slay or performsurgery. Paul warned, “For the love ofmoney is a root of all kinds of evil, forwhich some have strayed from the faithin their greediness, and pierced them

selves through with many sorrows” (1Timothy 6:10, emphasis added. Those wholack money can be as guilty of greed asthose who have millions. Let’s read Jesus’instructions concerning anxiousness,something we all need to learn from theMaster’s lips:

Then He said to His disciples, “ThereforeI say to you, do not worry about your life,what you will eat; nor about the body, what

you will put on. Life is more than food, andthe body is more than clothing. Considerthe ravens, for they neither sow nor reap,which have neither storehouse nor barn;and God feeds them. Of how much morevalue are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to hisstature? If you then are not able to do theleast, why are you anxious for the rest?” ( Luke 12:22–26.

1. What did He command the disciplesabout their lives?

2. What did He command about theirbodies?

Learn about…Worried“Worry” means to strain, tear, or rip

asunder. Believers are commanded notto mentally or emotionally strain overmaterial necessities or rip themselvesapart over their physical needs. The Biblepromises, “God will meet all your needsaccording to his glorious riches in ChristJesus” Philippians 4:19 .

3. What does it mean to say that “life ismore than food”?

4. What creature did Jesus ask the disciples to consider and why? How didHe compare us to these creatures?

WingedJudaism considers ravens unclean. Ra

vens are scavengers that will eat almost

anything, even dead animals. Their symbolism as bad omens may have begunwhen oah sent one from the ark never toreturn, or it may be due to their deep caw. Yet, God “provides food for the raven,when its young ones cry” (Job 38:41).

5. Considering the definition of “cubit”,rephrase Jesus’ questions to explainwhy worry is useless.

WorthlessA cubit is the distance from the elbow

to the fingertip—about eighteen incheslong. n biblical times, the cubit was thestandard unit of length and was the common designation of a person’s height, orstature. Jesus was simply reminding usnot to let the things we have no controlover, control us.

Live out…We are commanded not to worry about

our lives.

6. Put a 9 in the box or boxes thatdescribe the things make you anxiousand cause you to be torn from God inyour heart and mind.

Finances SafetyHealth Death

Children War

Marriage Friendships Other_________________

7. How much of your time is consumedby these worries? Why?

Weighty“To be anxious” is to have a distracting

care about things. Rather than lightening our lives, anxiety weighs us down. t

distracts us from focusing on God anddiminishes our capacity for abundant living. The author of Hebrews exhorts usto “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author andperfecter of our faith” Hebrews 12:2 NIV.

8. Jesus commanded us not to worryabout what we will eat or we will puton. When was the last time you didnot have something to eat?



14

calvaryabqwomen.org

9. When was the last time you did nothave anything to wear—literally?

10. Talk about how you have experienced Godtaking care of your needs and even some ofyour greeds.

What fsWe worry about “what ifs”. What if there’s not

enough to eat? What if I don’t have somethingto wear? But that really means: What if I’m notdressed in the latest style? Perspective check:UCEF reports that 30,000 children “die quietly[every day] in some of the poorest villages onearth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world.”

A wealthy employer overheard one of his workers exclaim, “f only had a hundred dollars, would be perfectly content.” Knowing that his

own money had not given him peace, he told her,“Since would like to see someone who is perfectly contented, ’m going to grant your desire.”He gave her the money and left, but before hewas out of earshot, he heard her remark almostbitterly, “Why didn’t say two hundred dollars?”

One root cause of worry is discontentmentwith what God has provided. Add in a little bit ofdistrust that God might not provide in the futureand you end up with disbelief in God’s goodness.

That really is something to worry about!King David wrote, “ have been young, and now

am old; yet have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” Psalm37:25. As God’s children, we can be content withour lot and trust in our heavenly Father to takecare of our physical, spiritual, and emotionalneeds. Worrying is not only a waste of time; it isan insult to our loving Father. Heed Solomon’scounsel: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, andlean not on your own understanding; in all yourways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct yourpaths” Proverbs 3:5–6. Don’t let worthless worries strangle the life out of you.

Listen to …Every increased possession loads us with a new

weariness. — John Ruskin

Lenya Heitzig & Penny Roseare gifted writers and

speakers. They have apassion for helping women

deepen their understandingof the Bible and their

relationship to Jesus Christ.



15

%OLQN ,VXSSRVH,FRXOGVSHQGP\ZKROH

GD\ORRNLQJDW\RX

>WKRXJKWKHULYHULVGU\LQJDQGZDUVU

XPRU ZLWKGLVHDVHNQRFNLQJ

DQGSHVWLOHQFHDERXQGLQJ@

P\OLWWOHIORZHURUDQJHUHGZLWK\HOORZSLVWLOV

SHUFKHGDPRQJSXUSOHODYHQGHU

>,EUHDWKHDQGWKLQNRI OLIWLQJP\H\HV

WRVHHWKLVHDUWKSDVVLQJ@

%XWIRUDPRPHQW

WKHUHLVQRWKLQJDVIDLUDV*RG·VILQJHUSULQW

SUHVVHGXSRQWKLV

ILHOGRIVLOHQFH

DVNLQJPHQRWWREOLQN´6HHKRZWKHOLOLHVRIWKHILHOGJURZµ0DWWKHZ

Photography by Skip Heitzig. Taken in California garden.

Blink was first published in Penwood Review 2010.



16

.3<RKDQQDQ



17

,QWKH$PHULFDQIRUPRIJRYHUQPHQW the most powerful and influential group of people next to the president isthe Senate. once heard the story of one particular senator who was knownfor being an honest and Godfearing politician. Everywhere he went, peoplewould ask him why he was so different from most politicians, why he wouldnot compromise and why he gave such high priority to living by principle. Toanswer their questions, he told the following story.

One morning he and his father took their fishing poles and worms andstarted fishing on a lake. The guidelines that came with their license saidthat they could keep only the fish that were caught after noon in the UnitedStates you must have a license to fish in the lakes.

For quite some time they patiently waited for a catch. Suddenly the boy felta tug on his line. “Daddy, daddy,” he cried out, “FSH!”

His father helped him pull the line in, revealing a large, beautiful fish flopping on the end of the line.

“ caught a big fish!” cried the boy excitedly. “We can cook it, Daddy, andMommy will be very happy.”

But his father said, “Son, it is not yet noon.”

“What do you mean?”

“The law says that we can only keep the fish we catch starting at exactlytwelve noon. My son, it is not yet twelve o’clock.”

“But, Daddy, nobody is here. We are the only people on this whole lake.obody will know!”

But his father stood strong. “Son, it is still five minutes before twelve. t isnot yet noon.”

“Oh, Daddy, please!” the boy cried. “t’s only five minutes.”

“My son, it may be only five minutes away, but ’m sorry, we cannot keepthe fish.”

The father took the fish and threw it back into the lake.

This example of his father’s commitment to integrity, no matter howgreat or small the matter, impacted the boy so significantly that it is whathe attributed his success as a politician to. He says that to this day, hestill hears the voice of hisfather reminding him ofthe importance of integrity, that regardless ofwho sees or knows, hewill consistently chooseto do the right thing, nomatter what the cost.

ntegrity makes us orbreaks us. Defined, the

word integrity means “wholeness, the quality or state of being of soundmoral principle, uprightness, honesty and sincerity.” ntegrity is a consistency between private and public life, being what you claim to be and doing

,QWHJULW\LVD

FRQVLVWHQF\EHWZHHQSULYDWHDQGSXEOLFOLIH



1.800.922.1888

what you said you would do. Youare on the inside what you areon the outside. ntegrity refers tothe consistency of character thatmatches words and actions, visionand choices, values and behaviors.

Even the secular business worldknows the value of the man ofintegrity. A prominent businessman once said, “f had to namethe one most important qualityof a top manager, would say itis personal integrity, trustworthi

ness and sincerity of promise. After that, uprightness in finances.Third, faithfulness in the dischargeof duty. Fourth, loyalty in service.And fifth, honesty in speech.” Howmuch greater is integrity valued inthe kingdom of God! “The man ofintegrity walks securely, but he whotakes crooked paths will be found

out” Proverbs 10:9. And Psalm 51:6echoes the importance God placeson this character trait: “Behold, Youdesire truth in the inward parts.”

