November, 1997

Dear Fellow Traveler,

God bless your priceless life in the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Our hearts of love go out to you with the words you are reading in this letter. We cannot thank God enough for the privilege of standing with you for Him and our Lord.

Not only does Scripture exhort us to stand, it also exhorts us to walk, and even to run. This indicates that our life in Christ is a continuous journey. "Onward and upward" is a phrase some people use to mean, "Let's go." We believe this accurately depicts the daily destination upon which each Christian should focus, that is, more commitment, more personal holiness, more dying to self and greater intimacy with our Lord Jesus.

True faith recognizes that God's truth supersedes worldly facts. How do we get there? The Word says that the only way is to "walk by faith, not by sight." What is "faith?" Oswald Chambers says, "Faith is not a pathetic sentiment, but robust, vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love." "Robust, vigorous confidence" can be capsulized in one word: trust . If you insult any leprechaun, or consult any lexicon, you will discover that "faith" is the proper biblical definition of the Greek word pistis , and that it simply means "trust." By definition, trust requires an object. GOD is to be the object of our faith. God is the object, but you cannot really trust someone unless he expresses himself in words, words that arrange themselves in the form of a promise . Think about it: the better we know God's character, that is, His willingness to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think, and the more we know His ability, the more we trust Him and obey Him. When we obey Him, He never fails to prove Himself to us.

Focus for a moment on how much God loves you , at least as much as you can comprehend it. Remember that your comprehension represents only a small part of how much the heart of the Creator, who is also your Father , burns with love for you. Now think about someone you love very much. Don't you want to reach out to him and give of your life to him? Suppose he chose to prohibit you from doing so by not believing your promises? You : "I'll pick you up on Saturday night at 7 p.m. and buy you a steak dinner." He/she : "I don't believe you will, I'm going bowling." Would you be pleased? No, because your desire to give to the other would be thwarted.

That's exactly what Hebrews 11:6 is talking about when it says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Notice the reciprocal relationship between you and God that is set forth in that great verse. Because we are free-will beings, God had to require something on our part in our relationship with Him. Faith  is the simplest thing God could require from free-will beings. There is no real merit on the part of those who have faith, because that faith points them to Another, the One whose promises they choose to believe. The merit is then on the part of Him who keeps His promises, the One who is the Rewarder.

Here are some questions worth asking yourself: How do you know  God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him? How do you know God loves you? If you are answering, "His Word says so," you are certainly right, but how do you know His Word is true? You only know if He keeps His Word  when you act according to what He has promised (John 7:17).

The way we know God loves us is because He keeps His promises to us . Our God, the only true God, is a God of promise. In Genesis 3:15, He promised us a Savior. John 3:16 tells us that He kept His promise. In Psalm 2:7, God promised that He would raise the Messiah from the dead. In the following verses, Paul confirms that God kept His Word:

Acts 13:32,33 (NIV  )

After His resurrection, Jesus promised that He would send the gift of holy spirit (Luke 24:49). Acts 2:1ff confirms that He kept His word. So does the fact that you  can speak in tongues. That is your indisputable proof that He will keep His promise of one day gathering us together to be with Him forever. In the meantime, the quality of your Christian life, no matter how mature you become, is directly proportional to your trust in the words of God and the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:2) .

Here's another question: When has God ever failed you? This is something we should each keep in mind when we come to the next crossroads of Promise and Circumstance. God's heart yearns to prove Himself to us over and over so that our faith in Him grows. However, He cannot prove Himself to us if we do not "step out of the boat" when He asks us to do so. Had Peter not obeyed Jesus' simple command ("Come."), God could not have made the water firm beneath His feet (Matthew 14: 29).

Have you ever looked up the definition of "promise?" If you do, you'll find something like this: "A promise is a declaration, either written or verbal, that binds the promiser to another, the one he promises. A promise gives the other the right to expect and to claim what has been declared to him." In the midst of turbulent, life-threatening circumstances, Paul's statement in Acts 27:25 stands out as a classic definition of faith: "I believe God that it will be exactly as He has told [promised] me."

God's Word calls Abraham "the father of all those who have faith." Why? The following verses tell us (unfortunately, by adding the word "not" in Romans 4:19, the King James Version  contradicts the great truth therein). Here is the NIV   translation:

Romans 4:18-21

We see that true faith does not bury its head in the sand and refuse to consider or mention anything that is "negative." True faith not only considers negative circumstances, it allows the seeming hopelessness of such circumstances to drive it to the promises of God. True faith recognizes that God's truth supersedes worldly facts. The idea of being "fully" persuaded indicates a progression to get to that point. Scripture is very clear that faith grows  (II Corinthians 10:15; I Thessalonians 3:10). How does faith grow? It grows as we learn what God's promises are, hold them in mind and act upon them until our obedience becomes "second nature" to us.

Let us remember the above definition of "promise." A key word in that definition is the word "other." The more we grow in our faith in God's promises, the more "faith-full" we are to keep our own promises to others. The idea of promise points out the action  model of love. Perhaps you have heard the expression, "Words are cheap." What gives value  to a promise is the performance of that which was promised. As Christians, we are to be imitators of our heavenly Father. Think about the relationships in your life. Who is on the other end of your promises? How faithful are you to keep your word? What happens in a relationship when promises are kept? What happens when they are broken?

