WILMINGTON first assembly of God

It hardly seems possible, but there are only four days remaining in 2001! Where has this year gone?! Well, here is your last firstIMPRESSIONS for 2001!

=================================

IN THIS ISSUE

Article 1 - THE WONDERS OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY!

Article 2 - NEW YEAR’S EVE HALLELUJAH NIGHT!

Article 3 - GOD, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Article 4 - RECIPE FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR

=================================

THE WONDERS OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY!

As I write this, I am away on a short time of vacation at my in-laws home in Western Pennsylvania. I will be sending this email to you from their kitchen table, on my laptop computer which is connected to my cellular phone, which then links onto the internet! Amazing!

I thank God for all of the technology that He has allowed mankind to discover. At times, I have heard some individuals speak out against new kinds of technology. Perhaps out of fear, they express concern that all of these things are the tools of the enemy. Unfortunately, sometimes they are. But, like all resources and information at our disposal, it can be used for good or for bad.

A number of years ago, virtually no Christians had any copy of the Bible at all. Why? Because every copy of the Bible had to be painstakingly hand-written, copied from another hand-written Bible. So, in the mid 1400's, Johannes Gutenberg invented a new technology - the printing press. This device was invented as a direct result of the need to spread the word of God. Because of this, you most likely have not one, but many copies of the Bible in your possession now! You can read it anytime you want to. Praise the Lord!

On the very computer that I am writing this email in, I have not one, but over twenty copies of the entire Bible, written in just as many translations, including the original Hebrew and Greek. Along with that, I also have complete concordances, commentaries, lexicons, maps, and a host of other Biblical tools that are available to me in my preparation. Thank God for these things!

If you ever have any questions regarding the uses and blessings of these tools and technology, just let me know! I am no expert, but I am more than willing to help you use your computer effectively to the glory of God!

=================================

NEW YEAR’S EVE HALLELUJAH NIGHT!

This coming Monday evening, be sure to join us for a great time of food, fun, fellowship, and worship! The evening will begin with a dinner in the Fellowship Hall at 5:00 p.m. The church will supply the meat and the drinks. We ask each family to bring a dessert, salad, or vegetable dish to share.

Following dinner, we will move to the Sanctuary, where we will have a great evening of Praise and Worship! I will share a devotional word, and we will conclude the evening with a time of Communion. The entire evening should be complete by 9:00 p.m.

Don’t miss this great way to end the old year, and bring in the new!

=================================

GOD, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

January 6-11, 2002 has been designated as the National Week of Prayer for the Assemblies of God. During this time, we will be joining together with churches and participants from across the entire Fellowship, to bind together in a special effort of prayer for God's help.

We will meet each night of the week for prayer. On Sunday, January 6th, we will begin at 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday evenings, we will begin at 7:00.

Each evening we will open with a short time of worship. Then one of the pastors will bring a devotional mini-message, focusing on the prayer theme of the day. We will then go to prayer.

Here are the themes for each evening of prayer –

Sunday, January 6th – Acknowledge our total dependence on God…

“Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you”

(2 Chronicles 14:11, NIV).

Monday, January 7th – Pray for our leaders…

· for our President and government leaders who serve with him.

· for our pastors and staff members.

· for wisdom and protection for all our spiritual leaders and for God’s favor upon their lives and ministries.

Tuesday, January 8th – Pray for the lost…

· of our family members.

· people who attend our churches but have never received Christ.

· for friends and neighbors who are lost.

· for compassion—the Scripture says Jesus was moved with compassion as He looked upon the lost.

Wednesday, January 9th – Pray for workers for the harvest…

· This church worldwide desperately needs more pastors. This is an urgent request. We have been admonished by the Word to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth laborers.

· We need to pray for men and women to receive calls of God to full-time ministry.

· We want to pray for members of our congregation, children, youth and adults, to offer themselves for full-time ministry. We want to encourage them to wait upon God for a call from Him.

Thursday, January 10th – Pray for a spiritual awakening…

· for our nation.

· for the Church of Jesus Christ, that we confess our sins, repent and live holy lives.

· for awareness of the lateness of the hour and our Lord’s imminent return.

Friday, January 11th – Pray for a fresh sovereign move of the Holy Spirit…

· that will result in many receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

· that our preaching will be anointed.

· that our music would glorify Jesus Christ.

· that signs and wonders would follow the preaching of the Word (Mark 16:17).

When we agree together in prayer on anything, we have the assurance that Jesus, the Great Intercessor, works on our behalf before the Father (Romans 8:34). To promote unified prayer, the Assemblies of God has recommended these six daily themes for the Week of Prayer, January 6-11, 2002.

When we gather during this week to bind together in prayer, we will be focusing on these themes. In doing so, we are agreeing with thousands of other prayer warriors around the world.

Mark your calendars now, and plan to be there each evening.

=================================

RECIPE FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Take 12 fine, full-grown months.

See that these are thoroughly cleansed from all old memories of bitterness, rancor, hate, and jealousy.

Cut these months into 30 or 31 equal parts. (This batch will keep for one year. Do not attempt to make more than one batch at a time... many people spoil the entire lot in this way).

Prepare one day at a time as follows:

Into each day, put 12 parts of faith, 11 of patience, 10 of courage, nine of work (some people omit this ingredient and spoil the flavor of the rest), eight of hope, seven of fidelity, six of open-mindedness, five of kindness, four of rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad ... don't do it), three of prayer, two of meditation, and one of well-selected resolution.

Into each portion add a teaspoonful of good attitude, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor. Pour love liberally into the whole, and mix with fruit of the Spirit.

Cook thoroughly in a fervent heat. Garnish with a few smiles and a sprig of joy; then serve with quietness, unselfishness, and cheerfulness.

A Happy New Year is a certainty!

=================================

Thank you so much for inviting me into your home each week by way of these weekly firstIMPRESSIONS. I trust that they have been a blessing to you. It has been an exciting beginning for this ministry. In just four months, we have had nearly 130 people subscribe to receive firstIMPRESSIONS each week. Many folks have replied back to me, sharing with me just how much a certain article meant to them as they received it. Many of you also forward your copy to your friends. That is wonderful! Be sure to let them know that they can receive their own copy each week, too, at no cost. There is always a link at the bottom of each issue that will allow anyone to subscribe.

I thank God for each one of you. Many of you, I pastor now. Some of you, I have pastored before. Some of you are in the ministry, and have been a part of my ministry team in years gone by. Others are in missionary work, and this is a way to get some “news from back home.” There are some people who subscribe to firstIMPRESSIONS that I have never even met! You have found WILMINGTON first assembly of God’s web site, and have subscribed from there. We are now seeing increasing numbers of people who attend our church who found us through our web site! Just last week, two new families came to church after seeing our web site! Thank God.

I would love to hear from you. Your suggestions, words of encouragement, prayer requests, ideas, etc., are always welcome!

See you again next year with a brand new edition of firstIMPRESSIONS!

Yours for HIM,

Pastor Satryan

WILMINGTON first assembly of God

Visit Wilmington First Assembly online at:

www.wfa.org

Vote for us daily at www.ChristSites.com

To receive firstIMPRESSIONS automatically, send an email to:

TSatryan-subscribe@topica.com