BEHOLDING HIS GLORY 	
August  2003		                                                    Volume I  Number 12	
          ”But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. “ (2 Corinthians 3:18)

THOUGHTS FOR CONSIDERATION:
	Greeting again my Brethren. Many of God’s eternal purposes for our lives happen when we behold God’s glory.  This is one of God’s intentions for us looking at His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the expressed icon or image of God and His glory.  God, the Father, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to show us what He looks like.  How He acts, how He walks and talks, how He feels, how He touches, and how much He loves us.  How can we not love Jesus?  How can we not love a friend that sticks closer to us then a brother?  Who has laid His life down for us?  In John we read, “Greater love has no one then this than to lay down one’s life for his friend.”  (John 15:13)  And when we see the Son we will see the Father.  Do you know you can see, but not see?  “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”  (Matthew 13:13)  But, Jesus said WHEN you see Me you will see the Father.  In John chapter 17, (The real Lord’s prayer)  Jesus’ desire was for us (the Church) to be in unity with God as He (Jesus) was “one with the Father.”  (John 17:11)  The word “one” here means unity.  God and Jesus were in such great unity, when or what you see of the Son you will see that which is also in the Father.  This thought contains God’s great purpose for us to be transformed (Romans 8:29) into the image or icon of Jesus Christ and in doing so we become like God the Father.  He started this process back in   
Genesis by creating us in His image and 
today He has not changed His mind.  He is still in the process of creating and conforming us into His image.  Now please understand we can never become Christ when beholding His glory.  No my friend we become what we are beholding when we are looking, when we are focusing, when we are fixing our attention and gaze on Christ.  We become the character and nature of Christ that we can see or behold of Christ.  The word “see” is most often translated understand in the Bible.  So when we see God and His glory we  will have an understanding of God and His glory.  Sadly, many never become any thing like Christ because they never take the time to behold Him, thus they never understand God and His glory.  They may go to church, pay their tithes, and sing in the praise and worship team, but they become nothing like Him.  
Now it is easy to see who is beholding His glory, for out of our mouth speaks what we have beheld of God.  Jesus said, “out of our mouth speaks our heart.”  God’s glory changes our heart, God’s glory shuts our mouth.  God’s glory brings us to a place where we see and understand, “within us (that is within my flesh) dwells no good thing.”  Unless we allow Him to change our heart, by beholding His glory, we will think there dwells within us good things.  How can we be like Him if we do not have a heart like His?  Brethren let us fix our attention and focus our eyes on Jesus, and the cares of this world will fade away.  Let us behold His glory high and lifted up.  Let us walk in unity with the Father as Jesus walked with Him.  Let us answer Jesus’ prayer, that we may be one with Him.

ARTICLE REVIEW:

