The E-pistle
The church has a new phone number
– 404.929.1400
New Picture Gallery: http://www.newcovenantatlanta.com/94-church/pictures17.htm
New Covenant In Worship
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By: Apostle Randy Morgan “For too long, so many of my
children have not sat at the table to eat what I have placed before them, but
I am calling them to return and be nourished, even now,” was the word God
spoke to my heart as I was driving last week.
Right before the Word came, the image by Norman Rockwell to the left
was put in my heart. I suddenly felt
God saying that it was time to learn to be nourished and that 2008 would be
the year of “Restoring the Blessing of the Table.” It would be the year that we learn to: ·
Stir our Hunger for the Word ·
Stir our Hunger for God’s Presence ·
Crave the nourishment of fellowship ·
Recognize The Father at the Head of the
Table, His Rules, His Family, His Ways, and His Table Disciplines, as well as
the joy at the table of the Lord. ·
Why He chooses to “Prepare the table
before us in the Presence of our enemies???” ·
The church, Her Role in the distribution
of the spiritual food in the earth and spiritual realm ·
The times for the main course and the
times for desserts… This is the time for us to learn how to
come to the table of the Lord and feast through the study of His Word,
Worship, and fellowshipping with one another.
For the rest of November, all home groups
will be meeting at the church on Tuesdays to eat at “the common table.” We will be coming together to eat dinner
every Tuesday for the rest of the month.
During the meal, I will share brief insights into the coming year for
the whole ministry and how that is going to affect us as a church. We’re also going to use the physical dinner
as a “Prophetic Declaration and Act” to prophesy our “feasting on the things
of God in 2008.” Our declaration shall
become, “We SHALL BE NOURISHED NOW MORE THAN EVER.” Deacon Dr. Jack Brink’s Home group will be
responsible for this coming Tuesday evenings sides. |
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This
Weekend At Sunday Morning at ·
Awesome, powerful preaching –
come ready to feast on the Word of God Sunday Night at
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The Youth Home
Group has begun. They are meeting in
the church sanctuary Tuesdays at |
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Pastors’ Corner with Pastor
Angela and Pastor Joan |
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Mercy Isn’t
it a blessing to know that Jesus died on the cross to save a sinner like you
and me? Know that once we have called on the name of the Lord and asked him to
come into our hearts that we have been saved. O Luke
6:36-38 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37"Do
not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be
condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will
be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running
over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you." If you’d like to receive Pastor Angela’s Daily Word, e-mail her at – pastorangela@newcovenantatlanta.com |
Confession of Faith Father, I rejoice in Your love and faithfulness to me. May your name be glorified in all the earth. For I am of God and have overcome Satan. For greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I am the body of Christ and Satan has no power over me. For I overcome evil with good. I am delivered from the evils of this present world for it is the will of God. I am a doer of the Word of God and am blessed in my deeds. I am happy in those things which I do because I am a doer of the Word of God. I take the shield of faith and I quench every fiery dart that the wicked one brings against me. I am an overcomer and I overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony. I am submitted to God and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the name of Jesus. The Word of God is forever settled in heaven. Therefore, I establish His Word upon this earth. If you’d like to receive Pastor Joan’s Daily Devotional, e-mail her at – pastorjoan@newcovenantatlanta.com |
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From Pastor Angela
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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 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. |
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The This is the season for action! I
know that God is doing a work in me and therefore I imagine we are all being
put to the test in one way or another. I recently read in a Bible commentary
that the equation for happiness is as follows; humility and holiness lead to
happiness. Holy Spirit has convicted me where I have not been humble or holy.
