The E-pistle

November 1, 2007

404.929.1400

New Membership Class this weekend (Sunday)

See Deacon Dr. Jack Brink or Pastor Angela Brown

New Picture Gallery posted today: http://www.newcovenantatlanta.com/94-church/pictures17.htm

So, much thank you goes to Amy and Leah for their hard work on the ‘80’s Dance and Costume Party and Scavenger Hunt – What a Time was had by all!!!

More pictures on our brand new picture page - http://www.newcovenantatlanta.com/94-church/pictures17.htm

And, after all these years, Ike and Tina back together again – Our Dear Annette and Announcement Lady…

New Covenant In Worship

Dearest Family,

Don’t forget this focus…

Speak the Confession below, every day this week…

What is The 150???

Scriptural basis for GROWING:

So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest (Matthew 9:38)

Great multitudes followed Jesus (Matthew 4:25).

Great multitudes gathered together unto Him (Jesus) (Matthew 13:2).

Great multitudes came unto him having with Him those who were lame, blind, dumb, and maimed and many others and cast them at Jesus’ feet and He healed them … and the multitudes were amazed (Matthew 15:30).

The multitudes resorted to Him (Jesus) and He taught them (Mark 2:13).

And the believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both men and women (Acts 5:14)

The Word increased and the number of disciples increased (Acts 6:7)

The Hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believed and turned to the Lord (Acts 11:21)

We are always setting goals here at New Covenant for higher, greater, more excellent, and more powerful service to God. Without a vision people perish and cast off all restraint, so goals are vital for any group to thrive and grow, especially in the Kingdom. God has given us a vision and a message that will reach the nations, help revolutionize lives, and lead souls into a relationship with our God and King. With that in mind, in order to fulfill the vision that God has given New Covenant Church of Atlanta, we must grow even beyond the awesome growth we’ve seen through the years – we need many more people. Not just to sit in pews, but laborers, ready to get to work for the demonstration of God’s plans and purposes. So, a goal has been set – 150 people as our base attendance and beyond.

Will you set your faith in agreement? Will you call friends, family, loved ones, those who haven’t been to church in a while? Will you send cards, e-mails, etc.? Will you call it forth in prayer? If so, thank you. God is going to do amazing things here in this Body of Believers. We need the exponential power of unity and growth to continue here at New Covenant – to breakthrough the 100 or so mark in attendance, to increase in order to sow out into the world. Let’s reach higher than we’ve ever reached before

A corporate confession based on the Scriptures above, say this out loud:

Where Jesus was, multitudes followed Him, gathered together with Him, were healed by Him, and taught by Him. Father, your Word makes it plain that where Jesus is, people come – we call them in through prayer first. You add to the church and I thank you now that the church is being added to in number. The Word will increase, so I thank you that as the people grow in their understanding and hearing of the Word that you will increase. Your Word increases and the people grow in their understanding of the Word; therefore, people will be added to the church. In the Name of Jesus.


From Apostle and Pastor Randy and Johnny Thank you so much for Pastor Appreciation Sunday. Pastor Johnny and I are so blessed to have you all in our lives. We are so grateful for the raise, laptop computer, and all the wonderful expressions in cards, in gift cards, etc. We both cried as we read some of the wonderful things you all had to say, and we are so encouraged. I can’t imaging being anywhere else than right here. What a wonderful family that God has fashioned. We love each of you very much, Apostle and Pastor Randy and Johnny Layton-Morgan Pastors Randy and Johnny Opening the gifts from the congregation

This Weekend At New Covenant Church of Atlanta Sunday Morning at 11 AM · Dynamic Praise and Worship from Our Awesome, Amazing Levites (The New Covenant Church of Atlanta Worship Team) · Apostle Randy Morgan – Continuing the Book of Acts – Acts Chapter 6 This Study is revolutionizing our life as a church; we are studying how the Holy Spirit and the church cooperate to manifest God’s Kingdom in the earth. Sunday Night at 6 PM Apostle Randy Morgan has begun the study in the Book of Revelation


The Youth Home Group has begun. They are meeting in the church sanctuary Tuesdays at 7:30 PM.




Pastors’ Corner with Pastor Angela and Pastor Joan
From Pastor Angela Everyone Else is Doing It Today I would also like to have you look back and things that we have done or said when we were younger. When you got into trouble for some “gang activity” did you ever say, “Everyone else was doing it.” When you wanted to do something, did you let your parents know that somebody else’s parents were letting them do it too. Did you ever tell your parents they were not fair because all of the other parents were allowing their children to do something, but they would not let you? (Oh, the memories of childhood.) Aren’t you glad that your parents stopped you or did not allow you to go the way of the world? Today as you stand in the gap between the world and God, how many things have you put down because they were not Kingdom worthy? The closer we get to our Father, the farther we get from the world, praise God Rom 12:1-3 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual^[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. If you’d like to receive Pastor Angela’s Daily Word, e-mail her at – pastorangela@newcovenantatlanta.com	From Pastor Joan Confession of Faith Father, I will not betray another man’s confidence. I will listen and offer compassion and love, which covers a multitude of sins. I will follow Your likeness and let the light of Jesus shine through me to others. For You are great and marvelous are Your works. I honor and praise Your holy name. You are worthy to be praised and adored. Jesus I love You! I refuse to throw away my confidence no matter what I see around me. I will not allow what I see to discourage me. I will not allow what I see to pull me down. I make a decision that I will not throw away, because my confidence has a great reward. I maintain an attitude of faith that is always pleasing to You. The manifestation will come; because I maintain my position of pleasing God by using my faith and holding fast to my confession and never letting it go. I will not draw back. I will not give up. God loves me and I love others and, therefore, my faith works. My roots are healthy and productive roots. I’ve got the Word of God in my roots because I meditate on the Word day and night. Amen If you’d like to receive Pastor Joan’s Daily Devotional, e-mail her at – pastorjoan@newcovenantatlanta.com


