October 2015 Next Wave Magazine by Life Network

THE NEXT WAVE www.lifenetwork.us PUBLISHER

GRACE by Covenant Bernie L. Wade, Ph.D.

Trademark Design P.O. Box 685 LaGrange, KY 40031

Christians Banned From Holding Jobs In America By Michael Snyder

Contributing Editors Ralph E. Day, David Tait, Lea Bates, Ed Delph, Bernie Wade, Cindye Coates, Barney Phillips

Christian Healthcare Goes Mainstream

Opportunities to Serve

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CHURCH @ COMMUNITY Ed Delph

Building Bridges Ralph E. Day, Ph.D.

editorials. We assume no responsibility for the return of unsolicited submissions. Please send photos, articles, and documents to P.O. Box 685, LaGrange, KY 40031 Electronic submissions to:

Rule in the Midst of Your Enemies Barney P. Phillips

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WINDS OF CHANGE Lea Bates

My desire is to write this book in a style that is easy to read, easier to understand and uncomplicated to apply to your life. There has been no effort to find larger words to explain simple ideas. Rather, we want the simplicity of the message to help you mature. When I was an 8th Grader in West Saint Paul Minnesota at Francis M. Grass Middle School, my Economics teacher was Mr. Ligday. Robert C. Ligday was a former Navy officer and in my mind quite a formidable figure. I wasn’t quite sure what the Economics class was going to entail but that Mr. Ligday had the answers was never in doubt.

Grace By Covenant By Bernie L. Wade, Ph.D.

On the first day, Mr. Ligday issued this challenge, “There is NOTHING in the world that is not connected to Economics”. Now, Mr. Ligday did not put the emphasis on nothing, but that is what I heard. The result was that I set out to prove Mr. Ligday’s thesis to be incorrect. Every day at the beginning of class I had a new idea to offer that I was just sure Mr. Ligday could not connect to economics. Every day Mr. Ligday proved my objection incorrect. I don’t know if he enjoyed the exchange as much as I did, but I do know that he was the first teacher who really challenged me. I would prove to work harder in his class than any I was enrolled before and perhaps even after.

My hope for this book is to find that common ground offered by the Clear Note and Certain Sound of the Word of God. Too often we have what should be a clear and certain sound muffled or distorted by the opinion of men, the pressures of peers or the whim of society. Some strive to achieve morality which is nice but even morality is a moving target based on the dictates and values of the society from one generation to the next. Morality has been defined as, “Whatever a society agrees upon and establishes through consent, compromise and constant use defines reality.” Thus, what was immoral to our ancestors may find itself perfectly acceptable in today’s culture. Morality shifts at the speed of water boiling and like a frog placed in the water, we miss the increasing temperature until it is too late.

One day, I arrived at Economics class with my ultimate challenge. I was ready but so was Mr. Ligday. Mr. Ligday started the class with the usual “let’s see 3

what Mr. Wade has thought up for today”. He spoke to his students formally. In his class I was not Bernie, I was Mr. Wade. As an 8th grader few of us were used to be addressed in that manner. I am not sure what my classmates thought but I liked the approach.

GODS RICHES AT CHRIST’S EXPENSE

Free copy of Grace By Covenant: http://issuu.com/charismata/docs/grace_ by_covenant__final_ Or email: bernie.wade1212@gmail.com

So, class was in session and now I had to give Mr. Ligday my challenge. With all the finality of a javelin thrower competing in World Competition, I said, “A baby in the middle of the Ocean.” My classmates were impressed I could tell! Could it be that Mr. Wade has trumped Mr. Ligday!? Mr. Ligday must have been a good poker player or he was just playing along! He gave it all of a few seconds to set in on everyone and then said, “How did the baby get in the middle of the ocean? However, that happened was related to Economics.” I was done, that was my last challenge to the question. I understood clearly that everything was related to economics.

Bernie L. Wade, Ph.D. is member of Life Network http://www.lifenetwork.us Life Network is comprised of people from education, business, church, community (government) and media (including the arts and sports) working together to us to a greater unity in Christ. The vision of Life Network™ is to be instrumental in transforming our world through the energy of a network of like-minded people from all ages, genders, races, nationalities, and cultures whose mutual contribution extinguishes offense, hatred, bigotry, and violence; envisioning a world where war, pestilence, hunger, and poverty are distant memories.

On a personal note, my friends tell me the Mr. Ligday that I reference here was Robert C. Ligday, a respected Teacher & Coach WWII Navy Vet. He passed in 2010, but the input and impact in my life continues. Thank you Mr. Ligday! I expect you are asking, what does that story about you in 8th grade have to do with Grace? Hey, I am so glad that you asked! The answer is simple. I told you that story so that you would understand that like as everything in the world is connected to economics; everything in the Word of God is connected to Grace! 4

Christian Health Coverage Goes Mainstream



By Bernie L. Wade, Ph.D.



HISTORY

WHAT IS HEALTH CARE SHARING?



A health care sharing organization provides health care cost sharing among persons of similar and sincerely held beliefs. Most of these are operated by not-for-profit religious organizations acting as a clearinghouse for those who have medical expenses and those who desire to share the burden of those medical expenses. Some say that health care sharing captures the original idea of group insurance.   



Participants in health care sharing share more than $340 million per annually They strive to be accessible to participants regardless of their income, because traditionally shares are a fraction of the cost of insurance rates.

In our nation’s past, our forefathers were quite familiar with bearing one another’s burdens. Mutual aid was a foundation of social welfare in the United States. The idea gave birth to the very idea of insurance with the concept of ‘mutual’ insurance.



The need was so great that American Businesses were among

Generally they receive no funding or grants from the government They are not insurance companies. They do not assume any risk or guarantee the payment of any medical bill. Twenty-nine states have explicitly recognized this and specifically exempt these organizations from their insurance codes. They currently serve more than 400,000 people, with participating households in all fifty states.

the first to sense the need and see the market and potential for profit. 

Today, the U.S. insurance industry’s net premiums written totaled $1 trillion in 2013, with premiums recorded by life/health (L/H) insurers accounting for 54 percent .1

http://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/industry-overview

York. It paid total annual benefits of up to $28.85 to ill or injured employees.”2 Still, “it was essentially insurance that covered disability,” said Melissa A. Thomasson, economics professor and health care expert at Ohio’s Miami University. “At the time, the expenses associated with medical care were low — wage loss was a much bigger” financial hardship, by a 4-to-1 ratio, when someone missed time at work.

To say that medical or health insurance is Big Business is an understatement. The size of the industry leaves many consumers feeling lost in the miasma of insurance conglomerates.

U.S. PROPERTY/CASUALTY AND LIFE/HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS, 2013

“ The country was years away from a health plan that would directly pay for the actual hospitalization and medical care of workers. That no such plan existed was partly because there was no cohesive health care “system” to speak of in the early 1900s, and most health care — even primitive surgery — often still happened in the home, not a clinical setting. Of the care that was

GROUP HEALTH COVERAGE “Modern group insurance can be traced to 1910, when mail-order retailer Montgomery Ward solicited what is now considered the nation’s first multiemployee health insurance policy, through a plan issued by the London Guarantee and Accident Co. of New

http://www.post-gazette.com/healthypgh/2014/04/27/VITALS-How-did-US-employer-based-health-care-history-become-what-it-istoday/stories/201404150167

been relieved — even today, unpaid medical bills are the No. 1 cause of U.S. bankruptcies, outpacing creditcard bills or late mortgage payments.)

available, mostly for infectious diseases and traumatic injuries, much of it was unscientific by today’s standards. With some exceptions, hospitals were mental wards and homes for the indigent, operated by nurses and nuns, treating only specific ethnic or religious groups.”3

The argument that a health insurance system would yield a net savings for society “was meant to appeal to business,” wrote Paul Starr in the American Journal of Public Health.5

“Even so, the science of medical care was progressing rapidly and debate over who ought to pay for such care — and whether it was a right, or a privilege — was fomenting.

