WHEN GOD WANTS A MAN by Angela Morgan (Adapted)

When GOD wants to drill a man
And thrill a man and skill a man
When GOD wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part
When He yearns with all His Heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall praise
Watch His method, watch His ways
How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects
Hoe he hammers Him and hurts him
And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which only GOD can understand
While his tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hand
How He bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes
How He uses whom He chooses
And with every purposes fuses him
By every art induces him
To try his splendor out
Yes GOD knows what He's about.

When GOD wants to name a man
And fame a man and tame a man
When GOD wants to shame a man
To do his heavenly best
When HE tries the highest test
That His reckoning may bring
When He wants to make a king

When the foe that is divine
Leaps to challenge every failure and his ardor still is sweet
And love and hope are burning in the presence of defeat

When the people need salvation
Doth he come to lead the nation
Then to all GOD shows His plan
When the world has found--a man

THE ULTIMATE CONNECTION

                                                                 by Evangelist Elder Elvis Abenga

In this world, I have come to realize that man cannot survive without connections. I have more and more come to appreciate the influence, necessity and benefit of having connections. Nowadays, one cannot get a job without connections. One cannot even get a job interview without being connected to some high person somewhere. Even in the arena of education, all that a student would need to have to pass an examination is to be sufficiently connected to some high person in the institution.

The world has reached a stage where even the people you relate to are determined by the nature and extent of the connections you have. Success has nowadays been removed from the domain of hard work and discipline, and now all people seem to be talking about more and more, and focusing all their energies and attention, is on making the relevant connection, to the relevant persons in high places.

The economists, illustrating the lack of connections as a factor in poverty, came up with a theory that was latter known as the "Vicious Cycle of Poverty", which is to the effect that, I am poor because I was born poor. And since I am poor, my children and grand children would also probably be poor....and the cycle goes on and on. Thus, according to them, my poverty, is due to lack of adequate connection to a well endowed person.

As I ponder on this concept, I realize that the concept of connections can be found in the Word of GOD. Satan, in one of the temptations that He tempted JESUS, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world with all their splendor ( Luke 4:5). He then told CHRIST that he would surrender them all to Him if only He bowed down and worshiped him.

In short, Satan offered the world to CHRIST on condition that CHRIST made a connection with him, by worshiping him.

I glorify GOD that CHRIST never made such a fatal connection...

The same temptation is thrown at Christians every single day. Satan makes an invitation to connect. "Connect with me" he says, "and I will give you all that your heart desires" he invites.

In the Garden of Eden, the serpent tempted our first parents to disconnect with GOD. As I read through Genesis 3, I realize the essence of the temptation could be simplified as follows,

"GOD doesn't want you to be like Him, that is why He denies you the forbidden fruit! He knows that if you eat it, you"ll be like Him (Genesis 3:4)."

Satan convinced our first parents that they did not need GOD to survive. He enticed and deceived them to make disconnect with GOD.

By sinning, man lost the vital connection with GOD...and by losing the connection with GOD....he got connected with the enemy of all souls.

CHRIST came to undo the effect of sin, and to restore man's connection to GOD.

At the cross, the vital connection between man and GOD was restored. At the cross, GOD was reconciling the world to Himself ( 2 Corinthians 5:19)

The good news, is that because of Calvary, and the Cross of CHRIST, man's connection to GOD is infinitely stronger than it was at Eden before man sinned.

To this end, the apostle exclaims a question " Who shall separate us from the love of CHRIST?"...then he answers "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39)

Thus we are called to make the vital connection with GOD. In John 15:4 CHRIST says "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me."

The only way we as Christians can bear forth much fruit, is by being vitally connected with CHRIST, just like the branch is connected to the vine. In Romans 11 we realize that we, who through sin had been disconnected and cut off from the vine, have now been grafted through the grace of GOD in CHRIST JESUS.( Romans 11:17-24)

Once we have made the ultimate connection with GOD, all other things will fall in place ( Matthew 6:33) and we need not have any other connection.

