The Amazing News for the month of February

 

Dear Loved Ones, we want to thank you very much for your love, support, and prayers. We welcome to our news in brief for the month of February. We had a fruitful month and we are excited about telling you about it. But before we do we would like to encourage you with some faith building, strengthening and encouraging words. From now on we will try to include some “Feeding Reading” in each of our letters. We trust it will be a source of faith and inspiration to you as it has to us. If you have any questions and or suggestions please do not hesitate to let us know. We love hearing from Romans 8:1 (KJV) 1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. I believe the use of the words “in” and “after” in this chapter are significant. “In” denotes a fixed place or position. “After” denotes a lifestyle. So, Christians are “in” Christ and should walk “after” Christ. However, it is possible for a person who is “in” Christ to walk “after” the flesh, but a true Christian cannot be “in” the flesh. We are now new creatures in Christ and have new identities, which is our spiritual selves, not the flesh. Likewise, unbelievers might try to walk “after” Christ, but the truth is they will always be “in” the flesh until they put their faith in Christ alone. Out of sixteen translations I checked, eleven left out the phrase “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The point is that there is NO condemnation from the Lord to those who are in Him–PERIOD. However, if believers walk “after” the flesh, there can be condemnation against them from other sources. Christians who break the law will be condemned by the legal authorities. Christians who walk “after” the flesh can be condemned by their own consciences and the devil’s accusations, but that condemnation isn’t from the Lord. Note 1 at Romans 8:1: The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word “therefore” as “for that reason; consequently.” This word ties Paul’s statement here in this verse to the previous verses. Paul was giving us the answer to the hopeless situation he described in Romans 7:14-24. Continued on the last page! THE NEWSLETTER CONTENTS: 1. BIBLE STUDIES 2. OUTREACH 3. OUTREACH MEETING 4. STOP FOOD WASTE 5. HEALTH AND EXERCISE 6. THE VINEYARD 7. PERSONAL

BIBLE STUDIES: We are making good progress through our Bible school curriculum and we are happy to say that our students are getting more and more eager having realized the amazing content of the program. One person missed one of the meetings and has been quite concerned to find a way to catch up! Praise the Lord! We are also happy to say that a young student from the Ukraine has joined our Bible studies and was very inspired to keep coming. A couple from our church also inquired about attending and will be coming back to us about it soon. We hope and ray that the Lord will add many new students to the group. And when He does we will seek a different set up that will more easily accommodate everyone. But where the Lord guides He provides and He will make a way. We are happy and excited about what the future holds. Thank you for your prayers and the active part you play in making this all possible. OUTREACH: When we were out last we met a group of demonstrators demonstrating against their union. We were able to give them some tracts. Later on we were able to lead two young men to the Lord. One of them, after praying with us exclaimed wide-eyed: “Wow, He is real!” That was a wonderful reaction and these are the type of experiences that make out hearts jump for joy and makes us eager to get out there soon again. Yes, He is real, and our aim when reaching these lost souls is to also invite them to our daily devotionals in order that they may grow in their new-found faith. OUTREACH MEETING: As the main outreach people of our church we were invited to attend a meting of several churches as joint effort in reaching the city. Sadly most have not been out the past year except for one person that had been out in September last year. We believe that part of the reason may be that they have been aiming for big set-up i.e. bringing couches and hot cocoa and coffee to the walking street. Or tents and a Healing is Here set up. Someone also is dreaming of bringing a caravan. These may all be interesting ideas and may draw attention. We shared however how we simply GO and the Lord has been faithful to lead us to people that not only received Him but also presently are being followed up on. We would like to work with others, but at the same time we are concerned that over complicating things may hinder it from happening. HEALTH AND EXERCISE: This month we also attended a meeting called: Health and Exercise. The aim was to inform esp. the elderly about the importance of exercising and staying fit. Four people from the commune visited for this occasion. Afterwards we