   The Resting in God
       
We just completed our move from Stuttgart, Germany to Jacksonville, NC and all along His way we discovered the great rest God had for us.  The only way I can explain it is by saying by the rest of God.  You know you cannot claim the “true” things of God, you must find them, you must discover them.  Sadly many today are taught we must ask, seek, knock, and claim the things of God, well Jesus taught different.  The word claim is not even in the KJV of the Bible.  In Matthew 7:7, Jesus was giving us a warning with regards to our desires, appetites, and wants not laying down a formula or spiritual principle to get what we want from God. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek; and you will find; knock; and it will be opened to you.”  (Matthew 7:7)  Please notice it does not say, “ask  . . . seek  . . . knock   . . . “ of your Heavenly Father.  In God we cannot ask whatsoever we want and He will give it to us.  God does not work that way, God has conditions we first must meet.  Jesus was teaching us to be careful in our asking, seeking, and knocking.  If you ask for something you will get something.  Now that something may not be the thing God has for you.  Also, we must be careful with what we ask for, because God may just give it to us.  In God there are consequences for our actions, thus God has specific expectations for us in the things He gives us.  If you seek you will find.  Man’s nature is to seek and another part of that nature is finding.  If we seek something we will find something.  Seeking and finding is apart of us.  Now we may not find the thing God has for us, but we will find something.  Knocking is the same, if we knock a door will open and there are many doors we can knock on even in God.  We must be careful with our asking, seeking, and knocking in God.  Now please know I do believe God will give us His things if we ask according to His will.  However, the end result of asking, seeking, and knocking amiss most often yields frustration, anger, strife, and most often a great misapplication of God’s truth in promised rest.  God knows what we need, He is God.  He does know everything.   He really does know how to give His children good things.  And, He does not need to be daily reminded or nagged.               
But how do we find the things God has for us?  How do we find the rest of God?  Our asking, seeking, and knocking does not work, after all aren’t they God’s things?  And doesn’t He give them to us?  Yes, to only those who are able to handle them?  He will not give us His things no matter how hard we pray, fast, kick, sing, or shout. We receive God’s things when we can demonstrate through our life experiences we have the ability in Him to function correctly in what we have already learned.  We will receive the “tongue of the learned” (Isaiah 50:4) when we have learned to keep our mouth shut.  We discover them like little treasure boxes in the sand.  In Matthew Jesus shares these words, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find (discover) rest for your soul.”  (Matthew 11:29)  Remember, we take on the Lord’s yoke to learn of Him, not to work for Him.  We are to learn how gentle and lowly Jesus is.  Many Believers never enter into the rest God has for them because they are not gentle.  I believe gentleness, especially in men, is the great quality of God lacking in the church today. 
Now the word “find” in the Greek is translated most often as “discover.”  Now remember truth is progressive, God can give (Matthew 11:28) and we can discover (Matthew 11:29) at the same time.  It is like me telling you I am going to give you $10,000.  Wouldn’t you like for me to give you $10,000?  Okay here it is.  It is right over there in that big field now go find or discover it.  God works the same way with us.  He says do you want me to give you My mercy, holiness, grace, righteousness, and rest?  Okay, they all are over there in that big field of life filled with persecution, tribulation, bad situations and circumstances, and My dealings and judgments now go and find them.  They all are right over there, go and discover them.  Surprisingly the rest of God comes to us often after His dealings and judgments in our lives.  This is a divine spiritual principle, rest comes after troubles.  “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.”  (Psalm 30:5)   No weeping no troubles no joy no rest.  No one has ever discovered anything of God that did not pay a great price.  Jesus paid with His life and is the servant greater then the Master?    
As we were settling into the hotel, we in stayed for three weeks, while looking for our home we discovered the rest God had for us was coming out from moving correctly in whatever God was bringing to us at this time in our lives.  There was no need to ask God to give us a home now.  The hotel was fine it had a pool and even allowed pets.  There was no need seeking God for His will between houses or the correct areas for us to live in.  We knew He has a plan and purpose for us.   Nor was there a need knocking on heaven’s doors to see if God would open one for us.  He had a specific door in mind and it was our job to walk in His way and discover it.  Every day we did our part.  Every morning we scourged the paper and talked with Kathy Slaughter (our realtor) and in the afternoon she showed us houses.  Kathy was just unbelievable she was God’s provision to us.   But, we just rested in knowing it was God’s will for us to move to Jacksonville. There was no need for asking, seeking, or knocking.  There was no need to get involved with all of the pain, confusion, and frustration associated with not knowing and having to choose.  The great rest God had for us came from just moving in what God was bringing into our lives at that time.         
Often times when we are not at rest there abounds in our spirit and thoughts a great unrest.  And, when we are in unrest we will be unable to hear from God.  At the heart of unrest is a subtle, but profound ungratefulness to not being content with what God is doing in our lives.  Pastors, churches, and ministries who run down other pastors, churches, and ministries do this because they are not grateful to God for what He has given them.  When we are truly grateful to God we will have nothing to say about others. 
When we discovered our home, we just knew it.  Matter of fact Kathy told the owners we were going to get it before we even saw the home.  We walked in I looked at Karen and we smiled at each other.  I was like a kid in a candy store.  “Oh, taste and see the Lord is good”  (Psalm 34:8) for those who wait on and rest in Him. 
Brethren let us discover the rest of God for our lives.  Let us learn to move correctly in whatever God is bringing into our lives.  No matter the situation and condition we find ourselves, we are to be grateful to God.  Let us not desire the asking, seeking, knocking, nagging walk with God, but allow Him to be God to us.  We do not need to have our way.  He does know what we need, He does love us.  Let us develop a trust in Him that we will be content with whatever He brings into our lives and we will love Him enough to be satisfied with His choices.  Let us learn resting in God comes from moving in whatever He is bringing into our lives.  Written by David Stahl          