These verses show that God desires His children to wear no masksand live with no pretenses. Whenwe live a life of complete integrity,we follow God’s path and walk un

der His blessings. “The integrity ofthe upright guides them, but theunfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity [or pretense]” Proverbs 11:3.

want to highlight one area ofour lives and ministry that must be

marked by absolute integrity.

Handling money is often the primaryarea in which integrity is found lacking, and unfaithful stewardship is thenumber one destroyer of so many in

ministry today.n Matthew 6:24, Jesus

said, “You cannot serve bothGod and money.” oticeHe did not say, “You cannot serve both God and thedevil,” or “You cannot serveboth God and the world.”He specifically contrasted

the impossibility of servingboth God and money at thesame time. n fact, Jesus

talked more about money than aboutheaven and hell!

t really is not money that is theproblem, but the love of money. Paultold Timothy that “the love of moneyis a root of all kinds of evil” 1 Timothy

6:10. otice it does not say “someevil,” but “all kinds of evil.”

How does integrity in finances translate into everyday life? As an example,imagine that headquarters sendsyou out on a ministry trip at the lastminute. Because of the short notice,there are no more secondclass seatsavailable on the train, and so you

must travel firstclass. When you getto the station and go to the counterto buy your ticket, however, you findthat there is now one secondclassticket available because of a late cancellation. You gladly take the secondclass seat and board the train foryour journey.

You know that everyone at head

quarters knew there was no other option but for you to travel by firstclassand that it would cost 1,000 rupees.But now, through this unexpectedturn of events, you had to spend only400 rupees. You have 600 rupees

18

(YHQWKHVHFXODUEXVLQHVVZRUOGNQRZVWKHYDOXHRI

WKHPDQRILQWHJULW\



want to ask you: Has there everbeen a time in your ministry, perhapsthrough some transaction with abank or a barber, that you have personally received even as little as onerupee? How about one kilo of tomatoes? One piece of clothing? Onesari? One shirt? Has anyone evergiven you anything as a commissionor gift because you did businesswith him on behalf of the ministryor organization you represent? Didyou take it? f you have, can tell youwhat it means: You are not walking inintegrity.

My brothers and sisters, you canfast all you want, pray all you want,praise the Lord all you want andpretend to be godly all you want,but unless you are conducting your

ministry with absolutehonesty and integrityin your finances, yourfamily and ministry

can never receive thespiritual blessings ofGod.

f you need to repentin this area, please do it now. Makethis commitment: “Lord, from now on want to be different. Teach me towalk in integrity in all things.” Thenmake restitution and pay back the

money you know was not yours tokeep.

connectionradio.org19

left. Are you going to keep thebalance or return the extra to theoffice?

Your answer is a measure of yourfinancial integrity.

write the following with remorseand shame. When was around 18years old, would look at the stampon the envelope of each letter received to see if there was a cancellation seal on it. f there was no seal, would wet the stamp with water,carefully pull it off and dry it flat in abook. Quietly would say to myself,

“Hallelujah, the Lord provided anextra stamp for me to use.” had itmade, thought, because the postoffice had not canceled the stamp!Later would put glue on the stamp,

stick it onto another envelope andmail the letter. That way did nothave to pay the two rupees for thecost of a stamp.

Then the Lord began to shed lighton the issue. felt His conviction thatwhat was doing was wrong. didnot argue because realized wasa thief, taking from the post officewhat had not paid for.

How did respond to the conviction the Lord brought to my heart? went to the post office and bought abunch of stamps—many more than had ever stolen by taking those uncanceled stamps from envelopes—and tore them all up and destroyedthem. Why? To clear my consciencefrom the times did not walk in integrity.

-HVXVWDONHGPRUHDERXWPRQH\WKDQDERXWKHDYHQDQGKHOO

K.P. Yohannan is the founderand president ofGospel for Asia.

He has authoredmore than 200books in Asiaand in the West.

Excerpt takenfrom his book Against the Wind.



©ª ©ª,3)2-<®%0:%6=%(-3¯'31 ® µ»´±

©ª ©ª

%8)7:-00)®®²±³¯´ ® ¹»±± § »̧±±

©ª ©ª()0%283®®²±²¯¶ ® ²³»´±-+)%6%/)®²±¶¯¶ ® »̧´± §²²»´±,-'3®²±¸̄² ® ²±»´±)6')(®²±¶¯¶ ® ²»±±3()783®²±·¯º ® ¶»±±966-)8%®¹¹¯º ® ¶»´±<2%6(®®²±²¯¶ ® º»±±%29-7&-743®¹º± ® µ»±±

§¹»´±%28%2%©-320-2)ª®>30¯'31 ®©2)1%2(9(-3ª)490:%(%®º³¯² ® ²²»µ¶398,)62®²±¸̄ º ® »̧±±-7%0-%®697%()6%(-3¯'31 ® ¶»±±

©ª ©ª%0:%6=%8)00-8))8;36/ ® ¹»´±

©ª ©ª368%9()6(%0)®º±¯¶ ® µ»±± §¹»´±

©ª ©ª)0)2®¹º¯º %8§92 ²»´±

§³»´±-0&962®6%270%836º³¯² %8§92 ²»´± §³»´±,31%7:-00)®º¹¯² %8§92 ²»´±3''3%%007®º±¯º %8§92 ²»´± §³»´±

©ª ©ª-03®²±´¯¸ ® ²±»±±3230909® ® ²²»´±-,9¨)%9%¨-®¹¹¯º ®, ¶»±± § »̧´±-,9¨)%9%¨-®¹¹¯º 92 ¶»´±

©0-:)*631378%)7%ª ©ª ©ª3'%8)003®²µº± ® »̧±± § »̧±±

©ª ©ª6%;*36(7:-00)®®º´¯º® »̧´± §²³»´±%04%6%-73®º´¯¶©ª ® ²±»´±

©ª ©ª-8',&96+®º·± ® ²³»±± §º»±±

©ª ©ª%=-8=®¹º¯² ® º»´±

©ª ©ª6%-2)6(®¹¹¯¸ ® ²±»´±)6+97%007®¹º¯´ ® ²±»´±6%2(%4-(7®¹º¯¸ ® ²±»´±

©ª ©ª8¯37)4,®º²¯º ® ²±»´±8¯39-7®·´± ® »̧±±%6/-3®º´¯¶ ® ¹»´±

©ª ©ª'3887&09**®²±¸̄ º :)6=(%= µ»´± §¹»´±

©ª ©ª

)(*36(%/)7®®34)®º±¯¶ ® ¶»´±

©ª ©ª0&959)659)®²±¸̄² ® µ»±± ¹»±± ²±»±±37;)00®®ºº¯¶ %896(%= ·»´±-0:)6-8=®®²±±¯² ® µ»±±

©ª ©ª0&%2=°63=®º´¯º ® ²±»±±9&962®²±²¯² ® ´»±±-2+,%1832®

º±¯²°²±µ¯º ® º»±±36*9®º¸̄ ¶ ® ´»±±%27:-00)®º¸̄ ¶ ® ´»±±01-6%°-(+)&)66=®º·¯º ® º»±±)2):%®º±¯¸ ® º»±±0)27%007®º±¯º ® ²±»±±6%2(36+)®²±¶¯´ ® ²±»±± §¹»±±9(732®º²¯² ® ²±»±±%/)%86-2)®¹º¯¸ ® ²±»±± §¹»±±

%2'%78)6®²±³¯º ® ´»±±);%68*36(®²²¶± ® ·»±±)22%2®²±³¯¶ ® ´»±±3',)78)6®ºº¯¸ ® ´»±±%6%83+%®¹º¯¸ ® ²±»±± §¹»±±',)2)'8%(=®º±¯¸ ® ²±»±±=6%'97)®²±´¯¶ ® ´»±±336,))7:-00)®º¹¯º ® ²±»±± §¹»±±

©ª ©ª0%'/3928%-2®²±·¯º ® º»±±

0->%&)8,-8=®²±µ̄ º ® ²±»´±6%2/0-2®6%270%836²±±¯º %8§92 ²»´± §³»´±%7,-2+832®²´³± ® ²»±¶-27832%0)1®²¶¶± ® ²±»±±