As iron sharpens iron, I am learning this lesson with my brothers and sisters
on the battlefield. Let me say that I am sorry and that I love you all very
much. Holy Spirit has also revealed to me the power of deception; the tool of
the Father of Lies that hinders our walk with God and our ability to show
love to one another. The joy of the Lord is our
strength. In His presence is the fullness of joy. If I plug in the word joy
where the word happiness is, we have a challenge put to us for the Revival
Season. Humility and holiness lead to JOY. If I may speak for us all, we want
to see God show up and do a mighty work for the remainder of this year and
next. We want to see a work that draws in the masses, the laborers, the lost,
and that edifies us and takes our church to the next level. To be in His
presence to that extent we need to prepare ourselves and make ourselves
acceptable and righteous. Humility and holiness will lead us into the joy of
His presence. Deception is a confounding
state. A person is not simply “wrong” when he is living in deception, but
believes with his heart that he is operating from the truth. As an example,
when I was in high school and entered any room like the cafeteria, a class
room, or the commons, I was openly ridiculed by many of the people in that
room. The teachers present often allowed it to happen. I was humiliated on a
regular basis. A voice in my head told me that I deserved it because I was
different from the others. The voice said that God was responsible for this
pain as He made me gay but expected me not to be gay! Deception! The Father
of Lies or one of his minions had attached to my soul, had taken the
microphone and had gone to work on me! He was determined and persistent and
eventually I began to accept those lies as truth. He was pitting me against
my brother and sister and rendering me useless for Kingdom work. The
enemy probably thought he had won and rested assuredly. I thank God in heaven
for He is full of patience, mercy and loving kindness! When my way no longer worked for me,
there was God with the Truth that set me free from deception. I do not
deserve to be humiliated and God expects only that I act according to His
Word and His creation. Deliberate pain does not come from my brothers,
sisters or God but the enemy! I am fighting my brothers and sisters;
deception. I am fighting the enemy; truth.
Free from that pain and fear of
humiliation, I can be vulnerable enough to be humble. No longer angry at God,
I can flow more easily toward being holy by following His Word. God has
revealed the Truth and shamed the devil! Look for any deception that might be
operating in your life, pray for God to shine His light and expose the dark.
Anything you ask in prayer, in His name, according to your faith and belief,
He will give you. Be humble, be holy and be happy- Revival is coming! |
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Fall Quarterly Events Thanksgiving Host homes are available. If you need a place to go for Thanksgiving, please see Leah and/or Amy who will point you in the right direction. Christmas Party and
Music December 16 – special service with music and worship Date: December 16 – Sunday PM * Pot Luck Dinner – Church will provide drinks ** More details to follow |
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To share your testimony, see Deacon
Tonna – www.SweetWaterMinistry.org
and e-mail it to newcovenantgirl@aol.com I was born a fourth
generation Jehovah’s Witness My paternal grandparents were in many ways
looked upon as the pillars of the congregation. They moved from By the time I was in the sixth grade I
knew I was definitely different, and this time it had little to do with my
religious background. I was attracted to boys. I guess I should have known
before this, because I always enjoyed playing with dolls and dress up with my
girl cousin. So by now I had a double challenge of trying to be accepted.
Perhaps even more important was trying to keep my sinful secret from my
family and the congregation because this was absolutely forbidden and it was
an abomination, it was right up there with murder. Everything I had been
taught, told me to be ashamed. I also
felt that I was the only one in the world with those feelings, I felt doomed
to hell. The older I got the more trapped and scared I felt. Looking back, my parents
overcompensated by giving everything we wanted materially. To this day I
wonder if it was because of the ridicule and teasing we faced in school. When
I turned 16, my parents bought me a brand new car. To me this represented a
whole new world of freedom, and I pushed it to the limits. Every time I went
anywhere with a guy friend, my mother’s first and often only question was,”
Do they have a girlfriend or a wife?”
This line of questioning continued until I came out of the closet
years later, even after I was married. So I think she probably knew even
before I did, but we never discussed it. As a parent myself it is odd to me
that she was more concerned about their relationship status, than if they did drugs, smoked, drank or
even is some cases where we were going. That summer my family took a vacation to Shortly before my 18th birthday I met
a man older than me and we developed a relationship. Of course this was a big
secret, because we were both taught to feel ashamed and disgusted by our
feelings. We could never be seen in public together, so it was basically just
a sexual relationship. Somehow the new church elders found out and I was
disfellowshipped the second time for sexual misconduct. Everyone assumed it
was with a girl that I had been seen with on many occasions. I had disgraced
the family again and there were those in the congregation that were not going
to let us forget it. About a year later, my parents had enough and they sold
our house and we moved to I knew from the beginning this
was not going to be a satisfying relationship. I even remember crying on my
wedding night feeling doomed and eternally trapped, but this was normal, “God
hated gay people, and they were abomination to him.” And hopefully this would
change me, so I prayed to God to make me straight and to take away my
desires. I gave it my best shot. Within a month we bought a new house, and
within ten months my son was born. A couple of weeks after our one-year
anniversary I knew I would never be complete or happy in a heterosexual
relationship. I turned to alcohol to escape I also told my wife that I was
attracted to men, and after she got done screaming, she told me she had been
afraid of that, and she had heard rumors. Still not seeing a way out we
decided to have three ways with guys that I would find on the computer. This
left me feeling incomplete. I wanted a
family, but with a man. After doing this for about one and a half years, she
asked me if we could stop and have another child, and if we focused on
building a bigger family that those feelings would go away. So we did and
even after my daughter was born, I was still just as gay as ever. I begin
extra martial affairs with men, no relationships mostly just on night stands.
