December 2021 Partner Letter

Dear Partner,

It’s finally here—CHRISTMAS! My mother dearly loved Christmas, and so did I. I still do. She would always see to it that the tree was up and decorated before my birthday, which is Dec. 6. She thought that was great, but it was torture for me. Nineteen days to wait! Actually, it was all absolutely wonderful!

What does the word Christmas mean? Christ, “the Anointed One and His Anointing,” and mas, meaning “celebration.” For people like us who live and walk by faith, it’s especially important because it sets the tone for the coming year.

2022, I like the sound of that! The truth is, we walk in Love no matter what. After all, that is the New Commandment of the New Covenant.

Always remember this: Our God is a covenant-making, covenant-keeping God. In John 13:34-35, during the covenant meal that changed heaven and earth, these precious words fell from the lips of the Master:

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Then the Apostle Peter, with those words in his heart, wrote to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. He told them that they were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold but with THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST!

Let’s read 1 Peter 1:21-23:

Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by The WORD of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Since we don’t use the word unfeigned today, let’s look at these same verses from the New Living Translation:

Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.
For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living WORD of God.

Now that describes the true meaning of Christmas: THE GIFT TO THE WORLD, JESUS of NAZARETH is His Name. Through Him, Peter said, we have come to trust in God. And, we have been born again, “not to a life that will quickly end,” but will last forever! Why? Because it comes from the ETERNAL, LIVING WORD, OR BOND [COVENANT], OF OUR GOD!

Now look at verses 24-25. Wow! Our lives are forever because our covenant is an everlasting covenant with our forever Father who is Love, and with His forever SON, who is forever our Lord. No wonder it’s the good news! You know the Greek word euaggelion actually means: “a reward for good tidings; good tidings.” Anyone can see from that Greek word we get the word evangelist, “a bringer of GOOD tidings, or good news,” from the One who is ABSOLUTE GOOD, and from His Son who went about doing GOOD and healing ALL who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38) who was, and is, absolute BAD!

What, now, is the bottom line? Faith which works by Love (Galatians 5:6).

And then Romans 5:5 says:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Who is given to us? God Himself. He’s the Gift to the Church. Jesus said, “It is the Father within me, he does the work” (John 14:10)! Faith is ALWAYS the bottom line of everything for us because without faith it’s impossible to please Him. Why is that? Our faith is the connector to THE BLESSING.

Throughout the coming year, do your best to be like Abraham who, like God, called things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). That’s the centerpiece of living by faith and giving glory to God.

The Spirit of God, through the Apostle Paul, wrote Romans 4:16-21. My, my, what a wonderful gift to the believer: GRACE, unmerited favor!

How could Abraham be fully persuaded? BECAUSE HE HAD A COVENANT OF BLOOD WITH THE ALMIGHTY GOD.

Look at this from Genesis 17:4-5:

As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

ABRA-H-AM, the covenant name change. God put His Name, HASHEM, right in the middle of Abraham’s name, which before this blood covenant in Abra-H-am’s blood, he had been protected only by the blood of animals. The book of Hebrews explains all of this. Let’s look again at that all-important phrase in Romans 4:17. God calls things that be not as though they were:

As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition).

Glory to God! Now we can see why, like Abraham and like God, we speak of the nonexistent things He has foretold and promised [in our covenant] AS IF THEY ALREADY EXISTED! And what is faith? Hebrews 11:1 in the AMPC is so very clear:

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

“Faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.” THE TITLE DEED, Partner, for whatever you want or need from God all year is found in your covenant promises or facts: Isaiah 53:4-5—the promise; 1 Peter 2:24—the fact! DONE! It’s yours. Philippians 4:19—the promise and fact. ALL YOUR NEEDS! By your own ability? No, but according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul was writing to his partners. Philippians 1:5 (AMPC) is really clear in the New Living Translation:

for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.

PARTNERS! COVENANT PARTNERS! 2022 is truly a banner year for whosoever—Mark 11:23-25 and 1 John 5:1-5 (NLT). Now verses 4-5 (AMPC):

For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.
Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]?

There you have it. The victory over 2022, in the Name of Jesus!

We love you all very much and pray for you every day. I have breakfast, lunch and dinner with you every day of my life! All of this ministry loves you, and:

Jesus is LORD!

BE BLESSED