In This Month's Report:
* Editorial - A Conscription of Conviction
* January Events - NE Based City Action Coalition Goes National
* January Ministry - Impacting the Northeast
* Tips and Resources - The God Driven Church
* Products - Two Great Resources (see link below)
* Partnership - Invest in God's Program for the Northeast of America

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

INTRODUCTION

Recently, I was asked to bring a tribute to Rose Porta at her memorial service (see below). I told those gathered that I could never remember a time when Rose did not have a broad smile on her face. Others went on to say that even at the time of her greatest physical struggle, a few days before she went to be with the Lord, she still was able to give off that great big smile. What is it that enables a person to have such obvious joy, even when walking through the valley of the shadow of death? Rose's joy was not something that came from herself. She had an inner joy that came from knowing where the center of God's will was for her life, and she always made every effort to stay within it.

THE PRESS GANG

Long ago, when Rose first met the Lord, I'm sure she must have had an experience similar to the one that I had when I met Him. Once I began my personal relationship with the Lord, I didn't have to be forced, cajoled, manipulated, or obligated into His service. I was certainly not forcibly conscripted like some drunken sailor who wakes up the next day on a ship out at sea, having become a victim of a press gang!

I became a conscript of the Spirit into the army of God - not by force or compunction, but by a conscription of conviction! The revelation of salvation made me deeply aware that I was no longer my own. I had, in fact, been bought with a price. Someone had paid the ultimate price in order for me to receive the gift of eternal freedom. The very least I could do was to use whatever I had left of my life in gratitude and service to that One who had made it all possible.

'FOLLOW ME'

In Mark 1:14-20, Jesus announces the coming Kingdom and then calls out some of those He knew from before time would work with Him, "...'The time has come! God's kingdom will soon be here. Turn back to God and believe the good news!' As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen and were casting their nets into the lake. Jesus said to them, 'Come with Me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish.' Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him. Jesus walked on and soon saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat, mending their nets. At once Jesus asked them to come with Him. They left their father in the boat with the hired workers and went with Him." Right at the point of calling, without hesitation, the two sets of brothers dropped everything associated with their livelihood and families and 'followed' Jesus. From that point on, with the exception of one period of disillusionment, they all followed unto death.

JUST HUMAN

The fact that even the Apostles lost their way at one point should be an encouragement to us if we wander off the right path, as long as we, like them, find our way back! The reality of a risen Lord was what brought them back to a path that they never left again. Only madmen die for an illusion. Those who have seen and believe in the risen Lord have no fear of death and will commit to a life of service, looking forward to a reward that will never perish.

THINKING LIKE GREEKS, ACTING LIKE ROMANS

I trust that your religious experience is not one of obligation or conscription without conviction. Does He have to compete with every other aspect of your busy life, or is He right in the center? We, in the West, have to combat our Greco/Roman culture; we think like Greeks and act like Romans. Greek thinking breaks composites into compartments, and Romans are all about doing! That's why our lives are not holistic and our relationships are task oriented. The pure Christian world view never tolerates God in a box! He is at the center of everything, not because He wants to be - He just is! The sooner we understand this and conform our minds to the mind of Christ, the sooner the Kingdom will come! #
 

Rose Porta, 1952 - 2006

I met Jack and Rose Porta soon after arriving here in America seven years ago. We worked together on the Awake America Crusade at the Meadowlands in June of 1999. We became good friends and collaborated on several projects after that. Jack and Rose founded Mighty Warrior Ministries in Wayne, New Jersey, where they have been a part of Calvary Temple for many years. Rose went to be with the Lord on Thursday, January 26th after a battle against cancer. She was 53 and will be greatly missed. Please pray for Jack as he comes to terms with this loss, and that the Body of Christ will step up to the plate and fill the vacuum left by Rose's departure.

NJ FAITH Alliance Second Annual Conference Addresses Prayer, Church Government, Church Growth, and Transformation - On January 20th, NJ FAITH Alliance hosted its second annual conference in Toms River, NJ. A diverse group of spiritual leaders from around the state took part in panels that addressed some of the most crucial issues facing the church today! Jose Tabares, senior pastor of Centro Cristiano Palabra de Vida, Cranford, NJ said, "Our church growth depends on prayer…. Prayer is the lubrication that will cause your church to take off. Your metron increases when you have a church that is connected to God with prayer…. mutual support through prayer. Intercession is core to the Great Commission… Doers will burn out, but lovers will be propelled by passion and will out do doers."

NJFA Founder, Pastor Walt Healy said, "No form of government works 100%. God's government is always through a plurality of elders (mature ones).... Good government is theocratic, not man-centered. The measure of one's authority should be the same as one's accountability." Ken Jasko, senior pastor of Monmouth Worship Center said, "Government should work around function and it provides true accountability for those who are in authority and for churches." Bryan Attinson, senior pastor of Christ Church, Howell, NJ, said, "The primary purpose of church government is to provide purpose and stability. There needs to be accountability where we can let our guard down and allow people to speak into our lives. Team leadership is the five-fold model in a local church government. The senior leader has to be the visionary…."

Founder of Metro Ministry Network Frank Dupree said, "Finney's methods won't work today… We have to tailor the old things to today…. Transformation is societal change. Society cannot change until the church changes. Jesus' focus was on changing people, who then will change the culture." Mario Gonzalez, senior pastor of The Hope Center, Jersey City, NJ said, "... we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We must change the way we think. Jesus said, "Follow me." - you see and you follow! This generation is tired of hearing Jesus - they want to see Him. When the roads have been destroyed, the only way to get to where you want to go is to become a compass generation."

NE Based City Action Coalition Goes National - Clergy-led public policy advocacy has been the basis of CAC'c success in the Tri-State area. The recent success of the organization's appeal to the New York Appellate Division in the effort to uphold traditional marriage in New York City testifies to this. Consequently, in consultation with several national leaders, CAC founder, Joseph Mattera,  recently decided to form a new extension of CAC called American Action Coalition. This new organization had its launch at Rock City Church, Baltimore, MD. The plan is to have a state action coalition in every state within the next few years.