What to Do When you Feel Spiritually Heavy By: Apostle Randy Morgan Often, we as Christians feel heaviness in our hearts. Many Christians feel, when they have heavy hearts, that maybe they've done something wrong or maybe they're just 'depressed' or blue. I want to share 3 points to consider if you feel a heaviness come on you and you don't understand what it is: Do a quick "Sin-Check." When we sin against God, our hearts will become heavy because the Holy Spirit will convict us of sin. Simply ask God, "Father, have I sinned against you?" There can only be three answers - Yes, No, or Silence. If it's a yes, then simply repent. Ask God to forgive you, and He promises He will (I John 1:9). If it's a "No or Silence," then move on because God will always quickly answer when our hearts are seeking after Him. He’s more interested in you being free of heaviness than you are. Do a quick "Is-this-the-enemy Check." The devil loves to depress God's people. If it's the devil, then simply rebuke Him using the Name of Jesus and the Word. The devil is the easiest of all issues to deal with because he has already been defeated. Do a quick "is-this-a-burden Check." Always, when God wants to accomplish something in the earth, He begins by placing a 'burden' in someone's heart, a heaviness about something that needs to be done. Sometimes, we can know exactly what the heaviness is about - When New Covenant first began, there was a burden placed in my heart by God for the gay community here in Atlanta to see the community have the message of salvation preached within it, to see them equipped to do the work of the ministry, and to establish churches of like-mind. It began as a burden. So, as I prayed about it and travailed about it (an image of giving birth), I felt literally pregnant with the vision, it was that heavy in my heart. Eventually, through crying out, and allowing God to speak to me *through* the burden, then New Covenant was birthed. Sometimes we won't know what the burden is about at first. When we don't know, we shouldn't take burdens on ourselves or worse, put them on others. Instead we must learn to cry out to God until God's will is formed and revealed to our hearts. Sometimes people are heavy and the heaviness causes them to rant about their spouses, friends, or church, when in reality there isn't a problem, God is just trying to get His will birthed through His People by giving them a burden. Instead of running from a burden, let's begin to embrace the heaviness when it comes from God and allow the Holy Spirit to cry out through us (Romans 8:26-28) and travail in us until God's will is birthed. If you are feeling heavy in your heart, do these three steps, and if you're on the third step, don't withdraw from friends, family, and church, don't divorce your spouse, don't get depressed and allow feelings to overwhelm you - PRESS IN AND BEAR DOWN IN THE SPIRIT, CRY OUT, WEEP BEFORE GOD, DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY, UNTIL THE BURDEN IS BIRTHED. God Bless, Apostle Randy Morgan


Put on the WHOLE armor of God in Your Interpersonal Relationships By Deacon Tonna Eidson www.sweetwaterministry.org How to be Used by God and Prosperous According to Psalm 1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1: 1-3, NASB) First of all, the Psalmist teaches us that we should not act on the counsel of people who do not live godly lives. If we live according to their counsel instead of getting our direction from God’s word or godly counselors, that’s the first step to wiping out our ministry gift and our prosperity. Next, he teaches us not to hang out where the sinners hang out. Watch where you’re hanging out, is it a place of known sin? I’m not talking about going to a place to witness (as Jesus did), I’m talking about standing, spending time there. Where should we spend our time? Ask the Lord for direction on where to spend allow your person to be for lengths of time. And don’t be a hanging out with mockers, even if they invite you to their home. It’s a dangerous thing to be a scoffer and it grieves the Holy Spirit. The Bible plainly says, Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.” I Chronicles 16:22), and who’s to say who is and who is not God’s anointed. I say we treat everyone as anointed (in some capacity) and stay far from mockery. On the positive side, make the Word of the Lord your delight. And, meditate on it day and night. Day and night doesn’t just mean in the daytime and the nighttime here, it also implies, in the good times and in the bad. The word meditate in this passage is agah which means to murmur (in pleasure or anger); by implication, to ponder – imagine, meditate, mourn, mutter, roar, sore, speak, study, talk, utter. As a result of these actions, the Word of God tells us that we will be like a tree planted by water. What does this mean? In the original language, it literally means “transplanted” not planted as we would read in our language. One time I was at a prophetic conference and a lady was a little afraid to tell me the vision she was seeing. I told her to describe it exactly as she saw it. She said she saw a tree with it’s roots not in the ground, but giant hands holding it into the ground by a stream. I explained to her what I had been studying, that God personally “transplants” you to a place where you will bear fruit if you follow His statutes. So, anyone who is not “bearing fruit” either spiritually or in their workplace, or in their finances, etc. can apply this scripture and expect that the Lord will “transplant” them to a better, more fruitful place. Notice that the psalmist includes “in his season”. Timing is the hardest thing to know concerning spiritual things. What is our season? We may be ready for a change, but it’s not yet our season, so we just keep on following the maker’s directions until the timing is right. And his leaf shall not wither. Have you ever gotten ahead of God and the thing comes to ruin. Not being at the right place at the right time can cause that. If you need to be by the water to draw enough life-giving moisture to cause your “leaves” to live, if you start sprouting them before the “transplant” they may die. We should all be careful of getting ahead of God. And the blessing in following these precepts is, whatever we do prospers!