all ate an Afghanistan  meal prepared by some of the ladies from Afghanistan. At these times we usually contribute a minimum amount of DKK 10 per person. It is an excellent time to get to meet some of the foreigners and practice our language skills! Arabic, which I, Rita, am slowly learning! Praise the Lord! THE VINEYARD: Philip has been asked to be one of the “producers”. This means that he simply has to come in early, make sure the heaters are on, prepare for the communion, call the staff together for prayer, stay behind and make sure all tables and chairs are cleaned and put back in place etc. And this also includes helping to serve the communion on a regular basis. And I continue to help with the translations as needed. We also had an opportunity to talk with some of the leadership about some subject we felt needed to be taught in the church. We are still waiting for feedback, but are praying for a good and positive outcome as we believe it will strengthen the individual and thereby the work. At the Vineyard we like to regularly share about the Lord’s faithfulness. Here I was invited to share about the Lord’s miraculous provision when we unexcitedly had to leave Japan years ago. We were expecting to get our visas renewed but we were told to be out of the country within 2 weeks. We had no money for ticket for our small family of four. So we hit the streets fundraising. After one week of doing our very best, we have only one quarter of the needed amount. We stopped for a day, fasted and prayed and committed it all to the Lord. When the time for us to leave arrived we not only had enough money for the tickets, but even plenty to spare. We got a couple of big unexpected donations from friends, and the fundraising went much better than ever. It was a testimony of our ability versus His. When we stopped leaning on our own strength and instead leaned on His He worked marvellously on our behalf. Praise the Lord! He has never failed us. STOP FOOD WASTE: We are happy to continue to volunteer weekly to help with the sorting, and distribution of food to he poor. This month I also took a course in connection with this work.  There will be one more before we get certified! WHATS APP MINISTRY: “We are still serving the community. Thanks to God, you and Philip” (From: F.) We received the above today. We know though that if it were not for the help and guidance of some of you (you know who you are) this food contact that is still helping,  would not have been established! Thank you! We received the above today. We know though that if it were not for the help and guidance of some of you (you know who you are) this food contact that is still helping,  would not have been established! Thank you! Years ago we ministered to and prayed for someone who had just received a devastating cancer diagnosis. We are happy to report that we have just received a report that she is completely cancer free, and has been for the past three years. Praise the Lord! Others are regularly thanking us for the feeding messages and letting us know that it is making a big difference in their lives — as we must admit it did in ours as well when we first learned the truth. John 8:32 says that only coming to a knowledge of the truth will set us free! And Jesus said in John 17, to the Father: Your Word is truth. This is also why we would like to aim to make our newsletters more feeding. We have started this month by sharing Romans 8:1. With the commentary from Andrew Wommack’s Living Commentary Bible. We hope and trust it will be a blessing to you. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. If we can we will be happy to clarify anything that may need to be. Since coming to Denmark we have added 23 new subscribers to the daily devotionals. It is maybe not a lot but it is 23 people who are now being impacted in a greater way by the Word than they were before. And we often receive prayer requests for friends and loved ones and have heard of outstanding answers to our prayers. Prayer is not the least we can do...it is the MOST because ot let’s God into the situation to work in ways that only He can. We are blessed to be His children and we would like to help share the benefits that entails. PERSONAL: Another wonderful victory is that Philip successfully completed his Danish courser here. From the month of August he will be attending the official school so to speak. This is what was considered a preparatory course, although it also included level one. When he starts is August his course is called level 1 and 2. We are very happy with the progress he has made and that he has had a perfect attendance record. Praise the Lord! This month we celebrated my birthday —74 years young and ready and eager to carry on for Jesus. Coming here is like a brand new start with much to do and very few to do it. In closing we want to thank each and everyone of you for the integral