Good News Of Great Joy 

December, 1998

Dear Child of God,

May our heavenly Father richly bless you and keep you. Jenivee and I (John S.) took a walk through the local mall last night and were so blessed to see all the wonderful decorations and colorful displays. The stores were brightly decorated, and there were kiosks and carts overloaded with candles and decorations and toys and gifts of every description filling every corner of the mall. Of course, Hickory Farms was well represented with its large display of sausages, meats, cheeses and baked goods, and between that and other stores selling foods and candy, the entire mall smelled alive and "Christmasy." It was a wonderful experience to take some time and walk through the mall. We did not even go to buy anything—just to be there.

"Christmas" is the festival observed by the Christian Church in memory of the birth of Christ. We know there is a lot of talk about how commercial Christmas has become and how Christ is missing from Christmas. But you know, you can find Christ anywhere , or miss him everywhere . The night that Christ was born (perhaps the "real" Christmas) the majority of people missed him. Angels came and told a few shepherds who went and found him, but what about the rest of the town? The history of the life of Christ was a history of the majority of the population "missing" Christ even though he was among them.

I know that some merchants put up decorations for monetary reasons, but there are many who, just like I, enjoy the festivity of the season. And there is a definite change in many people’s attitudes at Christmas time, so much so that it is common to speak of "Christmas spirit." Although I used to frown on the use of that phrase, the use of "spirit" to communicate an attitude or emotion is well attested to in Scripture. There was definitely a "Christmas spirit" in the mall last night. People were friendly—and if the merchants decorated and smiled just to take my money it sure didn’t show. In fact, I think I can safely say that people cannot convincingly fake fun and lightheartedness. Yes, there was indeed a Christmas spirit in the mall last night and it was not just because of paper and plastic decorations—it was in the attitude of all the people.

For two thousand years after the fall of Adam, all the people of God had was a promise that one day God would demonstrate His great love for man by sending a Messiah—one who would bring peace and joy to the earth. He would bring an end to wars and crime, an end to hunger and starvation, an end to sickness and disease. Decade after decade passed. Men and women were born, aged and died but still there was no Messiah. Then, about two thousand years ago, on an autumn night outside the town of Bethlehem, shepherds were doing what they did every night at that time of year, and what their fathers had done and their father’s fathers had done as far back as anyone could remember—they were caring for their sheep in the open fields. Although I am sure that as the sun set in the West they thought that this night was going to be just another night, nothing could have been further from the truth.

Without warning, the shepherds were bathed in the blinding light of God’s glory, which shined all around them. Many hundreds of years before this, when Moses finished the Tabernacle and God came to inhabit it, His glory was so real and so intense that Moses could not even enter the Tabernacle (Ex. 40:35). Later, when Solomon built the Temple, the glory of the Lord again shined forth and again the priests could not minister because of the brightness of God’s glory. Now that same glory shined around the shepherds and they were terrified. But an angel appeared to them and said, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy…."

It has been about 2000 years since those words were spoken. In fact, if Christ was born in 3 BC like we believe, then this year it has been exactly  2000 years since those wonderful, life-giving words were spoken by the angel. The birth of the Christ—yes, that is "good news of great joy." And this Christmas season we can spread this wonderful good news by telling others and living Christ’s love. What many say about "no Christ in Christmas" doesn’t have to be true. I plan to let the Christ in me shine forth to loads of people this Christmas. How about you?

In closing, as we reflect upon the year that is closing and the new one about to begin, we are exceedingly grateful for God’s abounding grace and mercy unto us. That He allows us to have this ministry and to be in association with priceless Christians like you is something for which we are thankful each day. We thank God for you, for your love for Him and for us and for your commitment to the truth. We rejoice with you at His goodness in your life also, and we look forward to growing up together with you in the Lord. If you have supported us this past year in prayer or financially, we say "Thank you!!!" Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Yours in his love,

Perhaps you have heard that for the first part of this month I am taking advantage of a window of opportunity in my life to get away from the busyness of my life and seek the Lord for direction and clarity in regard to my life and service in the Body. I feel that I have been too much like "Martha" and not enough like "Mary" (Luke 10:38-42) recently. I am praying, thinking, reading, writing and pressing in to the heart of our precious Lord Jesus, asking him to show me whatever he needs to in order to help me be more like him. It is a crucible, but the Lord is here with me. Thank you very much for praying for me. I love you.

Maclean Andambike Mwakasungula returned to Tanzania on November 25 after spending nearly two weeks with us, including the Leadership Conference. Getting him here involved a combination of determination, prayer and miracles. Many thanks to Eleanor Branch, trusty CES  staff person, for all her efforts in coordinating the details of his trip. She stayed up many a night in order to be able to send or receive faxes or phone calls. We are dreading our phone bill. But when we heard Mac share at the Leadership Conference that the heads of his former denomination had "cursed" him by saying that he would never come to America again if he left them, we knew it was worth the effort to get him here.