On the federal side, United States Senator John Dryden (R-NJ) (who was also the founder and president of the Prudential Insurance “The Traditional Company) introduced worldview held by legislation in 1904 that churches, fraternal would have disallowed societies and others was fraternal societies (lodges, fraternal under attack.” organizations, churches and denominations) from using the U.S. Mail.

Workplace reformers such as I.M. Rubinow — a doctor, the head of the American Association for Labor Legislation (AALL), a Russian emigrant and a socialist — wanted “compulsory” sickness coverage that would pay for medical costs and disease prevention for all workers, modeled after similar plans taking hold in Europe. Economist Irving Fisher believed health insurance was necessary “to tide workers over the grave emergencies [and to] reduce illness itself.”4

The bill didn’t go anywhere but it served as a warning shot about future efforts and the continued effort to exclude societies, ministries and others from having control of their own health care.6

Such a system would “relieve poverty caused by sickness by distributing individual wage losses and medical costs through insurance.” (It’s a concern that, in America, has never fully 3

http://www.postgazette.com/healthypgh/2014/04/27/VITALS-How-did-U-Semployer-based-health-care-history-become-what-it-istoday/stories/201404150167 4 Ibid. Post Gazette. How did US Employer based Health

Ibid. Post Gazette. How did US Employer based Health David T. Beito, From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC, 2000. P. 139. 6

This would place insurance companies in control of offerings that bore the imprimatur of the State. This campaign was strongly supported by employers who wanted protection from liability for workplace injuries, and the ability to better manage and predict the expense of industrial accidents. The first law requiring companies to provide workers’ compensation was passed in 1902, and by 1921 all but six states had enacted similar legislation.8 This, too, was a blow to fraternal societies, which had been cooperatively offering benefits to sick and injured workers for many years.

GOVERNMENT CONTROL

To facilitate like minded groups, fraternal organizations organized efforts to offer group coverage. Fraternal lodges like the Moose, Elks, and others formed societies to share medical needs. Huge growth came to these organizations. Much of this was associated with their insurance offerings. As these societies began to look more like insurance companies with age rating and accumulated reserves, state insurance commissioners began to push for oversight of their activities. There was initial resistance, but increasing numbers of the fraternal societies decided it was better to have a seat at the table (to borrow from recent Obamacare negotiations) and help shape the new requirements than to fight it outright. By 1919 what was known as the New York Conference Law, which standardized the regulation of fraternal organizations including the rates and benefits offered and placed them under the control of state insurance commissioners, had been adopted in forty states.7 The government was now in control of health care coverage.

Nothing matter in this socialistic drive toward the ‘common good’. American physicians did what they could to terminate one of the primary benefits of fraternal society membership, low-cost medical services. The commercial insurance industry, having awoken to the market potential of life insurance, attacked the other primary benefit, low-cost life insurance. Low cost is the enemy of

At the same time there was a sustained campaign to enact Workman’s Compensation laws across the country. 77

Ibid. 141-142

Starr, op. cit. 109-110

Worker’s Compensation Laws.”10 Nothing was sacred. Race, gender, political affiliation, labor party, and more were all systematically attacked by the elite.

profit! It’s easy to see why the commercial insurance companies were alarmed.

Beito writes – “Societies attracted millions of Senator John Dryden (R-NJ), founder of Americans and posed stiff competition Prudential insurance company, to the old-line (commercial) companies. introduced legislation in 1904 in an effort A direct comparison of fraternal and oldthat would have disallowed fraternal line rates shows why. In 1896 the societies from using the U.S. Mail to median annual assessment paid by conduct their legitimate business. members of the twenty-nine leading fraternal orders was just over $10 per “These developments were all the $1,000 of insurance. An annual outcome of the “Progressive premium for a leading old-line Era,” which saw little merit in policy of the same value, by self-help, preferring state “American physicians did contrast, was about $20 benevolence managed what they could to for a man at age twentyby bureaucratic elite. five and $48 at age terminate one of the 9 But the Progressive fifty.” primary benefits of movement wasn’t done. fraternal society One leader, in explaining his support of membership, low cost a compulsory health THE PUSH FOR medical services.” insurance program said in COMPULSORY HEALTH 1916,”11 “Democracy is the INSURANCE progress of all, through all, under In 1916, the idea of federal action in this the leadership of the wisest”12 – a area was unthinkable but a lot has sentiment shared by most of the educated elites of today. changed in the 100 years since. “The self-help, self-governing fraternal For the decades’ worth of talk of societies, male and female, white, black, overhauling health care, our national and immigrant, were being undermined system of paying for insurance coverage at every turn. The medical elite attacked isn’t much different from the one we had their provision of medical care, the in place 50 years ago — Americans get insurance regulators and commercial coverage and prescriptions through a insurance companies came after their provision of life insurance benefits, and the sickness benefits were eroded by 10 Safe Haven: How Mutual Aid Can Protect Families in Times 9

of Trouble By Greg Scandlen. August 2014. 11 Ibid. Safe Haven. 12 Beito, op. cit. 145.

Beito, op. cit. 135.

mix of government and military plans, employer-sponsored HMOs and PPOs, and individually purchased plans. For tens of millions of Americans at a time, there’s still no health insurance at all. Health care accounts for more than 1 in 6 of every dollar we spend in this country.

outmoded or as drastically in need of modification.13 It wasn’t just that such values were boring and old-fashioned, but that their existence undermined the necessity of the State as the center of gravity in a modern society. Government control under plutocratic influence was (and remains) the method. Ideas such as thrift were pernicious to an economy that relied on consumer spending for growth. The more one saved, the less one spent. Similarly with loyalty: loyalty to one’s neighbors, God, their church and/or coworkers interfered with loyalty to the State.

FROM MUTUAL AID TO CHARITY

With mutual aid and related values under assault Churches, denominations, lodges, fraternities and other societies realized they had been legislated out of their purpose and mission. These began the process to reorganize and respond to the challenge accordingly. For example, the Everence Association (formerly Mennonite Mutual Aid) was formed in 1945 to serve Anabaptist

The ideas that fueled the rise of fraternalism in America – mutual aid and self-help – had come under brutal attack in the Progressive Era, and the progressives dominated in the Twentieth Century. Beito writes – The traditional fraternal worldview was under attack. Age-old virtues such as mutual aid, character building, selfrestraint, thrift, and self-help, once taken for granted, came under fire either as

Ibid. 213

communities with direct mutual aid and charitable activities. Mutual aid was ready for the 21st Century. Others would follow a similar course.

