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(Elje Ìfìortlanh (ßbserüer
April 09. 2003
R eligion
What is God’s Will for You?
find that in the N ew T estam ent, the
phrases fall into tw o categories.
O ne category is “G o d ’s moral w ill,"
and the o th er category is "G o d ’s
personal w ill." G o d ’s m oral will in
Scripture is th e " d o s’’a n d " d o n 'ts,”
the "T h o u shalt do this”and "T hou
shalt not do this."
M en and w om en w ho develop a
lifestyle in harm ony w ith G o d ’s
m oral com m ands will experience
G o d ’s g u idance in a special way.
W hen you a n d l live lives o f obedi-
m R ev .
E thei .1. B u e s
for T he
P ortland
O ksekv er
I
I think that it is safe to say that
the question o f what is G o d 's will
for us. His children, is one o f the
most frequently asked by sincere
Christians who are in love with God.
A nd just as w e are enraptured with
the desire to please the option o f
our earthly affection, w hen w e fall
in love with G od we b eco m e o b
sessed with the desire to please
Hint and to know His will for us.
How do I know the will o fG o d for
my life? How do I know w hen in a
situation w here I have tw o options
w hich way G od wants m e to go?
How do I know which person I am
supposed to m arry? How do I know
w hen to change jobs'? H ow do I
know if I should stay in the jo b I am
in? W hat school should I put my
kids in?
In Jo h n 14:21, Jesus pu ts it this
w ay: He w ho has my c o m m a n d
m en ts and k eep s them , it is he
w ho loves m e. A nd he w ho loves
m e w ill be loved by M y F ath er
an d I w ill love him and m an ifest
m y s e lfto h im .
As C hristians, w e believe that
G od is interested in our decisions
and has a plan for our life. We
believe that G od has a preference
as to w hich direction w e should
take. But discovering His w ill can
be a frustrating process.
G od definitely h asa will for you.
I f you w ere to take a concordance
and look up the phrases "th e w illo f
G o d ” and “G o d 's w ill,” y o u w ould
f I f you have sin
in your life —
willful, deliberate
sin — trying to
discover God’s will
is frustration.
>
but He will say it will never work
until you deal w ith the sin problem.
T here is d anger in praying and
asking for G od to show you His
plan in a m ajor decision when there
is willful sin in your life. Som ething
is already w rong in your thinking
process if you are tolerating sin.
Y ou have rationalized a given area
that G od says m ust be dealt with.
H ere is the problem : ourevaluation
o fs in is not the sam e as G o d ’s! He
hates it! He w an ts it out o f our lives,
and sees it as a stum bling block to
H is best for us.
I am the re c ip ie n t o f d iv in e in
te rv e n tio n an d I h av e no ch o ice
but to seek H is w ill for my life and
d o w h a te v e r H e ask s o f me. N ot
th a t I d e se rv e d to h av e been
sav ed from an e arly g rav e, but it
w as for H is g o o d pleasu re that He
c h o se to heal m e o f c a n c e r and
re sto re d m y life. N ow I’m on a
m issio n . I’m d eterm in ed to know
w h at G o d ’s w ill is for my life, and
w ith ev ery b reath in m y body, I
w ill n o t allo w an y e arth ly en tity
to d e te r me!
O ne thing I have desired o f the
Lord, that will I seek: That I may
dw ell in the house o f the Lord, All
the days o f m y life ‘To behold the
beauty o f the Lord, A nd to inquire
in His tem ple.’ That is G od’s will for
all o f us!
D o y o u k n o w G o d ’sw ill foryou?
Do you not know that you have a
special jo b to do in your limited time
on this earth? M any C hristians have
m issed the blessed experience o f
walking in G o d ’s will for their lives.
It is tim e to be about o u r F ath er's
bu sin ess!
ence, w e are in step w ith G o d ’s
thoughts and G o d ’s w ay. It m akes
sense that w e are able to discern
His voice m ore easily. A ny d eci
sion you m ake o r any option you
are looking at that is in conflict with
G o d 's will is not o fG o d .
Ify o u have sin in your life-w ill
ful, deliberate sin trying to dis-
co v erG o d ’s will is frustration. You
are saying, ‘G od, I really w ant to
know y o u r will in this area. W hat
ev er you say to do, I am w illing to
do. But Ciod, d o n ’t w orry about this
areao fsin right now. I’llta k e c a re o f
that later.’
G od is not going to let you ig
nore sin. I am not saying you will
never know the will o f G od if there
Ethel J. Bates is a minister fa r
is sin in y o u r life. Som etim es, G od the Allen Temple CME Church in
may show you exactly w hat to do, Portland.
H
King Remembered
■■■■■
Nuns Stand Trial for Peace Protest
(A P)
Three nuns have been
accused o f defacing a missile silo.
They swung ham m ers and painted a
cross on it with theirow n blood. This
w as called a peaceful protest by their
defense attorney.