©ª ©ª%1-0832-8=®ºº¯¸ ®©',)'/03'%00-78-2+ª%2)7:-00)®®º¹¯º ® ´»±± §¶»´±

©ª ©ª%'/732:-00)®²´±± ® ³»´±

©ª ©ª

)28)6%00)=®6%270%836²± ¯́¶ ® ²»±±,%1&)67&96+®¹¹¯´ ® ²»±±%;0)=®¹º¯² ® ²»±±36+%283;2®¹¹¯² ® ²»±±)%(-2+®º²¯¸ ® ²»±±)00)67:-00)®¹¹¯º ® ²»±±8639(7&96+®¹¹¯¸ ® ²»±±

©ª ©ª28)62%8-32%0®%8)00-8)º¸·³³´± ® ²²»´±

20

connectionradio.org



%8 º»±±3-')3*)697%0)1®%8)00-8)º¸¸³³´¹ ® »̧´± § »̧´±

©ª ©ª)0832®¹¹¯¶ %8§92 ²»´± §³»´±

©ª ©ª7,0%2(-8=®¸º± ® µ»´±23<:-00)®²±²¯² ® ¹»´± §¶»´±

©ª ©ª)'%896°8 ̄368,º²¯ ́® º»´±%22+)03®²±µ¯´ ® ·»´± ²³»´± º»±±

©ª ©ª)(%609**®¸¸± ® ²³»´±1436-%®¹º¯´ ® ¹»±±6)()6-'/7&96+®º±¯¶ ® ¹»±±%=2)7&363®º±¯² ® ¹»±±

©ª

©ª9**%03®ºº¯¶ ®

©ª ©ª*6-'%®²±µ¯º ®

-2+%+%2(%®%(-3¹¹¯· ® ¶»´± º»´± §³»³¶

©ª ©ª)0134%2®º´¯¸ ® º»±±%2+2%'-3®º²¯º ® »̧±±%2)(633;2®²±²¯´ ® º»±±

® ©ª ©ª6-2')94)68®²±±¯¸ ® 6-2')94)68®¸³± ®

® ©ª ©ª%6324368®º³¯¸ ® ²²»±±

©ª ©ª ® ¹»±±

©ª ©ª-61-2+,%1®²±·¯³®

©ª ©ª3,24)-®¹¹¯¶µ¸¶¶ ® »̧±±

©ª ©ª%22):-6/)®²±·¯¸©ª ® ²²»±± ¶»´±§²²»±± %8 ³»´±

0)2*-)0(®²±·¯¸©ª ® ²²»±± ¶»´±§²²»±± %8 ³»´±3;)6988®²±·¯¹©ª ® ²²»±± ¶»´±§²²»±± %8 ³»´±%2+%;,%-®²±¸©ª ® ²²»±± ¶»´±§²²»±± %8 ³»´±%296);%®²±¸̄ ´©ª ® ²²»±± ¶»´±§²²»±± %8 ³»´±

)0732®²±·¯¹©ª ® ²²»±± ¶»´±§²²»±± %8 ³»´±38369%®²±·¯¸©ª ® ²²»±±

¶»´±§²²»±± %8 ³»´±%943®²±¸©ª ® ²²»±± ¶»´±§²²»±± %8 ³»´±);%1989®²±·¯¹©ª ® ²²»±± ¶»´±§²²»±± %8 ³»´±)00-2+832®²±·¯º©ª ® ²²»±±

¶»´±§²²»±± %8 ³»´±

©ª ©ª

6%2(%7)®º³¯¶ ® ©ª ©ª%7832(32®©ª± ®

©ª ©ª-7,%22)0%(-3 ® º»±± ©ª

21

¥:HKDYHEHHQLPPHDVXUDEO\EOHVVHGE\WKHPLQLVWU\RIWKH&RQQHFWLRQDQGKDYHUHDOO\

HQMR\HGWKHQHZOLWWOHSXEOLFDWLRQZH¨YHUHFHLYHG¤&RQQHFWLRQ7KH0DJD]LQH:HOLYHLQWKHPLGVWRIVRPHSUHWW\UDGLFDOPRGHUQKLSSLHVDQG1HZ$JHWKLQNHUVVR6NLS¨VPHVVDJHVDUHVRUHIUHVKLQJ

DQGRIIHUD¥SDWKFODULI\LQJ¦LQDJHQHUDWLRQRI¥FKDUW\RXURZQFRXUVH¦

&KULVDQG%HWK5LVWD&RORUDGR86$

S T A T I O N L I S T I N G S



22

APRIL 1-M AY 3

Taking You throughthe Bible in a Year

A PRIL 1 Read: 1Samuel 18-19Refect: “Thus Saul saw andknew that the LORD was withDavid” (18:28)

A PRIL 2 Read: 1Samuel 20-22Refect: “And the LORDbe with

you as He has been with myather” (20:13)

A PRIL 3 Read: 1Samuel 23-25Refect: “Then David said toAbigail: ‘Blessed is the LORDGodo Israel who sent you this day tomeet me!’” (25:32)

A PRIL 4 Read: 1Samuel 26-28Refect: “May the LORD repayevery man or his righteous-ness and aithulness” (26:23)

A PRIL 5 Read: 1Samuel 29-31Refect: “But David strength-ened himsel in the LORD his God”(30:6)

A PRIL 6 Read: 2Samuel 1-3Refect: “And now may the LORD show kindness and truth to you”(2:6)

A PRIL 7 Read: 2Samuel 4-7Refect: “Then Nathan said to theking, ‘Go, do all that is in your heart,or theLORD is with you” (7:3)

A PRIL 8 Read: 2Samuel 8-10Refect: “And the LORDpreserved

David wherever he went” (8:14)

A PRIL 9 Read: 2Samuel 11-13Refect: “The LORD also has putaway your sin; you shall not die”(12:13)

A PRIL 10 Read: 2Samuel 14-17Refect: “Mercy and truth be

with you” (15:20)

A PRIL 11 Read: 2Samuel 18-20Refect: “For the LORD hasavenged you this day o all thosewho rose against you” (18:31)

A PRIL 12 Read: 2Samuel 21-24Refect: “The LORD is my rock andmy ortress and my deliverer”(22:2)

A PRIL 13 Read: 1Kings 1-3Refect: “But upon David and hisdescendants, upon his houseand his throne, there shall bepeace orever rom the LORD”(2:33)

APRIL-JUNE



23

1 Samuel 18-1 Chronicles 23

A PRIL 14 Read: 1Kings 4-6Refect: “And he prepared theinner sanctuary inside the temple,to set the ark o the covenant o theLORD” (6:19)

A PRIL 15 Read: 1Kings 7-9Refect: “So the LORDhas ulflledHis word which He spoke” (8:20)

A PRIL 16 Read: 1Kings 10-12Refect: “Thereore they obeyed theword o the LORD, and turned back,according to the word o the LORD”(12:24)

A PRIL 17 Read: 1Kings 13-15Refect: “Nevertheless Asa’s heartwas loyal to the LORD all his days”(15:14)

A PRIL 18 Read: 1Kings 16-19Refect: “They ell on their aces;and they said, ‘The LORD, He is God!