Members, of these Christian Health Sharing organizations, with medical needs collect their itemized bills and submit them to the ministry. The ministry notifies its members that this person needs a certain amount of money to pay her medical bills. People send a check for the allocated amount directly to the person in need. Importantly, the members also pray for the one in need and send letters of encouragement. The entire process is voluntary. There are currently several such ministries:  Christian Healthcare Ministries (originally founded (1982) as the Christian Brotherhood Newsletter) – http://www.chministries.org  Christian Care Ministry (MediShare) founded through a splinter of Christian Brotherhood Newsletter 1993 – http://mychristiancare.org/medishare  Liberty Healthshare, founded in 1990 – http://www.libertyhealthshare.org  Samaritan Ministries, founded in 1994 – http://samaritanministries.org/  Life Share the newest of the health Share groups (powered by Liberty Healthshare). http://www.libertyhealthshare.org/li feshare

A NEW WAVE? “In recent years an entirely new phenomenon has appeared. These are the Christian Health Care Sharing Ministries. They are certainly self-help and mutual aid, but they are nothing like the old fraternal societies. They reject any insurance model for what they do. Members do not pay premiums and they do not receive benefits. Instead, they commit to helping one another with medical expenses through voluntary direct giving.”14 Give the people due credit; the move to take back their healthcare, to keep their healthcare decisions between them and their doctors and to control the cost had begun.

Ibid. Safe Haven.

care plan; in response to the growing need. Rather than a business model based primarily on profit, these health sharing organizations grew from the mission of churches and denominations to provide for their members. Not just to provide for their members but to do so in a manner that is consistent with their members “sincerely held religious beliefs.” “Medical sharing groups are private non9933profit Christian organizations designed to help members pay for their health care expenses. They are also called health care sharing ministries, as written in the Senate health insurance reform bill, H.R. 3590.

With healthcare sharing, People with medical needs may go to any health care provider they choose; there are no networks. And the price of the service and the payment of the bill are strictly between the doctor and the patient. “These ministries respect the relationship of the medical provider and the patient. They do not second guess that relationship. While these ministries are not “fraternal associations” as defined by state and federal governments, they do share the traditional emphasis of virtuous behavior of the members, and go well beyond the traditional admonitions.”15

While there are no laws forbidding other groups or faiths from medical sharing, we found only Christian groups involved in meeting this need.”16 “Although not health insurance, members of these ministries pay a monthly fee either to the ministry, or directly to other members. Members often cover simple procedures and office visits through their own cash payments.”17 At first blush it may seem strange to equate paying for healthcare coverage with Christian faith or giving. Yet, this is exactly what health sharing promotes. It certainly is similar to the model

MEDICAL SHARING GROUPS

MEDICAL SHARING An Inexpensive Alternative to Health Insurance Written by Twila Brase. Twila Brase, RN, PHN, is president of Safe

Medical Sharing Groups came about in a similar manner to the corporate health 15

Haven: How Mutual Aid Can Protect Families in Times of Trouble By Greg Scandlen. August 2014. Citizens’ Council on Health Care. Interviews and initial research were conducted by Steven Will, a freelance policy writer. 17

Ibid. Safe Haven.

Ibid. Twila Brase.

practiced by the Jerusalem Church in the New Testament time of the Bible and in continuality and continuity is based on the instructions from Apostle Paul to the New Testament Church. One could not deny that the premise of sharing was and remains tantamount to Christian Faith.

participants from a broad spectrum of Christian denominations support each other’s medical needs across all 50 states and around the world.

THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

As Christians moved to gain control of their health care others followed the lead of Mennonite Mutual Aid. Among the pioneers in this area of Christian Medical Health Sharing was the Order Amish Church Fund which began the modern-era of Christians embracing their responsibility of burden-bearing during the1960’s. Some twenty years later (1981) Rev. Bruce Hawthorn, a mission pastor in Barberton Ohio (with close ties to the Amish and Mennonite communities) took the concept of medical sharing mainstream with his Christian Brotherhood Newsletter (CBN). At one time CBN had over 80,000 people sharing more than 6 million a month in medical bills! Americans had found the return to mutual aid to their liking.

While Americans debated the Pros and Cons of the Affordable Care Act, few noticed that “Buried in Section 1501 on page 148 of the so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is an exemption from the individual mandate for a “health care sharing ministry,” a group whose members “share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs and share medical expenses among members in accordance with those beliefs.” For any member of such group, the law says, "No penalty shall be imposed."

Rev. Bruce Hawthorn founding his concept of health care sharing ministries on one simple principle, to help care for fellow human beings using the biblical principle to “Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). 18 This idea remains the guiding tenet of all the healthcare sharing ministries. Today, 18

It's somewhat of a mystery how those pushing the law allowed such a potentially large exemption to the individual mandate to be inserted in the first place. This is definitely a case in which the law's supporters, years after

Barberton Rescue Mission News. August 1981.

covering each others’ medical costs through a program of mutual, voluntary giving."

the law has passed, don't seem to know what's in it. But fortunately, many Americans are finding and utilizing this escape hatch. Christians are embracing the opportunity with a renewed interest and passion.

Yet, the article notes: The programs are structured in such a way that it’s not just a “give what you want, when you can” situation. There are coverage levels. There are tiers. If you pay so much a month, your annual out-of-pocket expenses will be adjusted accordingly. It looks and feels a lot like insurance, and based on the satisfied testimonials of many who have participated over the years; it operates in a similar, if more personal way.19 “Health care sharing ministries are similar to the voluntary mutual aid societies that supported many social welfare institutions in early 20th century America among nearly every

While Health care ministries have been around since the 1980s, they have grown by leaps and bounds since Obamacare passed and especially since the disastrous launch of the exchanges last fall. According to FoxNews.com, “Since the launch of HealthCare.gov on Oct. 1, membership at each of the ministries (healthcare sharing) has exploded, with nearly 30,000 new enrollees -- more than the number of people who selected a plan through Obamacare in 24 states." Health care ministries are not insurance in the sense that there is no contractual obligation to cover any service. As described by CatholicVote.org, "It’s a program in which members make a monthly monetary donation which is matched with the needs of other members who face medical bills, thus

demographic community. Mutual aid societies, including the Masons and the Odd Fellows, collected dues from each member and assisted members in need with covering the costs of necessities like medical care and funerals. Some of 19

https://cei.org/blog/how-matt-drudge-and-otherobamacare-victims-can-escape-liberty-tax

the healthcare sharing ministries Liberty Healthshare and Life Share (powered by Liberty Healthshare) have included the “End of Life” benefit in its offering to members giving their members added ‘peace of mind’.

According to Delaware's The News Journal, Most medical sharing groups “require members to share their Christian faith, attend church regularly, submit a letter of reference from their pastor and live by standards they say are mapped out in the Bible."21

As historian David Beito has documented, mutual aid societies were the primary source of health care coverage in many communities before the New Deal of the 1930s. "Mutual aid was a creature of necessity," Beito wrote in a Heritage Foundation paper, but "a reinvigoration of mutual aid ... is not out of the question in the 21st century."

But the paper notes that one -- Liberty Healthshare -- "has a broader umbrella, inviting all who can embrace its members' "shared beliefs" in God as the source of all rights and liberties, freedom to worship 'the God of the Bible' in his or her own way, the obligation to assist others, the duty to maintain a healthy lifestyle and the right to direct one's own health care free of government dictates."22

“And now the Obamacare mandates on individuals, employers, and insurance firms, have left the descendants of mutual aid societies as the only entities left with pre-Obamacare freedoms. Ironically, a health-care ministry has more freedom to price for risk and to exclude coverage of certain items -whether for religious objections or budgetary reasons -- than an insurance company. These savings can be passed on to members. Though it is a miracle that the health care ministry exemption exits at all in Obamacare, it is still unduly narrow. The exemption, for whatever reason, does not apply to any ministry created after December 31, 1999.”20

To learn more about this visit LIFESHARE, powered by Liberty Healthshare. In an amazing twist, Christians who participate in health share have the Amish to thank for leading the way in this concept. The Amish are a Christian sect most noted living a lifestyle that is like people in the 18th Century. Their commitment to a simple life, helping their neighbors and living for Jesus Christ led them to develop this approach.