CURRENT NEWS:

        We are getting established in the  wonderful community of Jacksonville, NC.  God has been so gracious and faithful to us during our transition.  We have meet and have been helped by many people during these challenging two months.   One of the greatest gifts God can give us is family and friends.  If we can keep these two gifts of God we can face almost anything in our life.  Our family has been unbelievable in the giving of themselves to us.  All along our way from Stuttgart, Germany, to Fayetteville, NC, to Pittsburgh, PA, to Dunellen, NJ, to Allentown, PA, back to Dunellen, back to Fayetteville, and then on to Jacksonville.  Once in Jacksonville God provided for our need through Kathy Slaughter (our realtor), John and Linda Stroud, and Don and Jean Laughner.  How precious are the saints that bring good news.  How they have blessed us from their storehouses.   All along His way God has given us favour and opportunity.  What else could we ask of Him?  How can we not love Him?
       Karen, “my sweetheart” Connie and Joshua did outstanding.  They went from a high school of 350 to a high school of 1750, truly a huge change in their lives.   How truly blessed I am to have the very best wife and children in the whole wide world.  They too send their love.  
       At the present God is settling me  some what as He sharply focuses my attention before I head back out to the nations.  His clarion call to me is still clear and loud.  His desire toward me and international ministry is still, “deep calleth unto deep.”   My need is to be still and quiet so that I will be able to  function correctly in what He is bringing into our lives.  While I tarry God has had me do much more writing.  Two books that I have written I feel God now wants me to get them out.  For this to happen I will need your help.  Pastor Niki in Silistra, Bulgaria has committed to printing them for $600 each.  What I need is your finically support to help cover  the cost.  More to come on these books.

FUTURE SCHEDULE:

	August: Bukoba and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania with Pastors Israel, Swai, Andrew, and others 
          	September:  Pastor Julian Wilson,  Madras, India  (tentative)
           October:  Open
           November:  Pastor Nicu, Suceava, Romania (confirmed) AND Pastor Yanko, Silistra, Bulgaria.  (tentative)  
           December:  Open

If God moves on your heart to bless  the ministries I visit and share God’s love with them I would be honored to make it possible for God and you.  

NEEDS NOT WANTS:

       1.  Items for the printing service and in Silistra, Bulgaria is still before us.  
       2.  In Constanta, Romania Ciprian Bozdog, head teacher, at the Lighthouse Church’s  Bible School has started printing Christian books.     
       3. Bill and Charlene Pepper in Alaska still needs support to continue ministry efforts  in Peru, China,  Mongolia, and many more countries.  
      4.  My special friend Pastor Joseph Mutua in Nairobi, Kenya needs your prayer and financial support.
       5.  Pastor Mike Olufemi in the north of Nigeria.  He needs your prayers and support to be a light in great darkness.  
       6.  Financial support for the printing of: “God Still Performs Miracles Today:  A Book of Person Encouragement” and “Wandering in the Wilderness:  The Call to Ministry.”    
 
God told Abram,  “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” (Genesis 12:3)  If you want a blessing, then bless someone.  Remember God is to you what you are to God.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Address:  
141 Coke Place
Jacksonville, NC  28546

Phone: 
Home:    (901) 346-1739
Mobile:  (910) 273-5712
FAX:     (910) 346-1739

Email:

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