I was so miserable if it had not been for the kids, I would have probably
killed myself. At this point the only thing I had to lose were my kids, after
all I had been doomed to eternal death. After about six years of marriage that
all changed. I met someone who like me was married, and came from a strict
religious background. We started going out on real dates, going to dinner,
the clubs, and just having fun. For the first time in my life I was in love.
I guess our wives were either to naïve to notice or just did not want to
know. After dating for months we decided to leave our wives for each other
and move.. I told my wife before I told anyone else, and asked if I could have the kids. Her reply was to
give her two weeks to find somebody else, before I told anyone. So I did, and
this gave me time to figure out how I was going to tell my family. I did not want to have to tell everyone
individually. So, I called my parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
and cousins to an important family meeting at my father’s office. Everyone
showed up except my maternal grandmother. I told them that I was going to be
disfellowshipped for the fourth and final time, because I was leaving
Jehovah’s Witness church forever. Then, I said I was getting a divorce, my
wife had given me custody of the kids, and I had rented an apartment, and was
in love with a man who would also be living there. After a long silence my
father turned to me and said “I was wondering how long it was going to take
you to screw this up. You have never been anything but a disappointment.”
Then my mother spoke and said “You will have to tell your grandmother,
because it will kill her” and she was not going to be responsible. I really
don’t think anyone was truly shocked about me being gay what shocked them was
that I was coming out and going to live the lifestyle, and I had stood up
against fifty years of family values and tradition. My grandmother was the one I dreaded
telling the most, because she was the most stringent in the religion. I
invited her to my apartment, and explained to her I was getting a divorce,
and the children were going to live with me and my “special” friend. Then I
asked her if she understood that I would be living with a man. She looked at
me very casually and said “are you trying to tell me that you’re gay”? When I
said yes, she asked me if I knew what caused it. I looked at her and said “I
was born this way.” Then she asked me if it was hereditary? I said some
people think so, but I don’t know. She then told me that she had tolerated it
from my grandfather for over 25 years, and had never told a soul. Then apologized
for not telling me sooner, but also due to the fact that, I was going against
Bible principles she would no longer have anything to do with me. She did
agree to help me tell my parents about my grandfather, hoping it would help
them understand. It changed nothing I was dead in their eyes. With no family or religion in my life
I turned to alcohol and drugs as an escape. After all I was an abomination
and spiritually dead. I felt like this gave me the license to do whatever I
wanted with little or no regard to others feelings. I treated my partner
awful, even cheating on him. Needless to say this relationship did not last
long. In my mind it was his fault, he left me just like God and my family.
After the breakup the kids and I moved back home with my parents which was a
huge mistake. Just a few days after moving in, my brother was reading the
bible and mispronounced a word. My father started yelling at him, and I
yelled at my father, his bent up anger came out and he put me in the
hospital. At the hospital the police showed up to guard me to make sure I did
not escape (my parents had committed me to a mental institution for being
gay). The facility I was taken to and the counselor had already spoken to my
family and tried to push their personal beliefs on me, condemning me once
again. I agreed with whatever they
said so I could get out. Once I got back to my parents house I packed my
belongings, and never stepped foot in their house again. I went to I moved to Brad Crosley |
For God's Glory,
Pastors Randy and Johnny
http://www.newcovenantatlanta.com/
404.929.1400