“The main groups are all Christian, but vary in membership requirements.

https://cei.org/blog/how-matt-drudge-and-otherobamacare-victims-can-escape-liberty-tax 22 https://cei.org/blog/how-matt-drudge-and-otherobamacare-victims-can-escape-liberty-tax

https://cei.org/blog/how-matt-drudge-and-otherobamacare-victims-can-escape-liberty-tax

While practices vary by community, most Amish fund their health care through a system that merges church aid, benefit auctions and negotiated discounts with local hospitals promising quick cash payment in exchange for lower rates. In an environment where health providers face a mountain of red tape and government mandated paperwork the promise of cash customers is most welcome. "The way they come together to pay for health care is amazing," said Jan Bergen, chief operating officer at Lancaster General Health. "It's a tithing. Their sense of responsibility extends beyond themselves and to the community."24

“Along with eschewing cars and many other modern technologies, the descendants of 18th-Century German immigrants who practice the Amish and Old Order Mennonite religions, have effectively opted out of the Affordable care act – ACA (some refer to as Obamacare), along with most federal safety net programs.” Instead, they rely more directly on each other. A littleknown provision of the law (ACA) with its roots in a 1950s battle over Social Security exempts these communities from the individual mandate, an element of the Affordable Care Act that requires most Americans to purchase health insurance in some form. But it is not the idea of health insurance the Amish reject - the close-knit communities essentially insure themselves. "We have our own health care," said a retired Amish carpenter, who like other Amish interviewed for this story, asked that his name not be used because of a traditional aversion to publicity and bringing attention to oneself.”23 23

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/05/usahealthcare-amish-idUSL1N0HR1IV20131005

Here is a brief history of the exemption. In the 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, the Amish founded the Old Order Amish Church Fund. That fund was built on the concept of caring for your own medical needs and caring for others, while being thrifty. As we have seen these are values that were important on previous generations but lost in the push to modernism. The Amish (the plain people as they are regarded) held to their beliefs and their commitment to the simple life. As the success of the Old Order Amish Church Fund became known, other funds to share medical expenses were created to include all Christians and medical health care sharing became main stream.

Healthcare-sharing is now available in all 50 States, and 28 States (see map below) have laws that explicitly provide for such coverage. The states in Green are those states. For Christians, much of the appeal of healthcare-sharing ministries is that they provide medical coverage at less cost and do not force participants to fund such things as abortion, sex-change operations, and contraceptives.

ORGANIZATIONS  Dr. Ralph E. Day Chairman of the Life Network. A network of Christ followers from business, education, church, media and community. Professionals working in harmony to improve our world. Http://www.lifenetwork.us

Medical Health Sharing is here to stay and the organizations that serve the people are becoming more organized to meet the demand. The National Coalition of Health Share Ministries serves as a network for medical sharing organizations. “Their mission is to make the Christian tradition of health care sharing, available and affordable to all.”

 John Daly the pioneering reality TV Host and is now a pioneer in video and TV production in the new media. He has created new video models for companies and individuals to market themselves and their companies in more viral, compelling, and engaging ways while keeping costs way down. He has mastered video production off the iPhone to shoot, edit, and deliver video stories quickly and efficiently.  Dr. Cindye Coates Provost of Life College; a Kentucky based liberal arts Christian Institute. http://www.lifecollege.education

Young, effectively organized and connected ministries like Liberty Health Share a program name of Gospel Light Mennonite Church Medical Aide Plan, Inc. They are engaging a plethora of powerful voices representing the people:  Dr. Elaina George - a Board certified Otolaryngologist. She graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Biology. She received her Master’s degree in Medical Microbiology from Long Island University, and received her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Dr George completed her residency at Manhattan, Eye Ear & Throat Hospital. Her training included general surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, pediatric ENT at The NY-Presbyterian Hospital, and head and neck oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

ENROLLMENT Perhaps the most notable difference between medical sharing groups and health insurance companies is their criteria for enrollment. 19

“Most medical sharing groups are Christian organizations, run by or alongside Christian ministries. Common membership requirements include an agreement not to smoke, drink heavily, or use illicit drugs. Members must attend church regularly, and agree not to have sex outside of marriage.

kinds of illnesses. That causes claims to be lower, and lower claims mean smaller premiums.

AGING HEALTH COSTS Historically, older societies begin to have problems paying benefits as their membership ages. To offset these growing costs they have to impose additional assessments on existing members, and often they use agedbased rating rather than equal premiums for all their members. One of the challenges of the older groups is as their group ages their cost rise.

These requirements may sound strict, but James Lansberry, director of Samaritan Ministries says it is precisely these requirements, along with the nature of sharing groups that helps keeps prices low for the members.”25

One the benefits for members of younger groups like LifeShare; powered by Liberty Healthshare is lower costs and the prospects of stability and longevity. “Here is how healthcare-sharing works. When a participant receives a medical bill, he or she submits the bill to the organization. If the bill meets the eligibility requirements and the person’s

Those who seek to avoid the Affordable Healthcare Act (or Obamacare as it is often called), by using this exemption pledge not to drink to excess, take illegal drugs or have relations outside of traditional marriage. As is readily apparent, the pool of members, by living better lifestyles, is healthier and less susceptible to many 25

MEDICAL SHARING An Inexpensive Alternative to Health Insurance Written by Twila Brase. January 2010.

Insurance companies are profit-making corporations, regulated by the government. Healthcare-sharing organizations are non-profit and are not subject to regulation from the insurance industry. Being free from government supervision lowers the operating costs of Healthcare-sharing ministries, but removes the legal force to oversee the functioning of the business. Should a claim be denied, a plan participant may appeal within the organization, but he or she does not have a governmental insurance agency to which to complain.

Personal responsibility or unshared amount has been reached the payment of the bill is shared by other members of the plan. Acceptance has been widespread and growth has been exponential as people have discovered a method to avoid the costs and requirements of government healthcare.â&#x20AC;?26 Consumers should know that healthcare-sharing is not insurance. Most people are very happy that to not be subject to the dictates of a large corporation for their medical care needs.

This does not mean that these organizations have no oversight. Like all non-profit organizations health sharing ministries are subject to oversight from a plethora of State

http://waynesbororepublicans.com/report/taking-a-lessonfrom-the-amish/

organizations including the state Attorney General.

burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ” to the ever-rising medical costs which can be quite burdensome for anyone, single or married, young or old. It is a principle that has been around since the birth and growth of the early Church.

Healthcare-sharing ministries presently cover over 300,000 subscribers. For a comparison of costs, let’s look at some numbers for a family of 4. These numbers will vary slightly based on locality.

The Book of Acts reports, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need,” (Acts 2:44-45). These Christians are making a decision to be there for their neighbor in need and bring glory to God in the process of sharing.

