Andrew Murray
And God Created Woman
Difference between Anabaptists and Evangelicals
Mysteries of the Kingdom of God
Anabaptist
Voice
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The Anabaptist Voice
11/26/2008
Proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God: Love, Joy and Peace in
Jesus.
Dear ,
Warm greetings to you. How are you? Are we aware of the covering of our
wonderful God the Father?
We see a
hummingbird drinking nectar from the flowers right by our window here in
Tucson. Today is rather cloudy, and we saw a few drops of rain this morning.
We have not have any rain in months but it is forecast for tonight. The sun
generally shines here everyday, the temperatures are usually in the 70s during
the day and 50s at night. We are reminded of our life up in northeastern
Washington where we lived at the Fan Lake community for 14 years prior to coming
down here to Arizona four years ago. The average winter snow fall there was 88
inches! Here are photos of our dogs in the snow on top of the roof of our house
and our peacocks setting on the posts by our gate. The peacocks sleep in the
trees at night and it is amazing how they can survive with all the snow. We
here are still having problems with the hawks eating our doves. Here is a photo
of one of them sitting on our backyard wall.
We are all fine. Praise God. Our son Mike had an Echo Cardio Stress
test and the result was good. Naomi has been going to physical therapy twice a
week and she is enjoying it. Jim has been working hard on his book. We pray
the Lord will write the book through him.
Our friend Matthew Hils, a college student, was water baptized on
November 9th and had a wonderful experience of God’s love. He came
last Friday to tell us about it and we had wonderful fellowship. He came again
on Monday while Michi and Naomi were at Linda Dowdle’s house for the weekly
Monday morning ladies worship. This time the ladies had lunch together. God
knew Matthew was going to be with Don that day but Michi didn’t, so God had
Michi prepare an extra large lunch for Don which he was able to share with
Matthew. Our God is wonderful.
Tony and Krishta Brown are coming for Thanksgiving and we are glad. We
are so far away from our sons; they live in Washington, British Columbia and
Manitoba. Our son Pat and his wife and three children from Manitoba and our son
David from Washington are planning to visit us next month which we also look
forward to.
Last Sunday after church, we went to see Dawn Rita Morris who has been in
the University Medical Center hospital. Her husband Bud was there. She was so
surprised to see us. She has blood clots in her lungs. The doctor told her
that it could have been fatal, but she was looking so good. We prayed for her
before we left. Thank you, Lord, for taking care of her. Donna Davis, our dear
friend, is w
orking
there as a nurse, and we were hoping to see her, but we missed her.
This past week we attended two Vineyard church home meetings, Wednesday
evening at the home of Elizabeth Willott, and Friday evening at the home of
Michael Hobson. It is good to spend time with other believers, discussing our
spiritual lives and studying the teachings of Jesus and His apostles.
Don received an interesting phone call today from Jim Newman of the
Gethsemane Anabaptist Church, Lexington, SC, a fundamental independent Baptist
church. They have a web site with the very first item in their Statement of
Faith saying “We believe the King James 1611 "Authorized Version" Bible to be
the perfect and infallible word of God.” Another part of their Statement of
Faith says “We believe the miracle signs and gifts to belong primarily to
Israel, dispensationally speaking, and that these signs as practiced by the
Charismatics and Apostolic are exercised mainly in the flesh, are most often
fraudulent, and sometimes demonic and devilish in nature.”
It was interesting to learn that a Baptist church uses the title
“Anabaptist” in their church name. Usually that title means an Amish, Hutterite
or Mennonite church.
Did You Know?
Did you know how often certain words are repeated in the New Testament?
Love is there 258 times!
Believe is there 230 times.
Peace is there 92 times.
Joy is there 71 times.
Obey is there 57 times.
In order to have that love, joy and peace from Jesus we have to believe
Him and obey Him.
Gary’s Teenage Testimony
Gary Stokes, pastor of the Vineyard City Church in Tucson, has this
testimony of his youth: “When I was 15, I picked up an unused Bible that was in
my bedroom and began to read the Sermon on the Mount. I was considered a "good
person", but as I began to read Jesus words I was deeply convicted. While I had
never murdered anyone, I was angry at lots of folks, and while I hadn't
committed adultery, I had plenty of lust in my teenage heart. For the next two
years I live with the knowledge that I could not live a life pleasing to God on
my own efforts and that I needed a Savior.
“Finally, when I was 17, I got down on my knees by my bed and asked Jesus
to be my Lord and thanked Him for dying so my sins could be forgiven. Over the
next few months, I had a keen sense of Jesus' presence and love. For instance,
when I was walking to school each day, I sensed Him walking with me, our arms
linked. That was long before I learned that middle eastern men walk holding
arms or hands.
“Gradually, I began to read the Bible and learn more, but from that start
was always blessed to have that sense that Jesus was with me too. When I
arrived at Indiana University a year later, it seemed natural to pray before
meals in the dorm cafeteria and abstain from sex and drugs, which were pervasive
in my dorm. Soon, I began to meet sincere fellow believers who were also trying
to find a way to follow Jesus in the world. All shared a deep desire to follow
Jesus, a commitment to His literal words and a sense of the adventure of living
with Christ in the middle of this broken world.”
Luther's Imputed Righteousness Theology
Luther wrote: “Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in
Christ even more boldly. For he is victorious over sin, death, and the world.
As long as we are here we have to sin. This life in not the dwelling place of
righteousness but, as Peter says, we look for a new heavens and a new earth in
which righteousness dwells. . . . Pray boldly-you too are a mighty sinner.”
(Letters I, "Luther's Works," American Ed., Vol. 48. p. 281- 282)
The holy apostle Peter wrote: “For it is time for judgment to begin with
the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those
who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is hard for the righteous to be
saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:17-18)
The Letter to the Hebrews states: “In your struggle against sin, you
have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have
forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not
make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and he scourges everyone He accepts
as a son.’” (Hebrews 12:4-6)
The holy apostle John, in effect, denied the idea of imputed
righteousness when he wrote, “Let no one deceive you. He who does what
is right is righteous, just as He [Christ] is righteous; he who sins is of the
devil”. (1 John 3:7-8)
We pray that out of His glorious riches the
Lord God may strengthen you, ,
with power through his Spirit in your inner being, with Christ dwelling in your
hearts through faith. (Eph. 3:16-17)
Your Anabaptist brother and sisters in Christ,
Don, Michi and Naomi Murphy
Tucson, Arizona, phone 520-297-1639
www.AnabaptistChurch.org
"This is how we love God - by obeying His commands. And His commands are not
burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory
that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world?
He who honors Jesus as the Son of God." (1 John 5:3-5)
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