TheLORD

, He is God!” (18:39) A PRIL 19 Read: 1Kings 20-22

Refect: “As the Lord lives, what evertheLORD says to me, that I will speak”(22:14)

A PRIL 20 Read: 2Kings 1-4Refect: “And this is a simple matterin the sight o the LORD” (3:18)

A PRIL 21 Read: 2Kings 5-7Refect: “And Elisha prayed, and said,‘LORD, I pray, open his eyes that hemay see” (6:17)

A PRIL 22 Read: 2Kings 8-11Refect: “Then he said, ‘Come withme, and see my zeal or the LORD’”

(10:16)

A PRIL 23 Read: 2Kings 12-14Refect: “So Jehoahaz pleaded withtheLORD, and the Lord listened tohim” (13:4)

A PRIL 24 Read: 2Kings 15-18Refect: “You shall not earother gods, nor bow downto them nor serve them norsacrifce to them”(17:35)

A PRIL 25 Read: 2Kings 19-21Refect: “So Isaiah theprophet cried out to theLORD, and He brought theshadow ten degreesbackward” (20:11)

A PRIL 26 Read: 2Kings 22-25

Refect: “He did not turnaside to the right hand or tothe let” (22:2)

A PRIL 27 Read: 1Chronicles 1-4Refect: “So God granted himwhat he requested” (4:10)

A PRIL 28 Read: 1Chronicles 5-8

Refect: “For many ell dead,because the war was God’s”(5:22)

A PRIL 29 Read: 1Chronicles 9-11Refect: “So the LORD broughtabout a great victory” (11:14)

A PRIL 30 Read: 1Chronicles 12-14Refect: “The LORD said to

him, ‘Go up, or I will deliverthem into your hand” (14:10)

M AY 1 Read: 1Chronicles 15-17Refect: “Seek theLORDLordand His strength; seek Hisace evermore!” (16:11)

M AY 2 Read: 1Chronicles 18-20

Refect: “And may theLORD

do what is good in His sight”(19:13)

M AY 3 Read: 1Chronicles 21-23Refect: “The LORDGod o Israel has given rest to Hispeople” (23:25)



24

M AY

M AY 4-M AY 31

M AY 4 Read: 1Chronicles 24-26Refect: “Some o the spoils

won in battles they dedicatedto maintain the house o theLORD” (26:27)

M AY 5 Read: 1Chronicles 27-29Refect: “Be careul to seek out allthe commandments o the LORD your God” (28:8)


Refect: “And the LORDhis God waswith him and exalted himexceedingly” (1:1)

M AY 7 Read: 2Chronicles 5-7Refect: “Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, andlet Your saints rejoice in goodness”(6:41)

M AY 8 Read: 2Chronicles 8-11Refect: “Blessed be the LORD yourGod, who delighted in you” (9:8)

M AY 9 Read: 2Chronicles 12-15Refect: “When he humbledhimsel, the wrath o the LORD turned rom him” (12:12)

M AY 10 Read: 2Chronicles 16-18Refect: “I saw all Israel scatteredon the mountains, as sheep thathave no shepherd” (18:16)

M AY 11 Read: 2Chronicles 19-21Refect: “Behave courageously,and the LORDwill be with thegood” (19:11)

M AY 12 Read: 2Chronicles 22-24Refect: “And they oeredburnt oerings in the house o theLORD continually all the dayso Jehoiada” (24:14)


Refect: “So Jotham becamemighty, because he preparedhis ways beore the LORDhisGod” (27:6)

M AY 14 Read: 2Chronicles 28-30Refect: “So they sang praiseswith gladness, and they bowedtheir heads and worshiped”(29:30)

M AY 15 Read: 2Chronicles 31-33Refect: “With him is an arm o esh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fghtour battles” (32:8)

M AY 16 Read: 2Chronicles 34-36Refect: “May the LORDhis God

be with him, and let him go up!”(36:23)

M AY 17 Read: Ezra 1-4Refect: “For He is good, or Hismercy endures orever towardIsrael” (3:11)

M AY 18 Read: Ezra 5-7

Refect: “We are the servants o the God o heaven and earth”(5:11)

M AY 19 Read: Ezra 8-10Refect: “The hand o our Godis upon all those or good whoseek Him” (8:22)



25

Taking You through the Bible in a Year

1 Chronicles 24-Psalm 8

STUDY TOOLS

1.800.922.1888 • connectionradio.org

How to Study theBible and Enjoy ItThis book contains helpful

information to instruct believerson how to have ongoingmeaningful times of Bible study.

$1099

729:Through the Bible

Teaching LibraryThis in-depth series is 729individual MP3 messages by SkipHeitzig teaching through theentire Bible, book by book.

$70

Deep and WideThis CD package is an anthology of 500 complete weekend teachings by Skip Heitzig over anumber of years. In MP3 format.

$59

M AY 20 Read: Nehemiah 1-3Refect: “So I prayed to theGod o heaven” (2:4)

M AY 21 Read: Nehemiah 4-7Refect: “Our God will fghtor us” (4:20)

M AY 22 Read: Nehemiah 8-10Refect: “Blessed be Yourglorious name, which is exaltedabove all blessing and praise!”(9:5)

M AY 23 Read: Esther 1-3Refect: “And every dayMordecai paced in ront o thecourt o the women’s quarters, tolearn o Esther’s welare” (2:11)

M AY 24 Read: Esther 4-7Refect: “Yet who knows whetheryou have come to the kingdom

or such a time as this?” (4:14)

M AY 25 Read: Esther 8-10Refect: “And on theourteenth o the month theyrested and made it a day o easting and gladness” (9:17)

M AY 26 Read: Job 1-3

Refect: “In all this Job did not sinnor charge God with wrong” (1:22)

M AY 27 Read: Job 4-6Refect: “Behold, happy is theman whom God corrects” (5:17)

M AY 28 Read: Job 7-9Refect: “For we were bornyesterday, and know nothing,

because our days on earth are ashadow” (8:9)

M AY 29 Read: Job 10-12Refect: “With Him are wisdomand strength, He has counsel andunderstanding” (12:13)

M AY 30 Read: Psalm 1-4Refect: “But know that theLORD has set apart or Himsel him who is godly; the LORD will hear when I call to Him” (4:3)

M AY 31 Read: Psalm 5-8Refect: “O LORDmy God, inYou I put my trust; save merom all those who persecuteme” (7:1)



26

JUNE

JUNE 1-JUNE 30

JUNE 1 Read: Psalm 9-12Refect: “And those who knowYour name will put their trust in

You; or You, LORD, have notorsaken those who seek You”(9:10)

JUNE 2 Read: Psalm 13-16Refect: “He who does thesethings shall never be moved”(15:5)

JUNE 3Read: Psalm 17-19Refect: “For You will light mylamp; the LORDmy God willenlighten my darkness” (18:28)

JUNE 4 Read: Psalm 20-23Refect: “Some trust in chariots,and some in horses; but we willremember the name o the LORD our God” (20:7)

JUNE 5 Read: Psalm 24-27Refect: “The LORD is my lightand my salvation; whom shallI ear?” (27:1)

JUNE 6 Read: Psalm 28-31Refect: “Be o good courage,and He shall strengthen your

heart, all you who hope in theLORD” (31:24)

JUNE 7 Read: Psalm 32-34Refect: “For the word o theLORD is right, and all His work is done in truth” (33:4)

JUNE 8 Read: Psalm 35-37Refect: “Thereore the childreno men put their trust under theshadow o Your wings” (36:7)

JUNE 9 Read: Psalm 38-41Refect: “And now, LORD, what doI wait or? My hope is in You”(39:7)

JUNE 10 Read: Psalm 42-45Refect: “Hope in God; or I shallyet praise Him, the help o mycountenance and my God” (43:5)

JUNE 11 Read: Psalm 46-49Refect: “The Lord o hosts is withus; the God o Jacob is ourreuge” (46:7)

JUNE 12 Read: Psalm 50-53Refect: “Wash me thoroughlyrom my iniquity, and cleanse me

rom my sin” (51:2)

JUNE 13 Read: Psalm 54-57Refect: “As or me, I will callupon my God, and the LORD shall save me” (55:16)

JUNE 14 Read: Psalm 58-61Refect: “Through God we will do

valiantly, or it is He who shalltread down our enemies” (60:12)

JUNE 15 Read: Psalm 62-65Refect: “God has spoken once,twice I have heard this: thatpower belongs to God” (62:11)

JUNE 16 Read: Psalm 66-69Refect: “God be merciul to us

and bless us, and cause His aceto shine upon us” (67:1)

JUNE 17 Read: Psalm 70-73Refect: “His name shall endureorever; His name shall continueas long as the sun” (72:17)



27

Taking You through the Bible in a Year

Psalm 9-Psalm 125

JUNE 18 Read: Psalm 74-77Refect: “You are the God whodoes wonders; You have declaredYour strength among thepeoples” (77:14)

JUNE 19 Read: Psalm 78-81Refect: “So we, Your people andsheep o Your pasture, will giveYou thanks orever” (79:13)

JUNE 20 Read: Psalm 82-85Refect: “My soul longs, yes,

even aints or the courts o theLORD” (84:2)

JUNE 21 Read: Psalm 86-89Refect: “Teach me Your way,O LORD; I will walk in Your truth”(86:11)