First, Affordable Care Act (Obamacare): Least Expensive Plan, $782 per month, $12,000 deductible. Second, LifeShare (powered by Liberty Healthshare): Best Plan, $399 per month. 100% sharing up to $1 Million per incident. Third, Samaritan Ministries: Best Plan, $405 per month. $300 deductible per medical need.

HOW IT WORKS The member ministries of the Alliance each publish and distribute a monthly publication to a group of committed Christian participants who have offered to give a certain amount each month. This money is shared among the participants to assist those with medical bills. The publication lists the current needs of its participants and shows who the gift is to help that particular month. This brings Christians together to share medical bills with one another. The key is that medical needs are shared among participants. The personal approach of HCSMs facilitates Christians to bear one another’s burdens in a very tangible way. Biblical principles are foundational to HCSMs and the participants treat

If you are interested in healthcaresharing, you should go to the websites of the ministries. Then, you should call their customer service centers and ask any questions. We encourage you to send copies of this article to Christian family members and friends. They may be happy to learn, what the Amish already know.

BIBLICAL BASIS As we have covered, medical sharing groups are founded on the biblical mandate of believers to share each other’s needs. Our goal is to apply Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s 22

each other with respect, prayer, and genuine care.

to serious illness is advantageous. In addition, each ministry lists certain procedures and conditions for which there is no sharing. For example, among other limitations, Christian Healthcare Ministries does not share chiropractic services, and Samaritan Ministries does not share infertility expenses.

TESTIMONY FROM A PARTICIPANT “We are amazed at the care and generosity of God’s people! We received over 200 cards and gifts from those who felt led by the Holy Spirit to help bear our financial burden! I now share with others as much as possible about this incredible ministry. We often found ourselves in tears as we read the meaningful notes of agape love and encouragement.”

MEDICAL SHARING IS THE FUTURE Kevin Williamson argues in “The End is Near: And it’s Going to be Awesome,”27 “that the unfunded obligations of the United States alone are “more than all the money in the world – about twice that, in fact. It is about twice global GDP, and more than the value of all the assets in the world – from household items to real estate and stock portfolios – combined.”28

Limits on Sharing It should be noted that while none of the groups declines applicants for preexisting chronic conditions such as cancer, the member’s expenses related to the condition are not typically shared unless the condition has not required treatment for one to three years.

Other countries have similar, if smaller debts, and “there is no plausible scenario in which all these obligations are made good on.”29 He says, “the historic challenge of our time is to

Samaritan Ministries does not share any costs related to preexisting cancer, heart conditions or diabetes. Thus, membership prior

Kevin D. Williamson, “The End is Near and its Going to be Awesome,” Broadside Books, 2013. P. 101. 28 Ibid. P. 98 29 Ibid. P.101

anticipate as best we can the coming changes and to begin developing alternative institutions and social practices to ensure the continuation of a society that is humane, secure, free and prosperous.”30

sharing ministries are not nearly as financially or technologically sophisticated as they should be, but they are a step in the right direction. Combining the distributed, peer-to-peer model of cooperation exemplified by Kickstarter and similar online ventures with the old-fashioned virtues of selfreliance and community cohesion exemplified by the fraternal insurance societies provides a promising model for replacing our dysfunctional health insurance system with something more humane, flexible, and efficient. And we have a tool available to us that the Masons and the Elks Lodge did not: Rigidly engineered modern actuarial practices can make cooperative insurance practices orders of magnitude more efficient than they were in the 1930s.”

“More importantly, we are sinking deeply into a narcissistic culture that places little value on even delayed gratification, let alone service to others. As the Founders knew well, a free society cannot survive without virtue, and the principles of virtue are absent from our schools, and even many of our families. Young adults continue to rely on their parents for support well into their thirties. People graduate from school barely able to read and write. Marriage is becoming obsolete.”31 “As the State fails, people will once again look to mutual aid and self-help for shelter from the storms. There is no other choice. The old style of fraternal organization, with its silly rituals, handshakes, and costumes may be long gone. But the principles of thrift, civility, charity, modesty, and self-reliance are never out of date, and new mutual aid organizations will emerge to get us through the hard times.

Williamson is impressed by the Christian health sharing ministries mentioned above but sees them as rudimentary. He writes – “The Christian health30 31

Ibid. P. 11 Ibid. P. 99

While Mission or Ministry is Vision Focused...it's Values Driven!

national pride, and Kenyans have in their DNA the capacity for long distance running. It’s a grace from God, a redemptive purpose, and a divine enablement that has been proven race after race for years. The world— especially the Kenyans—knows it. Remember, this was January 2000, and the Sydney, Australia, Olympics was going to start in a few weeks.

In January 2000, I was speaking for Pastor Mark Kariuki of Nakuru, Kenya. Pastor Mark had scheduled me to speak at one of his church’s lunch hour “fellowships.” The church rents a movie theater during the week at lunchtime, and the people come to get fed “the Word of God” for lunch. I had been to Kenya many times in the past, and while I have a tremendous love and respect for the Kenyans, I had noticed a tendency of Kenyans to be full of vision, but lacking the follow-through to ever see their vision fulfilled. This tendency exists in people all over the world. But I must admit, despite my love for the Kenyans, their lack of follow-through in many cases was getting to me. I want them to get to their purpose, vision and destiny.

I started my message with a question: How many Kenyans here have a vision to win the marathon at the Olympics? The scene following this question was wildly enthusiastic and positive! Over 1,000 Kenyans stood up, screaming, dancing, and going crazy. We had a revival! It took me over ten minutes to calm down the crowd! Then, after they quieted down, I asked the next question: How many people here think that Kenyans have it in their DNA to win the marathon at the Olympics? You guessed it! The theater exploded with shouting, joy, celebration, etc. It took me (as I recall) fifteen minutes to quiet the “revival.” I could have gone back to my hotel at this point and we would still have “had church.”

As I prepared for the lunch hour message, none of my old messages would “resurrect.” Finally, the Lord gave me an idea, a revelation, a principle that has changed my life as well as thousands of other lives around the globe. God showed me that there was, indeed, a problem, or “matata.”

Then I asked the last question: What if you have a Kenyan who has a vision to win the marathon at the Olympics, and he/she has it in their DNA to win the Marathon, but who never practices. Will he/she win the Olympic marathon? You

First of all, let me say that most every Kenyan’s “vision” is to win the marathon in the Olympics. Kenyans are great long distance runners. It’s a source of 26

guessed it—the theater was quiet. No revival, the celebration stopped! I was worried they would think I had quenched the Holy Spirit.

The point is that vision and values (governance) were always meant to work together. Vision is the driver. Values or governance is a vehicle for the fulfillment of vision. Vision by itself cannot and will not achieve our objective. That Kenyan who never practices will never win the Olympic marathon, even though he has it in his DNA! His lack of self-governance will undermine him every time. The fulfillment of potential requires appropriate and enabling governance resulting from a core value.

A Vision Ungoverned Leads to Frustration Here is the problem with the 'wanna -be' Kenyan I used as the example. He/she has a core value or “governance” issue that undermines their vision of winning the marathon rather than enabling their vision. You can’t win the Olympic marathon and at the same time be lazy, eat wrong, not have a coach, etc. The Kenyan’s lack of self-governance will lead him to frustration, failure and unfulfilled potential. Born to win, conditioned to lose by the disabling core value of laziness or unawareness. How does that Kenyan move from dream to done? Change his values. Replace laziness or discipline. Now he/she has an enabling values, not a disabling values. By replacing his values, he has moved from the impossibility of ever winning the Olympics to the possibility or even probability of winning the Olympics. Obviously, there are Kenyans who have a good vision as well as enabling core values or governance, or else no Kenyan would ever win the Olympic marathon.

