Welcome! What a pleasure it is to be in touch with you again. The FMI Report always documents the previous month's activities. We would like to thank all of you who have been forwarding these messages to your friends and family. 

In This Month's Report:
* Editorial - "The Serpent's Promises"
* July Events - Traditional Marriage Renewal Day Praise Report
* July Ministry - our ministry activities over the last month
* Tips and Resources - One Hundred Prophecies
* Products - order "Being Human" (see link below)
* Partnership - invest in God's program for the Northeast of America

We would love to hear from you, so send us your feedback today. Don’t forget the ever-popular 'GOD THOUGHTS' at the end of this report. Enjoy! JB

"Those who are quick to promise are generally slow to perform. They promise mountains and perform molehills. He who gives you fair words and nothing more feeds you with an empty spoon. People don't think much of a man's piety when his promises are like pie-crust: made to be broken." - Charles Spurgeon

INTRODUCTION

Historians like to give names to various eras such as the Age of Faith or the Age of Reason. This present time can only be called the Age of Empty Promises. From politicians pledging all and delivering little to TV ads telling gullible young men they will get the girl if they wear that certain cologne, seldom are we satisfied. Expectations are hyped up but not often realized.

SO WHAT'S NEW?   

As the book of Ecclesiastes says, there's nothing new under the sun. Back in Genesis 3:4-5, God warns Eve that death would come by touching one particular tree in the middle of the garden. The serpent contradicts God's warnings by saying, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

BAIT AND SWITCH!

The knowledge of good and evil separates us from the rest of the animal world. Animals only know instinct and impulse. But the devil, knowing full well that eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would result in death, tried to convince Eve otherwise. He deceived her into thinking that such knowledge would grant immortality. However, a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous! Humanity paid a heavy price for this self-awareness. Death invaded creation and upset God's intentions! 

NIGHT AND DAY

Knowing good and evil awakens us to morality and immortality, something that animal innocence cannot comprehend. We could say that good and evil are the day and night of the spiritual realm. If fish exist in the element of water and we correspondingly move in air, then the element of the spiritual realm is morality. This is the 'air' that spirits breathe. Satan has always tried his best to reverse God's order in the natural and the spiritual realms. In the land of the living, day is now being called night and night is being called day.

Dr. Earl H. Tilford comments, "From Hitler’s vision for a Thousand Year Reich and Lenin’s promise to use the dictatorship of the proletariat to build a workers' paradise, to abortion depicted as a 'women’s health issue' and homosexual behavior justified as an 'alternative lifestyle,' evil always comes to humanity disguised as good. The results are just as invariably consistent - destruction, suffering and death. Beware the Serpent’s promises."

THE DEVIL'S DEATH WISH

The serpent has always promised everything and delivered nothing. Even Jesus, in a weakened state after a 40 day fast, understood that the devil had no intention of keeping his word after tempting Him with all that this world had to offer. He wanted Jesus to worship him so that God's plan of redemption would be negated and, as such, we would be still be 'dead' in our sins! Just as he lied to Eve, he secretly wants us all to die before we can take advantage of God's second chance. We ate the 'forbidden fruit' and we died. So God gave us another chance by making it possible to be 'born again.'

THE LORD'S LIFE WISH

God's plan is always life through multiplication. A million homosexual acts will not result in one offspring. What is being presented as 'life' today is really a culture of death. Each one of us is called to stand in the face of any opposition against God's plan and for righteousness. Why should we continue to be swayed by the serpent's false promises when we can put our full and absolute trust in God's word that He has conquered death and grants eternal life to all who would believe in Him.

"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." (1 John 3:8) #

Traditional Marriage Renewal Day Praise Report
This report is from Dr. Joseph Mattera, the founder of City Covenant Coalition, coordinators of this event:

The first ever Traditional Marriage Renewal Sunday Rally at New York City Hall was a tremendous success! One pastor said that we are living in a new day for the church in our region.

As I said at both the press conference and at the rally, 'We are calling for the church to come out of the prayer closet and begin to engage the culture as salt and light.'

Up until recently, we have merely been having conversations with ourselves, preaching to the choir and venting our frustrations within the context our own Christian communities. But since last March, we have represented mainstream America and publicly challenged the radical left for their move towards the legalization of same sex marriage.

Following up on the 'Defense of Marriage Clergy Press Conference' last March 29th, with the support of 250-300 key clergy on the steps of NY City Hall, we declared Sunday, July 25,2004 to be the first 'Traditional Marriage Renewal Sunday.' There were an estimated 2,000-2,500 people present at City Hall Park, including 200-250 pastors. We more than met our goal of having 1000 couples and 100+ clergy to stand with us. These were good numbers considering we held this in the middle of the summer with many away on vacation.

The purpose of this event was:
1. To raise the standard of marriage in our churches.
2. To publicly oppose same-sex marriage and endorse traditional marriage.
3. To call public officials to account for their move toward legalizing same-sex marriages.
4. To continue to unite and encourage the Body of Christ to walk in its destiny for such a time as this.
5. To announce the creation of a new political action committee made up of key bishops, clergy and market place leaders.

By God’s grace we more than met our goals!

Christian leaders and congregants were greatly encouraged, renewed their vows, and promised to begin to engage the culture with a message of righteousness. Perhaps the broadest coalition of multi-ethnic, multi-denominational clergy and churches came together, including CONLICO, COGIC, City Covenant Coalition, New Jersey Faith Alliance, numerous Chinese pastors who came with about 600 people and even four orthodox rabbis.

Both the rally and the press conference were covered extensively by the media. TV news stations NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, CH 9, NY1 and others showed footage of the event on the Sunday evening news. Radio news included WCBS, 1010 WINS, Radio Vision Christiana and WMCA/WWDJ. Special thanks to the Kevin McCullough Show for partnering with City Covenant Coalition for this event.

Newspaper coverage included NY Daily News, New York Newsday, the NY Post, the NY Sun, Washington Times, possibly the NY Times, Gay City News, plus numerous other papers that may report on the event including but not limited to all the Brooklyn papers and Christian papers, The Tristate Voice and The Love Express. There were other media outlets represented that we don’t know about, including those who write online.
 

The event was also announced by Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, The Conservative Party, Firepower Ministries International, the NJ Faith Alliance, CONLICO, COGIC, Pastor Donnie McClurkin, KISS FM, Concerts of Prayer Greater New York, Andy Puleo of the Navigators and in numerous pastor's groups. Special thanks to Mr. Bill Tingling, Rev. Hermes Callibillos, Sam Mikhail, Kevin McCullough, Jason Mattera, Lisa Levy, Michael Faulkner and others who helped us alert the media.

Thanks to all of you for your support and prayer. This was just one battle; we still have to win the war!

Blessings

Pastor Joseph Mattera, in conjunction with Pastor Jeff Beacham, Pastor Bob Johannson, Pastor Michael Faulkner, Sam Mikhail, Pastors Mario and Leigh Gonzalez, Pastor Gary Hartley, Rev. Dr. Jerry West, Bishop Hector Bonano, Bishop Ron Bailey and Pastor Victor Nazario.

Footnote: I am currently working with several organizations in New Jersey to organize the 'Defense of Marriage Statewide Clergy Press Conference' on the steps of the Capitol in Trenton, October 4, 2004.

All NJ Clergy are exhorted to save this date and join us that day for a show of unity on this fundamental issue.

There will be a Prayer Breakfast that morning in Trenton in preparation for the Press Conference. More information will follow soon!