JUNE 22 Read: Psalm 90-93

Refect: “I will say o theLORD

, ‘Heis my reuge and my ortress; myGod, in Him I will trust’” (91:2)

JUNE 23 Read: Psalm 94-97Refect: “Oh come, let usworship and bow down; let uskneel beore the LORDourMaker” (95:6)

JUNE 24 Read: Psalm 98-101Refect: “For the LORD is good; Hismercy is everlasting, and His truthendures to all generations” (100:5)

JUNE 25 Read: Psalm 102-105Refect: “Bless the LORD, O mysoul; and all that is within me,bless His holy name!” (103:1)

JUNE 26 Read: Psalm 106-109Refect: “For He satisfes thelonging soul, and flls the hungrysoul with goodness” (107:9)

JUNE 27 Read: Psalm 110-114Refect: “Blessed is the manwho ears the LORD, who delightsgreatly in His commandments”

(112:1)

JUNE 28 Read: Psalm 115-118Refect: “I will praise You, orYou have answered me, andhave become my salvation”(118:21)

JUNE 29 Read: Psalm 119Refect: “Forever, O LORD, Your

word is settled in heaven” (119:89)

JUNE 30 Read: Psalm 120-125Refect: “I will lit up my eyesto the hills—rom whence comesmy help? My help comes rom theLORD, who made heaven andearth” (121:1-2)

STUDY GUIDES

1.800.922.1888 • connectionradio.org

The Passion of ChristThis study is an in-depthlook at the final week of

Jesus’ earthly ministry. FromHis arrival in Jerusalem toHis death and resurrection,Skip examines Jesus’ motivation.

As a man and a member of theGodhead, Jesus’ ultimate desirewas to do His Father’s will.

$3 50

Dynamic DiscipleshipThis study guide, averse-by-verse study inthe book of 1 Thessalonians,

covers the practical steps of discipleship. In this study,learn to share your faith, helpothers grow spiritually, and what it means “to run the race” that is before you.

$3 50



28

Skip Heitzig recently spokewith Financial Director Bobby Martinez.

“financial discontentment is peop

with money they don’t have, to im Skip: With so muchfinancial discontentmentgoing on in the world thereseems to be a pull betweenwhat the culture’s telling usto do with our money versuswhat God is telling us todo. What’s the definition, orwhat is your understanding,

of financial discontentment?

Bobby: There’s such ahuge chasm between thepull of the culture and theheart and mind of God. Youwouldn’t think there wouldbe that pull between theworld and biblical principles,being that we’re believers.

You’d think that we’d all bein sync. But one definitionof financial discontentmentis people buying thingsthey don’t need, with moneythey don’t have, to impresspeople they don’t evenknow. And others have saidto impress people they don’teven like. t’s really sad tosee that even the Christianworld has fallen into thistrap.

Skip: So as Christians,what is our relationshipto money? What kind ofattitude should we havetowards finances?

Bobby: Our relationshipwith money has an incredible amount to do with ourrelationship to God. BenPatterson said that, “There’sno such thing as being rightwith God and being wrongwith money”. They go handinhand. We find that money

can become our chief rivalgod. Matthew 6:21 says, “Forwhere your treasure is, thereyour heart will be also.” know guys that will go onlinefour times a day and lookat their investments andsee how they’re doing. t’sobvious where their heartis. Matthew 6:24 tells us thatyou cannot serve both Godand money. And our relationship to money and possessions is really at the heartof the macroissues facingour world today. Money is apowerful thing, Skip. Moneyseduces us, drives us, anddivides us. When you talkabout dividing us, you’vegot the “haves” and the

“havenots”. We’re seeingthis split grow wider andwider between the rich andthe poor in our entire worldtoday—not just in America.

Skip: What are some ofthe spiritual dangers ofdebt? What are some of

the things we, as believers,should be looking out for inrelationship to the accumulation of debt?

Bobby: f you want towrap it up in one word:greed! But here are threespiritual dangers of debt

that can come up with.umber one, it takes thefuture for granted. James4:14 says, “You do not knowwhat will happen tomorrow.” But we presume—weassume—that we’re going tohave the money to pay thesedebts. umber two, it deniesGod the opportunity to show

His love and provision andto teach us through denial.Luke 12:30-31 in the ewLiving Translation says, “Forall these things the nationsof the world seek after, andyour Father knows that youneed these things. But seekthe kingdom of God, and allthese things shall be addedto you.” That’s a promise

straight from God’s Word.And the third spiritual danger of debt is it fosters envyand greed, even amongstbelievers. n the ew LivingTranslation, Luke 12:15 says,“Beware! Guard againstevery kind of greed. Life isnot measured by how muchyou own.”



29

calvaryabq.org

’ve left you directives and’ve let you know whatmy wishes are. And your

job—your responsibility—issimply to carry my wishesout. Just because we havethe titles to cars and boatsdoesn’t mean we own them.We’re trustees of them. Andthe day that God pulls upnext to us by His Holy Spirit,places His hand on us andsays, “’d like you to parkthat car. know someonethat needs it more than youdo,”—that’s when the realtest comes. Do you believein ownership or in beingthe trustee? We need to begood and faithful stewards.

e buying things they don’t need,

ress people th

ey don’t even know.” Skip: With that in mind,what are three biblical principals we can build uponto help us steer clear frombuilding up debt?

Bobby: umber one:beware of idols. As we’vealready said, money can

become our chief rivalgod. Read Deuteronomy5:7-9. We’re to have noother gods. We’re not tomake idols in the form ofanything. n Romans, we’rewarned that they exchanged “the truth of Godfor the lie, and worshipedand served the creature

rather than the Creator”.umber two: guard againstgreed. Life is not measuredby how much we own. nLuke 11:3, Jesus taught usto pray, “Give us day by dayour daily bread”. n America,we are consumed withmuch more than just today.umber three: be content.We started out with thedefinition of financial discontentment. Paul was ourgreat teacher on contentment and he said, “ havelearned the secret of beingcontent in any and everysituation whether wellfedor hungry, whether livingin plenty or in want” see

Philippians 4:12. f we couldfollow those, think that wewould live with a deeperlevel of contentment inChrist. Our total identityshould be in Christ alone.

Skip: What are someother truths that you would

want a Christian individualto walk away with concerning God and money?

Bobby: can list threecore truths. They’re basic;they’re really foundationalto our understanding ofthe power of money. But if were to summarize three

“takeaway” points? One,God created everything.Two, God owns everything.Psalm 24:1 says, “Theearth is the Lord’s... theworld and those who dwelltherein.” But we don’t livethis way. We don’t live likeHe owns it all—we live likewe own it. Finally, we aretrustees and not owners.

First Corinthians 4:2 says,“Moreover it is required instewards that one be foundfaithful.” Stewards are liketrustees. For example if say, “Skip, you’re in my will.When pass away, you’remy trustee.” As a trustee,you don’t own what left;

Bobby Martinez is a pastor and also theDirector of Finances atCalvary of Albuquerque

and has more thantwenty years experience

in the financial arena.