Good Vision...Poor Governance Here’s the problem with most people, churches and organizational spheres. Generally, we’re good at vision, but lack the appropriate governance or core values to get us to the vision. Somehow we think a good vision is enough. Let me say it again. Every vision requires enabling core values for the vision to move from dream to done. What about the man who wants to have good “abs” (abdominal muscles), but never works out or exercises? Great vision, but the wrong values for the vision. What about the person who wants to graduate with honors from college but never does their homework? Or the woman who wants to weigh 125 pounds, but who loves and consumes snacks? What about the pastor who 27

wants to have a big church, but doesn’t serve the people, invest time leading or study the Bible? How about the person who wants to be a great worship leader or musician, but never practices? What about the man who wants a big savings account, but spends everything he gets and more? How about the person who wants to be a good employee and get a promotion, but comes to work late and unfocused? What about that husband who returns from a Promise Keepers meeting and wants to be a great husband, but then cheats on his wife? What about a church that wants to “take the city,” but is exclusive and ends up competing with other churches? What about the Christian who wants to be a “good neighbor,” but leaves his front yard a mess?

values govern getting a vision done. From now on in this article I will use the word core values which means governance. Here's another example of this principle. God has a vision statement. It is Habakkuk 2:14. "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." In Genesis, Chapters One and Two, we see God giving Adam and Eve everything necessary to fulfill God's vision; power, authority, intelligence, relationship and all the capacity to fulfill His vision. God gave them a vision. What happened? They ended up eating fruit from a tree on the advice of a serpent. Could they ever fulfill God's vision of filling the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord after doing that? No way. Adam and Eve were created to be a type of government to fulfill God's vision. They turned out to be a disabling government to fulfill God's vision. God's vision would never become reality with them as the government.

Will these people ever get to their vision or desire? The answer in all but a very few cases is no! Why? The core values, or governance, of these people disables their vision rather than enables their vision. They might have a good vision but incompatible core values for the vision. Envisioned to win...devalued to lose.

There are many Christians who would have said at this point, "God has a bad vision. It never got fulfilled." They would have blamed the visionary. But the problem was not the visionary. The problem was the government or ability to govern that was in Adam and Eve.

Moving from Tell-A-Vision to Do-AVision...From Dream to Done! You have probably noticed that I use the words governance and core values together. That is on purpose. Core 28

What happened then? In the fullness of time, God sent Jesus. What did Jesus come with? Government and governance resting on His shoulders! (Ish. 9:6). What Adam and Eve couldn't do because of disabling core values, Jesus did because of enabling core values. Jesus came to fulfill God's vision and fulfilled God's vision. He filled the earth with the knowledge of the glory. Principle: Right vision but wrong core values...Failure. Right vision with enabling core values...Success.

Values Drive Behavior I heard a message by Dr. John Maxwell in which he said that core values are deeply held beliefs authentically describing the soul of the leader and the organization. They provide guidelines by which all members are expected to conduct themselves. These values are not open for compromise. Core values are the deep structures in our belief systems that guide our behavior. Core values are internal; behavior is external. Core values are the roots; forms and behaviors are the fruits. Our values drive our behavior. Our core values must change in order for our behaviors to change.

Here is what I'm concerned about. Many of us may have a great vision from God but lack, in ourselves, the right core values to govern the vision. Just like the man from Kenya, we are always learning, never able. Many of the pastors, leaders or business owners reading this article might have the best vision ever but lack a team with enabling core values in them to do the vision. I believe that while there are people with ungodly visions or just wish dreams that they call visions, more often than not, the problem is not vision. The problem is disabling core values that are not congruent with fulfilling the vision. The key from moving from a prophetic vision (seeing) to an apostolic reality (doing) is a values issue. In other words, vision is a picture of where you want to go. Values are the power to get you there. Aha!

Values are constant. Values are passionate. They touch the heart. They are the essence of the organization. Values are core beliefs that drive the ministry. Remember, while ministry is vision-focused, it is values driven. Some other words we could use for values are precepts, choices, ideals, assumptions, or standards. Values affect decision making, risk taking, goal setting, conflict resolution, problem solving, priorities determination, role clarification, and resource utilization. Values communicate what is important. Values influence overall behavior. Vision inspires people to action. Values enable execution of the vision. Values can be the best friend or the worst enemy of the vision.

Dr. Norman Wakefield says a significant value is something which is important enough to find consistent expression in the choices we make. The true test of values in not in our words of agreement, but in our lifestyle and actions. We have freedom to choose our own values. We can evaluate what is important, make our own determinations, and then go on to live by principles we have chosen to be our own. However, values are not fixed. Our values have potential for growth and change. But sometimes people do not seem able or willing to change. Even when change means growth.

a recipe for failure. One may get excited with a vision change, but without a value change the vision is defeated before it gets off the ground. Many communities and cities have been captivated by the vision of community transformation, but after trying it for a short time, have failed, and failed miserably. “It does not work here,” is the rhetoric for hundreds of community transformation initiatives all over the world. What was the problem? A bad vision? No. The values. That is why in Church@Community, I explore the eight disabling values and replace them with eight enabling values. The result? It moves us from the impossibility of transforming a community to the possibility, even the probability of transforming communities.

In short, a good core value, serves the vision…engenders passion…is shared…is constant…can be expressed clearly….congruent with other values…is implementable!

Moving From a Wanna-be to an Gonna-be to an Is-a-be!

Core Values and the Vision of Transforming Society and Communities

How do you change a value? Dr. Norman Wakefield enlightens us. I discover or state what I believe to be an important value for the fulfillment of the vision. As opportunities arise I choose daily to act on what I believe is important. As I consistently make such choices over a period of time, the belief becomes part of my character and lifestyle. And then… and only then… it’s a value!

In my book, Church@Community, community transformation is the vision. However, the distinctive of the book is that I identify eight core values in church culture that most churches have adopted that disable community transformation. Casting vision for community transformation requires both a vision change and a value change. A vision change without a value change is 30

It's important to understand that a belief is not a value. A belief is where we start. A value is a belief that we act on consistently. For example, I believe I should work out. But when the fork in the road comes, do I work out or do something else? I believe that I should pray, but do I pray? I believe that I should be honest? But, am I honest when temptations come? James says the demons believe in Jesus but they don't do anything about it. In other words, the demons disabling values trump their beliefs. Just think, if you believe in something but don't do it, you are no better than a demon! Just kidding...I think. A value is something that you consistently do, not just agree with. So, there you have it. Generally, a lack of getting to your vision is generally not a vision issue, it's a values issue. Aha! Written exclusively for Dr. Bernie L. Wade and Life Network http://www.lifenetwork.us \

NATIONSTRATEGY Ed Delph has been responding to God's call to the community and to the nations since 1979. He has ministered or been in over 100 countries as well as serving as a pastor in the United States.

Bishop Dilshad Bhatti Bishop Bhatti heads up a dynamic church network in Pakistan, one of the most difficult places to build a church in the world. The Jesus Calls Church of Pakistan has over 250 ministers and churches and over 60,000 members INTERNATIONAL CIRCLE OF FAITH IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE INTERNATIONAL PRESBYTERY FOR 2015-2018

Cindye Coates, Ph.D. Cindye is a 7th generation Georgian. Cindye cheered for the NFL (Atlanta Falcons) 197981. Served with the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) for a decade. In 1996, Cindye was chosen to be a Goodwill Ambassador for the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games.