Do you look at your promises as "constraints" or "restraints?" What's the difference? A restraint is something that holds you back, while a constraint is something that keeps you going in the right direction. The difference can be illustrated by thinking about a racehorse. In the starting gate, his energy is restrained. When the gate opens, he is constrained by the fence on either side of the track, and his energy is efficiently channeled toward the finish line. The "energy" in you is holy spirit, God's dynamite (dunamis ). As you grow in your trust of God, and as you evidence that trust by making and keeping godly promises to others, the potential of your life is maximized and you make an impact on those around you.

The reason you can do this is because God kept His Number One Promise, the promise of a Savior. Let your heart revel in the following verses:

II Corinthians 1:20-22

Jesus Christ is The  Promise. It is He who desires to take your hand and lead you along the path of faith. He knows the way, because it is He who blazed that trail to God's heart. He is the way, and as you walk in Him, His life is manifest within your own. Praise God!

On November 20, John Lynn and Jon Zoffka (from Scottsdale, AZ) leave for the Philippines, returning December 6. They will be teaching two seminars with about 100 leaders at each one, and then having a three-day meeting of about 40 key leaders. Please  pray fervently for them and all these believers during this time. Also, we still need your financial help for this trip. As this letter goes to the printer, we still need about $12,000 to pay the expenses of this trip (meeting room rental, participants' room and board, transportation, etc.). If you would like to help us, please do so by November 19 if at all possible. And as you may know, John Lynn and Mark Graeser are planning to leave December 31 for South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia. The estimated budget for this trip is about $25,000, which we trust God will bring in on time by touching one or more of His people.

Thank you for giving us the privilege to share our hearts with you, and thank you for standing with us. We love you, love you, love you.

Racing beside you on the track,

Last May, John Lynn and John Schoenheit were interviewed by Harry Green, president of Advocate Media Group, the organization promoting the CES  book Don't Blame God!  and other CES  materials. This 30-minute program was aired on the Inspiration Network (INSP) October 9 and is now available to anyone to take to any television station that you can get it on. The interview focuses on the Don't Blame God!  book, and it is very powerful. Interspersed throughout are advertisements for the book with an 800 number that people can call to order it. We believe this can be a powerful tool for outreach if enough people will do some legwork in contacting television stations. You can purchase your own copy of the show for only $10 by calling 1-800-TODAY-1, but if you have access to a television station that is interested in seeing it, and you don't want to buy a copy, let us know and we can loan you a copy to use.

The November/December 1997 CES  Bi-monthly tape is titled Defeating The Enemy Within . This teaching could be a catalyst for great spiritual growth in your life. It shows from Scripture why each Christian must seek the Lord to show him whenever and however he deviates from the character of Christ. Getting in touch with "the sin that dwells in us" is an indispensable key to recognizing our desperate need for our Savior from sin, Jesus Christ, and pressing into intimacy with Him.

If you are not a subscriber to this year's tapes, you can still receive all six of them for $25. If you are  a subscriber, this is your last tape . Please remember to renew your subscription for 1998 by sending $25 to CES  today.

This month's "Oldie But Goodie" Bi-monthly tape is Crazy About God . If you do not have it it is $4.00. Here is a description of it:

This teaching addresses the fundamental motivation in a Christian's life 3/4 his love for God. It shows that one's love for God is the key to obeying Him, intimately knowing Him and His Son Jesus Christ and maximizing one's spiritual potential. It then discusses how to grow (not "fall") in love with God and Jesus Christ. A pivotal point made in this teaching is that your love for God is directly proportional to your understanding of God's love for you. Another is that in order to know and love God, one must first know and love Jesus Christ, who alone makes known His Father. The teaching shows that one's relationship with Jesus Christ is the key to his relationship with others in the Body of Christ. It also encourages you to develop "iron-sharpening-iron" relationships with other Christians, your brethren in Christ, in order to fully develop your spiritual potential in serving the Lord.

In our December newsletter, we will give you the dates of all the events that we have planned so far for 1998. In that letter will also be more details about the 1998 Spring Fellowship. Actually, it will be winter for some people, but in Ontario, CA it will be spring-like. We will get together on the weekend of February 27-March 1 at the Ontario Airport Marriott Hotel in Ontario, CA. This is located in southern California, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. This is the only weekend we will do west of Indianapolis and the only one prior to June of 1998. The Ontario, CA airport is a major airport, and the Marriott is a beautiful hotel located right at the airport. It promises to be a fabulous weekend. We hope you will join us.

We will need "local" help in order to pull off this weekend in the best way. There will not be Children's Fellowship unless some people volunteer very soon to do it. If you can help with Praise and Worship, or in any other way, please let us know.

Don't forget that the 1998 Bible Land Tour will be June 27-July 10. John and Jenivee Schoenheit will take the group, and it promises to be life-changing experience. The cost is about $2500, and a tentative itinerary is now available. Just ask us for it.