$16:(57KDQNVIRUWKHTXHVWLRQ+HUHLQ1HZ0H[LFRDVLQPDQ\RWKHUVWDWHVJDPEOLQJLVDQHYHU\GD\UHDOLW\6RPHSHRSOHSOD\§IRUIXQ¨ZKLOHRWKHUVDUHTXLWHVHULRXVDERXWWKHLU ZDJHV$QGPDQ\PRUHSHRSOHDUHDGGLFWHG

+RQHVWO\LWªVGLIILFXOWQRWWREHFRQIURQWHGZLWKJDPEOLQJWHOHYLVLRQJDPHVKRZVJODPRUL]HZLQQLQJODUJHJDPEOLQJSD\RIIVPDNHKHDGOLQHQHZVDQGFHOHEULWLHVHPHUJHIURPUHDOLW\GUDPDVFHQWHUHGRQPDNLQJDEHW

*DPEOLQJLVHYHU\ZKHUH

3XWVLPSO\JDPEOLQJLVQRW*RGªVEHVWIRU+LVSHRSOHDQGFDQOHDGWRVLQ¦HVSHFLDOO\ ZKHQLWEHFRPHVDQLGRO)URPDELEOLFDOVWDQGSRLQW3DXOVDLG§DOOWKLQJVDUHODZIXOIRUPHEXWQRWDOOWKLQJVHGLI\¨&RULQWKLDQV'RHV

WKDWPHDQWKRVHZKRJDPEOH ZLOOJRWRKHOO"1R2QHLVEDQLVKHGWRKHOOEHFDXVHKHRUVKHGLGQRWUHFHLYH*RGªVIUHHJLIWRIVDOYDWLRQSURYLGHGWKURXJKWKHGHDWKDQGUHVXUUHFWLRQRI-HVXV&KULVW

%XWMXVWEHFDXVHVRPHWKLQJPD\EHODZIXOPHDQLQJ§SHUPLVVLEOH¨GRHVQRWPHDQWKDWLWLVSURILWDEOH7KHZRUGSURILWDEOHPHDQV§JDLQ¨§DGYDQWDJHRXVUHWXUQV¨DQGRU§UHVXOWV¨$V&KULVWLDQVZHDUHFDOOHGWREHKRO\DQGVHHN*RGªVUHWXUQVDQGUHVXOWVLQRXUOLIH+RZHYHUSODFLQJRXUWUXVWDQGDWWHQWLRQRQJDPEOLQJLVERWKXQZLVHDQGXQSURILWDEOHIURPERWKDVSLULWXDODQGILQDQFLDOVWDQGSRLQW

7KLQNRIWKLVOHWªVVD\P\1HZ<HDUªVUHVROXWLRQLVWRJHWLQVKDSHDQGFRPSOHWHDWULDWKORQ,JRWRP\GRFWRUDQGKHWHOOVPHWKDW,QHHGWREHJLQDVORZZRUNRXWVFKHGXOHWDNLQJVPDOOVWHSVWRJDLQORQJWHUPUHVXOWV,KHDUKLP

30

with Pastor Skip Heitzig

48(67,21,VJDPEOLQJDVLQ",ªYHKHDUGVRPHSHRSOHVXJJHVWWKDWJRLQJWRDFDVLQRRUSOD\LQJWKHORWWHU\LVZURQJ+RZLVD&KULVWLDQWRDSSURDFKJDPEOLQJ¦LQDQ\IRUP"

3876,03/<*$0%/,1*,6127*2'ª6%(67)25

+,63(23/( $1'&$1/($'726,1



31

skipheitzig.com

To read more of Pastor Skip’s personalblog, visit his website:

EXWGHFLGHWKDW,ZDQWWRJHWILWTXLFNO\6R,GHFLGHWRWU\WRVZLPIURP/RV$QJHOHVWR $YDORQ7KLVLVDORQJVZLP,WKLQN%XW,ªOOJHWLQVKDSHDORWPRUHTXLFNO\

1RZLVLWODZIXORUSHUPLVVLEOHIRUPH

WRPDNHWKLVVZLP" <HV%XWLVLWSURILWDEOH"1R,PD\GLHDORQJWKH ZD\IURPH[KDXVWLRQRUGURZQ

LQJ$QGD§TXLFN¨IL[LVQRWWKHZD\WRJHWLQVKDSH)LWQHVVWDNHVWLPHKDUGZRUNIDLWKIXOQHVVDQGFRQVLVWHQF\

*DPEOLQJLVOLNHWKDWPRVWSHRSOHZDQWDTXLFNIL[7KH\ZDQWWRJHWULFKIDVW%XW*RG ZDQWXVWREHVSLULWXDOO\SURILWDEOHLQRXU

OLYHV¦DQGQRWQHFHVVDULO\ILQDQFLDOSURILWDEOH,QYHVWLQJPRQH\LQVRPHWKLQJZLWKOLWWOHUHWXUQZKHUHPRVWSHRSOHORVHLVRIOLWWOHSURILWWRPH

*RGZDQWVXVWRSXWRXUPRQH\LQWRVRPHWKLQJWKDWKDVJUHDWJDLQ,QVWHDGRIIHHGLQJDPDFKLQHZLWK\RXUFRLQVRUWKURZLQJDZD\\RXUGROODUVRQDWDEOHWKLQNRIWKHJRRG\RXPLJKWDFFRPSOLVK*LYHWRWKHSRRUVSRQVRUDPLVVLRQDU\DQGKHOSWKRVH

LQQHHG7KDWªVZKHUHJUHDWVSLULWXDOJDLQLVIRXQG

7KH%LEOHFDOOVXVWREHJRRGVWHZDUGVZLWKRXUPRQH\DQGWRUHFRJQL]HWKDWDOOZHKDYHLVXOWLPDWHO\DJLIWIURP*RG/HWªVFKRRVH ZLVGRPRYHUIROO\DQGVXUHVSLULWXDOJDLQRYHUPLVOHDGLQJILQDQFLDOWHPSWDWLRQV

7KDQN\RXIRUWKHTXHVWLRQ

*2':$178672%(63,5,78$//<352),7$%/(,1285/,9(6¦ $1'127

1(&(66$5,/<),1$1&,$//<352),7$%/(



32

hotspotsonline.net

A.W. Tozer once wrote:“t is scarcely possible inmost places to get anyoneto attend a meeting wherethe only attraction is God.One can only concludethat God’s professed children are bored with Him

for they must be wooed tomeetings with a stick ofstriped candy in the formof religious movies, games,and refreshments.”

Sad—but stingingly true.

Why would any Christianturn away from sound,healthy, and safe biblicalteaching?



attracted plenty of critics. But popular televangelists… [have] built megachurchesand a global audience by equating pietywith prosperity.”

When we read something like this—thetwisting of Scripture to meet an unbiblical end—we should recoil. And it’s sad toadmit that a secular news service has thebiblical concept more intact than manysocalled ministers.

Here’s a quote from an article readlinked on the Gospel for Asia website:“n the prosperity gospel, also known as

the “Word of Faith,” the believer is toldto use God, whereas the truth of biblicalChristianity is just the opposite—God usesthe believer. Word of Faith or prosperitytheology sees the Holy Spirit as a powerto be put to use for whatever the believerwills. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spiritis a Person who enables the believer todo God’s will.

“Paul warned Timothy about such men in

1 Timothy 6:5, 9-11. These men of “corruptmind” supposed godliness was a meansof gain and their desire for riches wasa trap that brought them “into ruin anddestruction” v. 9. The pursuit of wealth isa dangerous path for Christians and onethat God warns about: “For the love ofmoney is a root of all kinds of evil. Somepeople, eager for money, have wanderedfrom the faith and pierced themselves

with many grief” v. 10. f riches werea reasonable goal for the godly, Jesuswould have pursued it. But He did not,preferring instead to have no place to layHis head Matthew 8:20 and teaching Hisdisciples to do the same. t should also beremembered that

the only disciple concernedwith wealth was Judas.”

Sobering. But there are piles of pastorsout there teaching this very thing. believe Tozer was right: “God’s children arebored with Him”. But they’re looking for farmore than a stick of striped candy. Theywant crisp, cold cash.

You can read the full Gospel of Asia article bygoing to: gotquestions.org/prosperitygospel.html

33

Let’s look at Scripture: “The time willcome when they will not endure sounddoctrine but according to their owndesires” 2 Timothy 4:3. Own desires. So

people, including believers in the church,are going to look for someone to tell themwhat they want to hear: in accordancewith their own desires.

And in many churchesaround the world, the de-sire for money and personal

power is the rule of faith.