Bishop Ron Allen CEO/President of the International Faith Based Coalition. Broker - Ron Allen School of Real Estate. Senior Pastor

Stan Coates, Ph.D. Bishop Marcus Benson, Th.D.

Pastor Stan toured 300 days a year for 5 years all over the US, Canada, & Mexico with Mylon & Broken Heart. As a major singer and songwriter, he was nominated for several Grammy's. Pastors Stan and Cindye have planted 7 churches and mentored countless worship leaders, singers, musicians, and ministry leaders.

Regional Director of Ireland, for the International Association of Christian Theologians. He is married to Precious; they are blessed with four children. They live in the Republic of Ireland. 33

Bishop Donald Crousser

Bishop Herbert (Bing) Gadian

Donald Crousser is one of Bishop Bernie L. Wade’s spiritual sons. Don has a true servant’s heart and has helped to guide ICOF since our reorganization in 2001. He is passionate, spirit filled leader

President - Jesus for All Nations established in 1984. Thousands of churches have been planted.

Bishop David Ngwa, Ph.D. Bishop David C. Ngwa is the Founder and Director of Global Harvest Foundation (GHF). President of the Global Biblical Institute & Theological Seminary (GBIATS), part of ICOF CSU (now Life College). He is married to Elizabeth and they are blessed with three daughters and a son.

Ralph E. Day, Ph.D. Dr. Ralph E. Day, Jr. has served in the ministry for over 40 years. He is a tremendously gifted teacher and leader. He currently serves as Chairman of Life Network’s Executive Advisory Committee. He resides in Bridgeville, Delaware. He is married to Mary Beth (Tarnow) Day and has four children and four grandchildren.

Barney P. Phillips, Ph.D. He serves as VP of International Circle of Faith [ICOF]. He is a gifted teacher who leads the Spiritual Development Department for Life Church and the Life Church Network. Barney and his wife Pastor Sarah Phillips live in Kentucky with their two children.

Bishop Joseph Freeson Bishop of Christ Peoples Chapel International – Ghana. Doctoral degree from Life College, USA (formerly ICOF CSU).

Pastor Riaz Sadiq, Ph.D.

Tembi Alfred Tembi, Ph.D.

Founder of Good News Ministry in Pakistan. Currently pastoring in Canada. Riaz holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Life College. He is a pastor and bible translator. Pastor Sadiq lives in Canada with his wife Agnes and their three adult children.

Rev. Dr. Tembi Alfred Tembi the President of Revival Gospel Ministries of Cameroon. CEO of Christian Communication Network Cameroon, He is married to Rev. Dr. Tembi Beatrice an ordained minister of the Gospel. They have two grown up children.

Apostle Stephen R. Strader

Apostle Phillip Torboe Global Glory Invasion aka Grace Church of God since 1972. Port Vila, Republic of Vanuatu, S W Pacific Ocean. Ministered the Word of God throughout Vanuatu and in Australia, Fiji, Kenya, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uganda.

He worked as an associate pastor at the Carpenterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home Church, in Lakeland, Florida, from 1978 to 2005 with his father, Karl D. Strader. In 2005, Stephen became the senior pastor, and renamed the church, Ignited Church. Stephen and Janice reside in Lakeland FL where they have pastored for over 30 years. David Tait David serves as the Editor in Chief for ICOF. Producing weekly publications such as TGIF (Thank God itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Friday) and Tuesday Teachings. David is a gifted teacher and the founder of Walking With Jesus Ministries in New Zealand. 35

Daniel Joseph *Ubonabasi, Ph.D.

Bernie L. Wade, Ph.D.

Bishop Ubonabasi works closely with Bishop Bernie Wade and the ICOF. He is the point man for all of ICOFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s endeavors in Africa.

Bernie Wade is a visionary. Under his direction International Circle of Faith was organized [2001] out of the original mission of the Apostolic Faith Church of God in Cleveland, Ohio

He and his wife Regina Ubonabasi [who leads Women for Christ] live in Uyo, Nigeria with their five children.

VISIT ICOF AT: http://www.icof.net

Daisy R. Wade, Ph.D. Daisy has served as the Principle for Harvard High School International for more than nearly two decades. She leads the Prayer ministry for Life Church and serves as part of the Dream Team. Daisy and her husband Bernie have two natural children and 4 natural grandchildren plus dozens who call them Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa.

“Rule in Midst of Your Enemies”

peace in an area that once was full of conflict and oppression. Therefore, to truly be able to move in authority, we must first have peace.

By Barney P. Phillips

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

True peace does not come from extreme indifference, nor does it originate from becoming so “spiritual” that you fail to notice the world around you. Peace is the fruit of being confident in God’s love; it is born of the revelation that, regardless of the battle, “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). You are not selfassured; you are God-assured.

Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:7

THE GOD OF PEACE WILL CRUSH SATAN

The apostle Paul taught, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20). When we maintain peace during warfare, it is a crushing deathblow to satanic oppression and fear. Our victory never comes from our emotions or our intellect. Our victory comes by refusing to judge by what our eyes see or our ears hear and by trusting that what God has promised will come to pass.

To be effective in spiritual battle, we must understand and use spiritual authority. Spiritual authority, however, is not forcing your will upon another person. When you have spiritual authority, you have established God’s

We will never know Christ’s victory in its fullness until we stop reacting humanly to our circumstances. When you truly have authority over something you can 39

look at that thing without worry, fear or intimidation. Your peace is the proof of your victory. Jesus’ authority over the violent storm (see Matt. 8:23-27) was the exercise and expansion of His peace over the elements. He did not fight against the storm, nor did He fear it. In perfect peace, He faced its fury and subdued it with His authority. In Pilate’s court, in a world stirred to an emotional frenzy by the powers of hell, a holy tranquility surrounded Christ – peace that was born out of His resolve to do God’s will no matter what the cost. His Spirit emanated a calm that perfectly represented the peace at God’s throne. In a matter of moments, it was no longer Jesus who was on trial, but Satan, Pilate and the religious establishment in Israel.

coming against you? In the network of your relationships, wherever you do not have peace, you have war. Conversely, wherever you have peace, you have victory. When Satan hurls his darts against you, the more peace you have during adversity, the more truly you are walking in Christ’s victory. Paul tells us to be “in no way alarmed by your opponents – which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you” (Phil. 1:28). Your peace, your immovable stand upon the Word of God is a sign that you are positioned correctly in focused submission to the will of God. The very fact that you are “in no way alarmed” by your adversary is a sign that you have authority over him. PEACEMAKERS ARE SONS OF GOD Peace is Spirit power. Peace is an attribute of the Holy Spirit, and when you are walking in peace, you are walking in power. A peacemaker is not merely someone who protests against war; he is one who is inwardly so yielded to Christ in spirit and purpose that he can be called a son of God (see Matt. 5:9). Where he goes, God goes and where God goes, he goes. He is fearless, calm and bold. Peace emanates from him the way light and heat radiate from fire.