Sisters Ardeth Platte, 66, Jackie
11 udson, 68 and ( arol Gi Ibert. 55, are
accused o f breaking into a Minute
man 111 missi le si Io site on Colorado’s
northeastern plains Oct. 6. They have
been charged with interfering w ith
the nation’s defense and causing
property damage.
H u d s o n ’s a tto r n e y , W a lte r
G erash, said the sisters entered the
N -8 site to protest. They read Bible
verses about pounding sw ords into
plow shares and sang hym ns.
The nuns said they w ere com
pelled to act as w ar w ith I raq m oved
c lo se r and b ec a u se the U nited
States has never prom ised not to
use nuclear w eapons.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Two spectacular Resurrection Services
Sunday, April 20"' 2003
HIGHLAND UCC (The Right Place)
1 737 NE Alberta Street, Portland, Oregon 97211
Rev. W.G. Hardy Jr.
10:30 am - 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
With Special Guest
The Renowned
Professor Craig Hayes
Vice president o f the National Ciospel Music Workshop o f America
&
Recording artist o f United Voices of Trenton New Jersey
You Don't want to miss this!
Please come early for limited seating
For more information call 503-287-9567
Church of the Living God
( 'hristian workers for fellowship
6401 N.E. 10,h Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97211
Services
P astor a n d h irst
l.adv Roy G. M oxie
S unday School
M orning W orship
E vening W orship
W ed. B ible Study
9:45 A.M.
11:50 A.M.
7:00 P.M.
7:00P.M .
"Where there is no vision, The People perish. ”
Marvin Johnson, 19, walks in the courtyard o f the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis,
Tenn., Thursday. The museum is housed in the Lorraine Motel and the warehouse where
James Earl Ray shot Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4,1968 . Thursday marked the 35th
anniversary o f King's assassination. Several hundred people marched more than a mile from
the site o f his death to the Mason Temple, a church where King gave his “I have been to the
mountaintop" speech the night before he was killed.
Christian Relief in Iraq Opposed
American Islamic
advocacy group
upset effort includes
Muslim critic
(A P)
U .S .-based C hristian
relief organizations are poised to
offer medicine, food, and other sup
plies to needy Iraqis once the w ar
ends, but critics are concerned the
groups m ay use hum anitarian aid
to m ake inroads in the predom i
nantly M uslim nation.
TheCouncil on American-lslamic
Relations, a W ashington advocacy
group, said it w as especially upset to
h e a r th a t th e r e l i e f a g e n c y
Sam aritan's Purse, run by the Rev.
Franklin Graham, planned to work in
Iraq. ( iraham has cal led Islam "a very
evil and wicked religion.”
" I t’s particularly disturbing that
a group headed by a m an w ho
openly states he believes the faith
o f Islam is evil w ould enter into a
M uslim country in the w ake o f an
invading arm y .” council spokes-
J^cvivuf ¡Tpme a t
Elder Roy G, Maxie, Pastor
APRIL9TH-1 ITH
*
— Rev. Franklin Graham, who will provide aid In Iraq aftercalling Islam ‘a
veryevilandwlckedreliglon'
man Ibrahim H ooper said.
Like m ost C hristian agencies,
S am aritan’s Purse says it w o n ’t
proselytize.
“ In Iraq, as is the case w herever
we work. Sam aritan's Purse wi II offer
physical assistance to those w ho
need it, w ith no strings attached,”
Trent W heeler, spokesm an for
H ealing H ands relief group, said
the approach o f C hristian relief
groups has shifted. "It used to be
primarily, ‘ Preach, preach, preach,’”
he said. The new strategy is to help
first and explain C hristianity later,
W heeler explained.
Weddings & Receptions 99
Ramada Inn and Suites Portland Airport
6221 NE 82nd Ave
Portland, Oregon
503-255-6511
• C om plem entary H oneym oon Suite for Bride and G room
1
• Special room rate for W edding Party G uests
EVANGELIST
MANUAL
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•T w o B allroom s available to accom m odate 200-300 G uests
• In-H ouse C atering, Rehearsal D inners, & O n-S ite C oordinators
• C onveniently located near the Portland International A irport
J
I
We don't have to preach in order to
be a Christian relief organization.
U
Qiurcfi oj oJTie
For more information please call
(503) 284-5171
Everyone s Welcome....
Rev. Franklin Graham
G raham w rote in an opinion piece
for the Los A ngeles T im es’ T hurs
day editions.
“ W e d o n ’t have to preach in
order to be a Christian relief organi
zation. Som etim es the best preach
ing w e can do is sim ply being there
with a cup o f cold w ater, exhibiting
C h rist’s spirit o f serving o thers.”
S am aritan’s Purse says it’s pre
pared to provide drinking w ater for
up to 20,000 Iraqi fam ilies, build
tem porary shelter for m ore than
4,000 fam ilies and supply packages
o f household item s for 5,000 fam i
lies.
6401 NE 10TH AVENUE, PORTLAND, OREGON 97211
Cat! now to reserve your space today!
The Ramada Inn and Suites Portland Airport
Phone 503-255-6511