Mac is a quiet man of strength and prayer, and he took advantage of the time he had while he was here to study and pray. Nevertheless, we got him out to see a few things around Indianapolis, like the glittering Circle Center Mall, Office Max (where we bought him a fax machine), Radio Shack (where we found a simple PA system on clearance that was just what he needed) and Lowe’s, the home improvement warehouse. The sheer size and abundance of Lowe’s inspired Mac to exclaim, "I think I am dreaming." When he first arrived here in Indianapolis he had very little luggage with him, and he explained that he trusted God to provide for him when he got here. When we laid hands on him and prayed for him for the first time since he arrived, I (Mark) got a mind picture of him in the airport on the way home completely laden with things to take back to Africa. That was exactly what happened, for by the time he left he had the absolute limit of luggage, both checked and carry on. He had an abundance of clothes, seeds, medicine, a mosquito net and various electronic devices. He even had two fanny packs full of things. We sent him off with love and prayers back to his responsibilities in Tanzania, where he oversees a work that involves more than 12,000 people. Please keep him in your prayers. He is a great leader of God’s people with whom we are humbled and privileged to stand.

The first CES  Leadership Conference is now behind us, with many of the participants still raving about their experience. We would strongly encourage you to get a set of the weekend tapes if you have an interest in Christian leadership. John Schoenheit led off the event with a rousing and passionate call to steward the "treasure" (2 Cor. 4:7) of an accurate knowledge of God’s Word. He reminded us of the vital function of Christian leadership, to "encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it" (Titus 1:9). Then Mark Graeser shared on "Breaking On the Rock of Christ," an exhortation to humility and meekness in leadership. In order to not be the blind leading the blind, we must be open to see what we need to see about our lives and conduct, and whether we are truly following Christ. On Saturday morning Karen Anne Graeser shared on "Developing Your Personal Ministry," complete with transparencies (she was excited about that!). This teaching gets the horse in front of the cart, showing that one’s ministry must first be established in the written Word and his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Then we find ways of serving according to the needs, developing our heart for service. Our ministry then evolves as we mature into being all we can be for him.

Brother "Mac" from Tanzania opened the sharing Saturday night by thanking us for helping him provide sound teaching in his country. He shared how he had suffered as a result of quitting his denomination over the issue of the Trinity, which he had concluded from his own study was not biblical truth. He said many denominations tried to buy him with money, but his answer was "You must ‘buy’ me with the truth." Nancy Mormann from the San Jose area in California then shared about her experiences working for seven years with groups of teens, some of whom were gang members when they came to her fellowship. Her dedication to serving her "kids" was a great example of many of the principles that had been shared during the weekend. She brought along a video that featured a number of these teens sharing about how the Lord had delivered them.

Sunday morning opened with a poignant time of sharing, which provided an opportunity for us to get feedback on our CES  Network of Churches concept. Based on this feedback we are "going back to the drawing board," and seeking the right way to structure our vision and communicate our intentions successfully. John Lynn then shared briefly about his personal struggle with certain internal issues affecting his ability to lead God’s people the way he wants to. He exemplified the kind of commitment and determination to deal with the character issues that are to ground our leadership, which when we find them lacking we need to go hard to the Lord to seek his face and his power to cause transformation.

John Schoenheit then closed the weekend with a detailed exposition of the character traits listed in Timothy and Titus that are the standards for the character of Christian leadership. He pointed out that what God elevates in these epistles is character issues, not our ministries, gifts and abilities. This was a great way to cap the weekend, which we closed with a Dodie McMillan song, "Go deep, it’s a new day!"

Based on what we see are the changing priorities and vision of our ministry as a whole, we have made a change in our CES  publications. The November/December 1998 issue will be the last issue of Dialogue , which will then become The Contender . Dialogue  subscriptions will continue to be honored and fulfilled with issues of The Contender.  When Dialogue  began in 1988, we were interested in providing a forum for Christians to dialogue with one another on various topics, from the controversial to the inspirational. We valued freedom of thought above all, rebounding from an oppressive and tyrannical system in which dissent was not tolerated. We have found over time, though, that the need has changed, owing in large part to the encroachments of post-modern philosophy and its denial of truth. This has led to the widespread belief among Christians that there is no true interpretation of Scripture, but that we are each entitled to our own interpretation of the literature of eternity (the Bible). We find ourselves sharing more and more Jude’s concern for contending for the faith: "I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints." Never has there been a time like this when the fundamentals of the Christian faith are under such assault. We pray that with the Lord’s direction The Contender  will be at least a small force to stem the tide. We encourage you to contribute to this publication whatever you like, including testimonies of how the Lord is at work in your life.