Jesus Christ comes in a dis-tant second place.The selfstyled “prosperity gospel” is

everywhere: on television, on the radio, onthe nternet, and in bookstores. Men andwomen who claim to teach the Christianfaith aren’t—they’re teaching worldlypursuits. They champion a Christ whowants us to be rich, healthy, beautiful, and

famous.Even the hardly conservative C

noticed the difference between the historic Christianfaith and the teaching ofthe prosperity doctrine. nan article entitled “Was Jesus Wealthy?” writer JohnBlake stated:

“Each Christmas, Christians

tell stories about the poor baby Jesusborn in a lowly manger because there wasno room in the inn. But the Rev. Anderson… preaches a version of the Christmasstory that says baby Jesus wasn’t so poorafter all. Anderson says Jesus couldn’thave been poor because he receivedlucrative gifts—gold, frankincense, andmyrrh—at birth. Jesus had to be wealthybecause the Roman soldiers who cru

cified Him gambled for His expensiveundergarments. Even Jesus’ parents,Mary and Joseph, lived and traveled instyle, he says. ‘Mary and Joseph took aCadillac to get to Bethlehem because thefinest transportation of their day was adonkey,’ says Anderson. ‘Poor people atetheir donkey. Only the wealthy used it astransportation.’ The prosperity gospel has

By Skip Heitzig



34

calvaryabq.org

.org

$O WKRXJKQDWXUHUHTXLUHVWKDW*RG EHKRQRUHGZLWKRXUZHDOWKZHIRUWKH

PRVWSDUWKRQRUZHDOWKDVWKRXJKLWZHUH*RGIf we give some small portion of our

wealth to charitable purposes, wethink the whole duty we owe to God isfully satisfied.

We may boldly set it down as aprinciple clear in nature, as an axiomnot to be called into question, as anobvious and infallible truth, that we areeternally bound to honor God with oursubstance as a token of our thank-ful acknowledgement of all that wehave received from Him. To honor Himwith our worldly goods, not only byspending them in a lawful manner andusing them without offence, but also

by setting aside a reasonable portionto offer up to God as a sign that wegladly confess His sole and sovereigndominion over all, is a duty that allpeople are obligated to perform.

Giving is also a par t of the very wor-ship that is required by the law of Godand to which all people are no lessstrictly bound than to any other naturalduty.

Generous and liberal contributionsare required of those who prosper,partly as a sign of their own joy atGod’s goodness to them and partly asa means to help the poor and needy.

Whatever in nature excels in pre-em-inence and honor is of greatest valueand benefit to other things. This factshould be an inducement to God’s

children to delight in imparting to oth-ers the good that has been bestowedupon them in proportion to what theyhave received. The good things in lifeare known to be communicable bythose who possess them; they areknown to be derived from others andto be transferable to those in need ofthem.

6 W H Z D U G V K L S

Richard Hooker (1554–1600)was an Anglican priest and an influentialtheologian. He was the co-founder ofAnglican theological thought.

& K D U L W D

E O H * L Y L Q J



35

Since the greatest among those whomwe honor are those to whom we bring themost valuable and carefully chosen pres-ents, it follows that if we dare not disgraceour worldly superiors by offering the sort ofrefuse that we bring to God Himself, we areshowing clearly that our acknowledgementof God’s greatness is only a pretence. Inour hearts we love and fear God less thanwe dread the great men among us.

Our hearts cling to earthly things, admirethem for the power they produce in thisworld, and usually credit their possessioneither to nature or to chance and fortune.We think little about the grace and provi-dence from which they actually came. Un-less by some kind of regular tribute we ac-

knowledge God’s dominion, it may not bedoubted that in a short time we will learn toforget whose tenants we are and supposethat the world is our own absolute, free,and independent inheritance.

:HNQRZWKDW*RG +LPVHOIKDVQRQHHGRI

ZRUOGO\JRRGV+HWDNHVWKHPEHFDXVHLWLVJRRGIRUXVWKDW+HGRVRWhether we give to God that which He

has commanded of us, or that which a voteof the Church thinks we should allot fromour resources, or what our own private de-votions lead us to give, we should remem-

ber that our gift is not only a testimony ofour affection for God but also a means tomaintain our religion, which cannot endurewithout the help of such temporal support.

Even as the life of the clergyman is spentin God’s service, so he is sustained byrevenue that is given to God. I t is thereforeproper to call payments to the minister atoken of the oblation we offer to God.

The Dead Pastors’ Society isa class Skip Heitzig teaches at the School of Ministry in whichhe introduces students to the

preachers of yesteryear.

“When have money, getrid of it quickly, lest it finda way into my heart.”

— John Wesley

“He is rich or pooraccording to what he

is, not according towhat he has.”— Henry Ward Beecher

“f a person gets hisattitude toward moneystraight, it will help

straighten out almostevery other area in his life.”— Billy Graham

“One of the great dangersof having a lot of moneyis that you can be quitesatisfied with the kinds

of happiness money cangive and never realize yourneed for God.”

— C.S Lewis

“There will always bepoor people in the land.Therefore command you

to be openhanded towardyour brothers and towardthe poor and needy inyour land.”

— Deuteronomy 15:11



36

-DQXDU\5HDG*HQHVLV

a tle of t Ciies 7KH\EHJDQVD\LQJWRHDFKRWKHU´/HW·VPDNHEULFNVDQGKDUGHQWKHP ZLWKÀUHµ,QWKLVUHJLRQEULFNVZHUHXVHGLQVWHDGRIVWRQHDQGWDUZDVXVHGIRUPRUWDU7KHQWKH\VDLG´&RPHOHW·VEXLOGDJUHDWFLW\IRURXU

VHOYHVZLWKDWRZHUWKDWUHDFKHVLQWRWKHVN\7KLVZLOOPDNHXVIDPRXVDQGNHHSXVIURPEHLQJVFDWWHUHGDOORYHUWKHZRUOGµ

*HQHVLV

0XFKRIWKH%LEOHFRXOGEHVHHQDVD´WDOHRIWZRFLWLHVµDFRQWUDVWEHWZHHQWKHFLW\RIPDQDQGWKHFLW\RI*RG7KHPRVWIUHTXHQWO\PHQWLRQHGFLW\LQ6FULSWXUHLV-HUXVDOHPOLVWHGWLPHV,W·VFDOOHGWKH´FLW\RIWKHJUHDW.LQJµ3VDOPDQGWKHSODFH*RGFKRVHWREHWKH

SODFHRIKLVQDPHVHH.LQJV%XWWKHVHFRQGPRVWIUHTXHQWO\PHQWLRQHGFLW\LV%DE\ORQ,QLWVEHJLQQLQJVWDJHVLWZDVVLPSOH%DEHOVHH*HQHVLVDQGEXWLWVSURSKHWLFQDPHZLOOEH´%DE\ORQWKH*UHDWµ5HYHODW LRQ7KHVHWZRFLWLHVUHSUHVHQWWKHFRQWUDVWEHWZHHQ*RG·VUHGHPSWLYHDJHQGDRYHUDJDLQVWDQGKXPDQLW\·VUHEHOOLRXVDJHQGD

7KHDQFLHQWWRZHURI%DEHOZDVDKXJHVWUXFWXUHNQRZQDVD]LJJXUDWDVHYHQOHYHODVWURORJLFDOWHPSOHSUREDEO\XVHGWRZRUVKLSWKH]RGLDF,WEHFDPHDUDOO\LQJSRLQWWRNHHSSHRSOHIURPEHLQJVFDWWHUHGVFDWWHULQJDEURDG7KH\ZHUHUHIXVLQJWR´ÀOOWKHHDUWKDQGJRYHUQLWµDV*RGKDG

FRPPDQGHGLQ*HQHVLV7KXVWKLVWRZHUV\PEROL]HGWKHVHFRQGJUHDWUHEHOOLRQRIKXPDQLW\LWSLFWXUHVWKHKXPDQUDFHZRUVKLSSLQJLWVRZQSURZHVVDQGGHWHUPLQDWLRQWRFRQWUROLWVRZQGHVWLQ\

7KHWHUP%DEHOFRPHVIURPWKH+HEUHZZRUGEDODOZKLFKPHDQVWRFRQIXVHRUPL[XS7KDW·VZKDWKDSSHQVZKHQHYHUSHRSOHUHEHODJDLQVW*RG·VSODQIRUWKHLUOLYHV:KHQHYHU\RXVD\QRWR*RGLW·VOLNH\RX·UHHVVHQWLDOO\SODQWLQJDUHEHOÁDJLQWKHJURXQGRI\RXUKHDUW<RXUKHDYHQO\)DWKHUNQRZVEHVWDQGKHNQRZVWKHRQO\ZD\IRU\RXWROLYHDFOHDUXQFRQIXVHGOLIHLVWRREH\KLP