part you are of our ministry here. Without you love, prayers, encouragement and financial support we would not be able to carry out the ministry here. It is our joint efforts that make it possible and it is an honor for us to be partnering with you in this. We are still trusting the Lord for the vehicle mentioned last month and are hppy to let you know that Philip’s driving license arrived after ony 3 weeks and is valid for the next 15 years, till 2040. Such a wonderful answer to prayer! With love and much appreciation. Philip and Rita Please remember our new details are as follows: PayPal: force4good.fvs@gmail.com NordFyn's Bank Rita Olsen Reg. #: 6869 Account #: 0001058710 BIC/SWIFT Code: NSBKDK21 IBAN DK2168690001058710 PS: If you are in the European union you can transfer funds via SEPA with very minimum or no fees. For another easy and simple way to transfer money internationally please visit: https://wise.com/ Continued from page 1. Prior to Romans 8, the Holy Spirit was only mentioned once in this epistle (Romans 5:5 - Holy Ghost). In this chapter alone, the Holy Spirit is referred to nineteen times. Paul was making the point that the only way to overcome the effects of sin in our lives is through the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Note 2 at Romans 8:1: Nine Greek words are used in the New Testament that were translated “now.” Some of these words simply provide a transition between thoughts. However, the Greek word translated “now” in this verse is “NUN,” and it is “a primary particle of present time; ‘now’” (Strong’s Concordance), “the immediate present” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary). Thus, Paul’s use of this word makes it very clear that living with no condemnation is a present-tense experience of the believer, not something reserved for the future. Note 3 at Romans 8:1: The Greek word that was translated “no” in this verse is “OUDEIS.” This is an emphatic term meaning “not even one...i.e. none” (Strong’s Concordance). Wuest translated this as “There is not even one bit of condemnation” (“The New Testament: An Expanded Translation” by Kenneth S. Wuest). Note 4 at Romans 8:1: The Greek word translated “condemnation” here is “KATAKRIMA,” and it means “an adverse sentence (the verdict)” (Strong’s Concordance). Paul was stating that God has no adverse sentence against us once we accept Him. All our punishment has been placed on Jesus, and we don’t bear it. Those of us who still walk in condemnation are being condemned by the devil or are condemning ourselves. It’s not God who condemns us (Romans 8:34). 2 Corinthians 3:9 called the Law a “ministration of condemnation.” It was the Law that brought God’s adverse sentence against us. Romans 3:19 says the Law was given to make us guilty before God. Guilt is the emotional response to condemnation. This can be illustrated by the way a building is condemned. When the government condemns a building, it is declared unfit for use and must be destroyed. Likewise, when Satan condemns us, he makes us feel unfit for use and ready to be destroyed. Since we as Christians are no longer under the Law (see note 3 at Romans 4:15), we should no longer be condemned or feel unfit for use. We have been accepted by the Father through Jesus (Ephesians 1:6). Note 5 at Romans 8:1: God placed the judgment that the Law prescribed against us upon His Son. Therefore, those of us who accept Jesus as our Savior will not be condemned, because Jesus was condemned for us (Romans 8:3). This truth, and the fact that this phrase, “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” is not in some of the old Greek manuscripts, has led many scholars to believe that this phrase does not belong here. They say it was borrowed from Romans 8:4 by some scribe who was copying out the scriptures. Condemnation still exists, as any Christian knows. This verse has rightly portrayed that only those who are living in the power of the Holy Spirit escape that condemnation. Compare this to the law of gravity. Gravity is a law that never quits exerting its power, but it can be overcome. Through the laws of aerodynamics, man can actually fly and send space ships beyond Earth’s gravity. But it takes power to do this. If the power is shut off, the law of gravity is still at work and will cause the vehicle to fall. Likewise, the law of sin and death still exists. If Christians shut off the power of the Spirit of life and begin to start walking in the power of their own flesh, Satan will use this law of sin and death to make sure they crash and are condemned. God convicts of sin, but He doesn’t condemn (Romans 8:34). Conviction is solely for our profit and is free of malice, while condemnation includes punishment (see note 4 at this verse). Satan is the one who condemns us, but the Holy Spirit has given us the power to escape that condemnation. Andrew Wommack's Living Commentary.