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Christian Concourse Newsletter of the Month July 2008 Dear Brothers and Sisters, We trust this letter finds each of you faring well in this summer weather. The heat serves to remind us how fragile our physical existence on this planet is, for there are massive atmospheric structures over and around us that keep us from boiling into oblivion in very short order. At the same time there are laws of physics at work deep in the center of the Earth that keep us from being propelled off the surface of the planet into the lifeless void of empty space. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork..” Psalm 19:1 Isn’t it good to know that our Blessed Father in Heaven is in control. He did not just wind the clock up in creation and walk off to leave us to our own devices! And as He manages the skies, in the same instant, He is intimately involved in every breath we take – sustaining the exchange of gases in our lungs, the pumping of oxygen-rich blood throughout our flesh and the osmosis of the wastes and nutrients through the walls of every living cell in our bodies. Indeed, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Ps 139:14 Now, you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with a monthly newsletter from Christian Concourse? Let me say here, as we have mentioned many times in previous letters, that the purpose of Christian Concourse is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to promote unity in the body of Christ. The One who sustains the order of the universe has committed His most precious possession to restore order and life to His relationship with the human race, the sin-stained crown of His creation. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 What a glorious thought…that the Almighty has determined to provide a way to give us eternal life in exchange for this mortal existence we have doomed ourselves to live apart from Him. And, we need to really come to grips with the fact that the gift of salvation He has poured out on us results in our birth into another “body” – the Body of Christ! “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.” 1Co 12:12 As Christians indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we no longer live unto ourselves. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” 1 Cor 12: 13 With all the attention God gives to maintain our individual physical bodies, how much more do you think He is interested in the harmonious operation of His Son’s body? “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” 1 Cor 12:27 The message of Salvation cannot be segregated from the unity of the Body of Christ and we, as His Children, have the inherent responsibility to pursue it on every level with every believer. God will accept nothing else but simple, child-like faith in Jesus for our salvation. And, He will settle for nothing else but Holy Spirit-generated, loving unity in His Body. If there is something less than unity of the Body of Christ that would suit Him just as well, what would it be? Sharing these two fundamental pillars of the Good News of God is our charge. All that we do, every task we undertake, each emphasis of our ministry ultimately rests on these two truths. We thank you for your encouragement to us as we seek to be faithful to His call. May He richly bless you for it. Love in Christ, Jerry and Dar Johnson |