:KHUHLV\RXUFLW\"$UH\RXVXUH\RX·UHZDQWLQJ*RG·V.LQJGRPWRFRPHDQGKLV ZLOOWREHGRQH"$UH\RXEXLOGLQJ*RG·V.LQJGRPE\ÀOOLQJWKHHDUWKZLWKKLVPHVVDJHRIORYH"2UDUH\RXEXLOGLQJ\RXURZQNLQJGRP"5HPHPEHUWKHQH[WWLPH\RXUOLIHVHHPVIHHOFRQIXVHGRUPL[HGXSVWRSDQGFRQVLGHU:KLFKFLW\DP,UHDOO\DWKRPHLQ"

3DVWRU6NLS·VIRUWKFRPLQJERRNLVHQWLWOHG7KH'DLO\*RG%RRN7KURXJKWKH%LEOH ,WLVD\HDUO\GHYRWLRQDO(QFORVHGDUHWZRGHYRWLRQDOVWRJLYH\RXD¶VQHDNSHHN·RQDMRXUQH\WKURXJKWKH%LEOH



37

)HEUXDU\5HDG-RVKXD

w abou My needs? 7KHGHVFHQGDQWVRI-RVHSKFDPHWR-RVKXDDQGDVNHG´:K\KDYH\RXJLYHQXVRQO\RQHSRUWLRQRIODQGDVRXUKRPHODQGZKHQWKH/RUGKDVEOHVVHGXVZLWKVRPDQ\SHRSOH"µ

-RVKXD

7KHUHLVDQROG-HZLVK3URYHUEWKDWUHDGV´7KHUHLVQRURRPIRU*RGLQWKHPDQZKRLVIXOORIKLPVHOIµ6HOIEHWWHUPHQWVHOIH[DOWDWLRQDQGVHOISUHVHUYDWLRQUDQNSUHWW\KLJKZKHQLWFRPHVWRZKDWPRWLYDWHVPRVWSHRSOH2QFHWKHSHRSOHRI*RGVWDUWHGWRVHWWOHLQWKHLUQHZODQGWKH\TXLFNO\WXUQHGLQZDUGWRZDUGWKHPVHOYHV -RVHSK·VWZRWULEDOVKDUHVZHUHDVVLJQHGWROD\LQWKHGHVFHQGDQWVRI(SKUDLPDQG0DQDVVHK7KH\ZHUHJLYHQDUHDVRILQFHQWUDO&DQDDQULFKODQGVXLWDEOHIRUWKHLUQHHGV

%XWWULEDOUHSUHVHQWDWLYHVIURPWKHVHWZRJURXSVFDPHDQGFRPSODLQHGWR-RVKXDWKDWWKH\ZHUHQ·WJLYHQHQRXJK7KH\IHOWWKDWWKHLUVKHHUQXPEHUVMXVWLÀHGWKHLUUHTXHVWQHHGIRUPRUHODQG3HUKDSVWKH\IHOWWKDWVLQFHWKHLUIRUHIDWKHU-RVHSKZDVRQFHWKHSULPHPLQLVWHURI(J\SWLDQ3ULPH0LQLVWHUZKRDQGVDYHGWKH+HEUHZEORRGOLQHIURPIDPLQHWKDWWKH\QRZGHVHUYHGSD\EDFN7KH\DOVRFRPSODLQHGWKDWWKH&DQDDQLWHLQKDELWDQWVZHUHWRRVWURQJIRUWKHPWRGULYHRXW

-RVKXDDVVXUHGWKHPWKDWWKH\FRXOGH[SHOWKHVHHQHPLHV,WKDGEHHQ*RG·VSURPLVHDOODORQJ´6LQFH\RXDUHVRODUJHDQGVWURQJ\RXZLOOEHJLYHQPRUHWKDQRQHSRUWLRQ7KHIRUHVWVRIWKHKLOOFRXQWU\ZLOOEH\RXUVDVZHOO&OHDUDVPXFKRIWKHODQGDV\RXZLVKDQGWDNHSRVVHVVLRQRILWVIDUWKHVWFRUQHUV$QG\RXZLO OGULYHRXWWKH&DQDDQLWHVIURPWKHYDOOH\VWRRHYHQWKRXJKWKH\DUHVWURQJDQGKDYHLURQFKDULRWVµ-RVKXD:KHQ\RXJRRXWWRÀJKW\RXUHQHPLHVDQG\RXIDFHKRUVHVDQGFKDULRWVDQGDQDUP\JUHDWHUWKDQ\RXURZQGRQRWEHDIUDLG7KH/RUG\RXU*RGZKREURXJKW\RXVDIHO\RXWRI(J\SWLVZLWK\RXµ'HXWHURQRP\)XUWKHUPRUH-RVKXDFKDOOHQJHGWKHP´,I\RX·UHVRJUHDWWKHQFRQTXHUWKHODQG\RXKDYHDQGDIWHUZDUGV\RXFDQRFFXS\PRUHµ

7KHSULQFLSOHLVFOHDU:KHQHYHUZHORQJIRUUHFRJQLWLRQIRURXUVHUYLFHWR*RGRUZHVHHNDJUHDWHURSSRUWXQLW\ZHPXVWÀUVWXVH ZKDWZHKDYHDQGWKHQSHUKDSV*RGZLOODGGPRUH$UH\RXRSHUDWLQJ\RXUVSLULWXDOHQJLQHRQDOOF\OLQGHUV"+DYH\RXUHDOO\SXWHYHU\WKLQJ\RXFDQLQWRVHUYLQJ*RGULJKWZKHUH\RXDUH",IVR\RXFDQUHOD[JUHDWHUSRVVLELO LWLHVDUHFRPLQJ\RXUZD\$V-HVXVSXWLW´7RWKRVHZKRXVHZHOOZKDWWKH\DUHJLYHQHYHQPRUHZLO OEHJLYHQDQGWKH\ZLOOKDYHDQDEXQGDQFH%XWIURPWKRVHZKRDUHXQIDLWKIXOGRQRWKLQJHYHQZKDWOLWWOHWKH\KDYHZLOOEHWDNHQDZD\µ0DWWKHZ,QRWKHUZRUGV8VHXVHLWRUORVHLW

7KH'DLO\*RG%RRN7KURXJKWKH%LEOH$YDLODEOH$SULO

6.,3+(,7=,*LVWKHLVWKHDXWKRURIRYHUWZHQW\ERRNVDQGFDQEHKHDUGQDWLRQDOO\RQ7KH&RQQHFWLRQUDGLREURDGFDVW

I youhave not already

accepted JesusChrist as yourLord and

personalSavior— doit now. Pleasedon’t wait.With a sincereand repentantheart, simplypray:

“Father, I know I am a sinner.I repent of my sin, and turnaway from it. I turn to Jesus.I believe that Jesus died on

the cross and rose again,saving all whobelieve in Him.Fill me withYour Spirit and come into my life. Transformme. Make meinto a new creation.I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

If you prayedthis prayer,

please contact

Calvary o Albuquerque505.344.0880

There are

people waiting

to hear

from you!



38

CR S. St rd

s is __ __ gi i

. f retir s c rr me _

. “ of _ _ is allinds of e il” 1 T othy :10

8. _ __ has need of worldly

ood

. “Y u have __ _ up in the

a d s Jam s 5:3

0. “ or here ur __ __ i , there our

rt ill als ” Matthew 6:21

. s m le d to give th to

_ _ _ s 0:

1

. “ do es ings hall

r e _ _ s 1

1 . o il et all our

i i

g u _ _ __ i rist

e ” P

. t k t ll

__

. Bei m ra r , p

rightne , on s , s nce

DOWN. he “ __ __ o ”

2. _ _ _ in es a crowd

. Th ly di erne with

th wa _ _ _

5. _ _ d ar wasted

9. “ s n th rd ith your

__ __” P rbs :5

11. “All thing are law u r me, bu

not all thin s ify” 1 Co s

10:

3. Mone i un lie e

what _ ___ is e liev r

Connection Communications 4001 Osuna Road E Albuquerque, M 87109



39

+ Special Edition:

What is

worsh

ip?

+ Guest Spot with:

%IFF;H>!;PCM

+ Bonus Article

Rock Bands

speak outon worship+ More

HotSpotsOnline.netSkipHeitzig.com

ConnectionRadio.org

ConnectionTV.org

M88.orgKNKT.com

HisChannel.com(international)

stayingconnected

connection magazine 2010 spring

Documents