This day I invite you all to make the ultimate connection.

MIND AND HEART TRANSPLANT: AN EXPERIENCE WITH THE GREAT PHYSICIAN

                                               By Evangelist Elder Elvis Abenga

I have often heard of kidney transplants, and many other transplants of various parts of the body. But I have never heard about a brain transplant....let alone, a mind transplant.

Yet when I consulted the Great Physician, He told me that I needed a mind transplant!!....perplexed, I wondered what it was all about.

I had visited the Great Physician with several complaints, the major one being a thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7) that made me do things that I didn't want to do, and not do the things that I wanted to do (Romans 7:15-24). In short, I complained that I was completely out of control.

The Great Physician already knew my problem. The symptoms were clearly evident. He told me that I was suffering from a virus that was so deadly, that it spared nobody. Everyone was a victim of this disaster. Some people did not know that they had the virus, others knew and simply ignored. He called the virus 'SIN".

He told me that I had sinned and fallen short of His glory (Romans 3:23). He told me that I had turned completely to my own way (Isaiah 53:6).

At this point I needed to know the extent to which this virus called sin had spread to my body. Realizing my wretchedness, I cried out to Him "Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart" (Psalm 26:2). To this request, the Great Physician readily agreed. He told me that He specializes in trying reins and examining hearts (Jeremiah 17:10).

After the heart examination, the Great Physician exclaimed " How weak is thine heart!!!"...(Ezekiel 16:30).

He told me that the virus had affected my heart so much that my heart couldn't be fixed. He said that I needed a replacement...a new heart.

Wondering how all this could be possible, I cried out to Him " Create in me a clean heart, oh GOD; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).

He then lifted me up from the ground and set me up on the Rock and put a new song of praise in my mouth (Psalm 40:1-5). He told me that he had a brand new heart for me. A heart of flesh and not stone (Ezekiel 11:19). The old heart was too hard to be operated on and that is why I needed a new heart of flesh.

I stood up to leave, thinking that that was all...to my surprise He told me to sit down. He told me that I needed a mind transplant too. I asked Him where I would get a donor to donate a new mind and He told me not to worry. He would give me the mind of His Son!! (Philippians 2:5).

I asked what the procedure would entail...then shock on me.... He said that both procedures for the new heart and the mind transplant were to deep that anesthesia would not work. I needed to die. He told me that for all these to be successful, I simply had to die...(Galatians 2:20). His Son would now live in me. All my sinful members had to be mortified (Colossians 3:5). This was necessary for the renewing of my mind according to His will (Romans 12:2) and for me to be quickened (1 Peter 3:18).

He examined my eyes and told me that I had an eye problem and was actually blind though I did not know it !!! (Matthew 6:23, Revelation 3:17). As a solution to my eye problem, He gave me a medicine called 'Eyesalve' to apply and anoint my eyes with, so that I could see (Revelation 3:18).

After the experience with the Great Physician, I said I have to invite you to visit Him. Invite your friends too. Like the crippled at the fountain, He'll make us whole again (John 5:11).

I STILL SHALL PRAY

I STILL SHALL PRAY     by Evangelist Elder Elvis Abenga

1. Though the world round seems so dark,
    And ills around me lark,
    Though the night seems so black,
    I still shall pray

2. Though troubles around me overtake,
    And friends beside me forsake,
    Though fear makes me to shake,
    I still shall pray



3. Though tears like streams down my cheek,
    Makes me feel a man still weak,
    Though all hope appears so sleek,
    I still shal pray

4. Though Satan's bows and quiver,
    Makes me oft to tremble and shiver,

    Yet will all faith and vigour,
     I still shall pray


5. The world may want me to cleave,
    Or else that I should leave,
    I know that this is but a sieve
    And thus I still shall pray

6. Though my heart so oft is broken,
    And my faith so oft is shaken,
    It all my hope awakens,
    And hence I still shall pray

7. For I know my Redeemer liveth,
    His life for me was given,
    Thus my face shall I liven,
    And pray and pray yet pray.