Elijah Ministries End of the Year Update 

    We are excited about this new series recorded last month and hopefully available in January. One man's response explains our excitement about this new series. "As I listened to what the Holy Spirit was saying through your words it would seem that this issue of dealing with self is the fundamental aspect of the foundation to the gospel message. I just can't believe how clear this is all becoming and how important this is to advancing the gospel message in my own life and in being able to teach this to my family and to others. This is just so liberating."

Two More Resources in Spanish

    God has given us a heart and a channel to make an impact in Spanish-speaking countries. Marriage for God's Glory and Teenagers 101 are being translated and produced in Spanish to be circulated in Mexico and other countries. In many cases, these CD sets will be given away to families who cannot afford to purchase them. We saw the fruit of these messages this past year as I spoke at the homeschool conference in Saltillo, Mexico. 

    We hope this next year to update the flagship resource of the ministry, Equipping Men: Practical Tools for Life's Issues. Please pray for God to provide a venue with the needed video capabilities.

    As you know, these are trying times financially for everyone, so we ask you to join us in praying for God to provide for and move in the hearts of those He wishes to support this ministry financially. 

Chariot December 2008 - Norm Wakefield  

Reality Check: It's Not About You - Part 3   

Last month we discussed two reality checks.

•         The saving work of God through the gospel is not about you.
•         The only way to live is in a manner worthy of the gospel.

    In this month's Chariot I want to invite you to consider a third reality check: Your life has tremendous power to affect other lives, therefore, life is not about you, but about Christ. Let's consider the power of a life.

Reality Check Three: Do you realize the powerful affect your life has on others?

          The effect of your life ripples through many lives for many generations. Most of my readers are fathers, so I am going to focus this article on them, however, everyone makes an impact on others. First, consider the powerful impact a father may have on his children for generations. The most profound example of a father's actions rippling through history is, of course, the sin of Adam, our first father. The Apostle Paul described his impact on us this way. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—" (Romans 5:12). He also wrote, "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22). Adam's sin was like dropping an atom bomb in a bathtub. It completely destroyed any moral resemblance in man to God's image. Because of his sin, all of us will die and pass away like a blade of grass.

Fathers create culture.        

    Every father is creating a culture within his home and family. A culture according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is defined as the "totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all of the products of human work and thought characteristic of a community or population." Simply put, your life is in constant transmission mode to those around you. They are picking up from your reactions to relationships and circumstances what life is all about. Have you communicated that it's all about you?

Fathers in a generation have an accumulative ripple affect.

    What is the general conglomerate message being communicated by men today to the next generation? Churches, communities, and nations experience the accumulative ripple effect of each generation of fathers. The men in the church set the tone for the rest of the church for that generation. That's why the church's ministry to men is so vital and why I encourage you to pass the Chariot of Fire articles on to as many men as possible. Our community and nation is experiencing the ripple effect as the men set the culture for the community and nation by what they do and don't do. In a consumer culture such as the one in which we live, the church has a daunting task before her: to shine as lights in a dark world and create in the midst of that darkness a gospel culture–the same one Jesus created.

Reality Check Four: Are you creating a gospel culture of unselfishness?

    The Apostle Paul clearly expressed to the Philippians his vision for their families and for the church in a dark world in Philippians 1:27. "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." His vision was to encourage the saints to only live in one manner: one worthy of the gospel.

    What was Jesus' gospel and what does such living look like? The answer may be discovered in two passages in the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

     From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).

     And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23).

    Jesus's gospel had two primary parts. The first could be summarized this way: Life is not about you, it's about the kingdom of heaven. The second primary message was and is: Life is not about your Self, but about Jesus. Both of these verses call us to repentance for selfishness. If you are to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, your life must be all about Him and His kingdom.

    When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, He declared, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39). These verses allow us to understand that if we love God and have repented of living for ourselves, then life for us is all about others and not Self. We are to give the same consideration to others that you give to yourself–namely–you are the most important consideration!

    Surely the Apostle Paul had Jesus' teaching in mind when he described to the Philippians what it means to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, worthy of the gospel of Christ.

     Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4).