What is now the monthly newsletter will become bi-monthly, and will be called The Sower . It will be addressed to a more general audience and go to everyone on our mailing list. Those who are enrolled in our Partnership Program will receive a bi-monthly update along with The Contender .

While our website continues to improve in its look and features, we haven’t yet made available secure online ordering with your credit card. Well, you can expect this highly demanded feature to be available sometime in January. If you have any questions concerning specific security issues in posting your credit card number on the internet, please contact John Michalak at the Home Office  and he’ll explain more about the protective features we’ll have available. Happy ordering!

We have received a lot of great feedback concerning the CES  Partnership Plan during the last several months, but for many there have also been some questions concerning certain policy issues. As we have mentioned in past newsletters, we continue to refine various policies in the Plan to better serve our Partners and to better facilitate the Plan’s administration. In light of this, we have written a "Frequently Asked Questions " document to clarify any confusion. While we will be sending it to our new Partners with our Partnership Welcome Packet, you may also call the Home Office  and request to receive it immediately via mail, fax or e-mail. Thanks again for your patience as we continue to refine the Partnership Plan.

It’s that time of year again—time to renew your bi-monthly tape subscription. If you currently have a 1998 subscription, then you received a reminder notice with your November/December tape. For those who have become a Partner in 1998 and are on Plan C, D or E you will receive a set of 1998 bi-monthly tapes even if you already purchased a set. 1999 bi-monthly tapes will be given to those who sign up for the Plan in 1999. If you do not have a subscription, why not join the hundreds of people who have benefited greatly from these wonderful teachings? This is also a good time to stock up your tape library with our oldies but goodies. We have complete sets of bi-monthly tapes for 1993-1998. The subscription price is still only $25.

Are you blessed to be a frequent contributor to CES , but tired of keeping up with writing the checks and dropping them in the mail each month? If so, why not consider signing up for Automatic Debiting  via your credit card or checking account? CES  now has the capability to automatically debit you each month, releasing you from the need to send the money in yourself. Call the Home Office  now for more details!

It is with great regret to inform you that, for the foreseeable future, we will no longer be selling Anthony Buzzard’s book, The Doctrine Of The Trinity: Christianity’s Self-Inflicted Wound . The rights for this book have recently been transferred to a different publisher who is selling it for a much higher price than our previous price. It is the same company that publishes Don Snedeker’s book Our Heavenly Father Has No Equals , another book we sold for a brief time, but have now decided to also discontinue for the same reason. While it is possible for us to sell you these books at a small discount, we believe that it is more practical at this time to simply direct you to the publishers themselves for ordering. The new price for the Anthony Buzzard book is $54.00; the Don Snedeker book price is $55.00. Please send all ordering requests to: International Scholars Publications , 7831 Woodmont Ave., #345, Bethesda, MD 20814 or call (301) 654-7335.

There is a lot of discussion about the problem that some computers will have processing data on January 1, 2000 and the problems that will be caused in our country and abroad because of it. We at CES  are aware of all the rumors and discussions about Y2K and have written an open letter about it that is available to anyone who wants it. Just e-mail us or write us and we will send you one. Our experience is that Christian Computing  magazine is a great source of balanced information. Although they have a "Y2K update" every issue, they dedicated their entire November issue to the Y2K problem. We thought the editorial this month had a great statement: "If we took half of the energy now being spent to try to persuade those of us who are NOT panicked by Y2K and instead used that energy to try and evangelize the lost, we might see some real revival in our nation." You can check out their web site at www.ccmag.com.

The 1999 CES  Spring Fellowship will take place on March 19-21 at the Denver Holiday Inn Southeast, 3200 Parker Road, Aurora CO 80014, 303-695-1700, Fax 303-745-6958. We had a wonderful Spring Fellowship in Denver in 1994 and we are excited to be coming back. The hotel has given us a very good deal all the way around. Room rates are $65 per night for 1-4 people per room, plus tax. It is located in a very nice part of Denver, and there is a free shuttle from the airport, which is about a 30-45 minute ride. The weather in Denver should be beautiful then, and Spring skiing is available nearby before or after the weekend if you like. We will put more information in our January & March newsletters, but you can register now if you choose. Be sure to tell the hotel that you are with CES . We hope to see you there.

For some reason the powers that be are playing the Area Code Guessing Game. If your area code has changed recently, please let us know. Thank you.

We here at The Home Office  wish you all the joys of the season. We had hoped that would include the customary Christmas card and photo that we have sent out to our supporters in past years. Unfortunately, we spaced on getting the photo done the last two times we were all together, so it will have to come in the form of New Year’s greetings. We wanted to tell you so you who like to put our picture on your refrigerator or dart board will not be despondent over the holidays.