    A gospel culture is one of unselfishness. In the first two verses of chapter 2, Paul laid the foundation for his appeal by telling how the gospel culture is created: it's based on what you have experienced in Christ! That was Reality Check One in the first article in this series. Are you a participant in the gospel? He asked them if they had experienced encouragement, consolation of love, affection, compassion, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. If they had, then He admonished them to make his joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in the same spirit, and intent on the one purpose that saved them. What was the character of the mind, love, spirit, and intent of Christ when He came to save them? The answer: Nothing was done from selfishness, but with humility, He made the interests of His Father first. And the Father's interest was to give His Son a redeemed body in which to live on earth! Having been saved by one powerful act of unselfishness, they would create a selfless culture in a selfish world.

    So if you have been a participant in the gospel then you should realize that living the gospel is the only way to live because your life has a powerful effect on others. You are creating a gospel culture in a dark culture. The world is enslaved to selfishness. The gospel culture is characterized by selflessness. Christian parents should be intent on this one purpose: creating a gospel culture of unselfishness in their home and relationships.

Practical Application

    Here are some suggestions to help you take steps toward creating a gospel culture in your homes and relationships.

1.      Discuss your battle against selfishness.

2.      Where you have been selfish in your relationship with your wife, ask her forgiveness.  (If you're not sure, ask her :-).

3.      Compile a list of specific things members of the family can do to establish a gospel culture of unselfishness.

    Next month, we'll zero in on Philippians 2:3-4. I encourage you to begin memorizing and meditating on verses 1-12 of Philippians 2. See what you can discover about the mind, love, spirit, and purpose of Jesus Christ when He came to save you.

Share these video clips with your friends and family...

    We have started putting up short video clips from some of Norm's messages online at the links below. We will be posting new video clips from other messages every few weeks or so on a regular basis. Help spread the word by passing these links on to whomever you think might be interested. Thank you! 

http://www.Godtube.com/Elijahministries

http://www.youtube.com/Elijahministries

Would you like to be on the Elijah Ministries Prayer Team?

    The backbone of Elijah Ministries is the prayer team who pray diligently for God to turn the hearts of men to Himself, their wives, and their children. Before I leave to speak, I send out a prayer team invitation to those who will intercede for God to work for His glory in us as a team for the Kingdom. Not only is it a blessing to those whom I speak and myself; but it is also a reminder to the team about the direction of their own hearts. If you would like to enter into the labor together with me, you may go to my website and click on "Prayer Team".

    Has Norm's Chariot or other resources been an encouragement to you? As a nonprofit organization, Elijah Ministries needs support from people like you in order to function. If God has ministered to you through Elijah Ministries and Norm Wakefield, would you consider supporting the work? You can do so here. (Elijah Ministries is a tax-deductible 501c3 and is financially accountable to an overseeing board of 8 non-paid members from around the country.)

    The Chariot is also available as a podcast. You can automatically receive the Chariot each month in iTunes by subscribing here. (An RSS capable browser such as Internet Explorer 7 or Safari is required.)

    If you haven't visited our website, www.spiritofelijah.com, please stop by sometime. You'll find:

*   Resources to equip you and your family

*   Previous Chariot articles

*   Norm's speaking schedule

*   Free MP3 downloads

*   Subscribe to the Chariot Podcast here. 

*   Various resources/pages translated and available in Spanish  

*   An online store to purchase resources and make tax-free contributions by credit card  

I invite you to be a part of the moving of the Spirit of Elijah in your church, community, and the world. How?

1.  Send this article to other men or families that you know would benefit from it. You might inform them of the previous articles available on-line at our website.

2.  Share resources from the Spirit of Elijah Ministries with others. If Equipping Men or Rising to the Call have been a blessing to you, then you know it will be beneficial to others. Either share your resources, tell them about the resources, or purchase a set or two as an investment in their lives.

3.  Share with others what you have learned and put into practice in turning your heart to God, your wife, and your children. If God has done this in you, then He wants to affect others through you.

4.  Join the Elijah Ministries email prayer team and make intercession for others that their hearts would be turned in revival to the Lord, their wives, and their children. This can be done on-line at www.spiritofelijah.com. 

            Norm Wakefield
            Elijah Ministries
            P.O. Box 377
            Bulverde, Texas 78163
            830.980.5606
            info@spiritofelijah.com
            http://www.spiritofelijah.com

12.08

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