Satan’s arsenal consists of such things as fear, worry, doubt and self-pity. Every one of these weapons robs us of peace and leaves us troubled inside. Do you want to discern where the enemy is 40

In the battles of life, your peace is actually a weapon. your confidence declares that you are not falling for the lies of the devil. You see, the first step toward having spiritual authority over the adversary is having peace in spite of our circumstances. When Jesus confronted the devil, He did not confront Satan with His emotions or in fear. Knowing that the devil was a liar, He simply refused to be influenced by any other voice than God’s. His peace overwhelmed Satan. His authority then shattered the lie, which sent demons fleeing.

In this psalm he stood in the “shadow of death” itself, yet he feared no evil. David’s trust was in the Lord. He said, “You are with me.” Because God is with you, every adversity you face will unfold in victory as you maintain your faith in God. David continued, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (v. 5). The battle you are in will soon become a meal to you, an experience that will nourish and build you up spiritually. Only God’s peace will subdue your fleshly reactions in a battle. The source of God’s peace is God Himself. “Before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal” (Rev. 4:6). The glass sea is a symbol: there are no ripples, no waves, and no anxieties troubling God. The Lord is never worried, never in a hurry nor without an answer. The sea around Him is perfectly still and totally calm. All our victories flow out from being seated here with Him.

REST BEFORE RULE In the 23rd Psalm, David declared, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me” (v. 4). There is a place of walking with God where you simply “fear no evil.” During his lifetime, David faced many enemies including a lion, a bear and a giant.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3: 1-8)

were born there in spiritual rebirth Let your heart be settled and positioned correctly in your relationship with the Almighty. To those who have been born again from above, He says, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet” (Ps. 110:1). Before you go into warfare, recognize that it is not you that the devil is afraid of; it is Christ in you! We have been raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places (see Eph. 2:6). This is why the Holy Spirit continues to speak to us that worship of God is our first response in battle. Position yourself in the presence of God. Sit, at rest, in the knowledge that Christ has already made your enemies the footstool for your feet. From a position of rest, the Word of the Lord continues, “The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies’ ” (Ps. 110:2). Rest precedes rule. Peace precedes power. Do not seek to rule over the devil until you are submitting to God’s rule over you. The focal point of all victory comes from seeking God until you find Him, and after finding Him, allowing His presence to fill your spirit with His peace. From full assurance at His right hand, as you rest in His victory, so will you rule in the midst of your enemies.

God is our Father. The heavenly Jerusalem is our mother, the birthplace of our new nature (see Gal. 4:26). And you, you are a beloved child of God, part of the Father’s family and a member of His household (see Eph. 2:19). We must realize that you are not struggling to get into heaven; rather, you 42

LIFE CHURCH OF KENTUCKY SPEAK LIFE

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From This Point Forward, Christians Are Going To Be Banned From Holding Many Jobs In America By Michael Snyder

Editors Note: Like a blast from the past Christians around the world find themselves the targets of bigots, haters, anti-Christ’s and Christophobs. We understand the lessons from history of those who stood for their faith faced segregation, sterilization and even elimination.

Christianity is being criminalized in the United States. No, I am not talking about the kind of Christianity that is so prevalent in America today where “Christians” just ignore what the Bible says and do whatever they wanted to do in the first place anyway. Rather, I am talking about the kind of faith that Kim Davis has demonstrated.

The Greatest Generation that fought so that their posterity would never face such horrors. Yet, tragically, Christians faced persecution in America.

Christians all over this country are being put into positions where they must choose to either submit to the “new morality” or potentially lose their jobs. For Kim Davis, 47

deciding to take a stand meant that she was thrown into prison. The radical judge that threw her into prison has said that she will stay there until she is willing to change her mind.

We better start paying attention. What is happening right in front of our eyes is eerily reminiscent of what happened in Nazi Germany… Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis entered her fourth day as an inmate at the Carter County Detention Center Sunday, after refusing to license gay marriage. About 300 people gathered on the lawn outside the jail to support her Saturday, chanting “thank you, Kim” and waving signs that said “Kim Davis for President” and “God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers.”

The pace of which our nation is circling the toilet is absolutely breathtaking. Just eleven years ago, a state constitutional amendment that banned gay marriage in Kentucky received support from 75 percent of the voters. Now, Kim Davis has been locked away, and more county clerks may be next. There is news that another county clerk named Casey Davis has stepped forward to say that he won’t issue any same sex marriage licenses either.

Davis was held in contempt of court and jailed on Thursday for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite being ordered to do so several times by the courts. Mathew Staver, Davis’s chief legal counsel, compared her persecution to that of Jews faced in Nazi Germany. Staver told the radio show “Crosstalk” Wednesday, “[Davis is] there to do a duty, a job and the job duty was changed. Does that mean that if you’re Christian, don’t apply here? … What happened in Nazi Germany, what happened there first, they removed the Jews from

What in the world has happened to America? We live in a country where Christians are being imprisoned for what they believe, but Planned Parenthood is free to slaughter babies, chop them up, and sell off their parts to the highest bidder. 48

government public employment, then they stopped patronizing them in their private businesses, then they continued to stigmatize them, then they were the ‘problems,’ then they killed them.”

If you don’t believe me, just consider what happened to the CEO of Mozilla. He was extremely good at his job, but he was forced out when it was revealed that he had once donated $1,000 to a group that supported Proposition 8. It didn’t matter that 52 percent of Californians actually voted in favor of Proposition 8. He broke “the code”, and so he was not fit to run a major tech corporation. By extension, that means that no Bible-believing Christian is fit to run a major tech corporation. And if you are a Christian, don’t think about a career as a high ranking military official either. According to a startling Buzzfeed report, Barack Obama actually told the top military officers in this nation that they could either support the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell or they could resign… In a meeting with the heads of the five service branches in 2010, President Obama offered the leaders a choice: Support my efforts to end the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, or resign, the Commandant of the Coast Guard said.

In the future, Bible-believing Christians are going to be completely disqualified from being county clerks or holding any other government position that deals with marriage. But it won’t stop there. Ultimately, any Christians that will not go along with the new morality will be labeled a “bigot” and a “hater” and will essentially become unemployable.

In a video obtained by BuzzFeed via a Freedom of Information Act request, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp revealed that Obama was unwilling to compromise with service leaders over DADT during a meeting in 2010. “We were called into the Oval Office and President Obama 49

looked all five service chiefs in the eye and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ I cannot divulge everything he said to us, that’s private communications within the Oval Office, but if we didn’t agree with it — if any of us didn’t agree with it — we all had the opportunity to resign our commissions and go do other things,” he said.

that are trying to force us to accept things that we simply cannot accept. And even now, many employers will not even think of hiring you if they discover that you are a committed follower of Jesus Christ. And just like in Nazi Germany, eventually the persecution becomes more overt and more violent.

Are you starting to get the picture?

On Saturday, a non-denominational church in New York was firebombed… Police in New York are investigating after a firebomb was thrown inside of a door at a nondenominational church on Saturday. The incident occurred early Saturday morning at approximately 5:30 a.m. as a yet unidentified suspect threw a Molotov cocktail threw a glass door at the Chapel at Crosspoint in Getzville. The explosive then started a fire in the vestibule, which set off the sprinkler system and flooded the entryway. The Getzville Fire Department and the Amherst Police Department responded to the four-alarm incident, according to assistant Police Chief Charles Cohen.

It is becoming unacceptable to be a Biblebelieving Christian in America, and it is only going to get worse in the years ahead. The following is what Carl Gallups, the author of “Be Thou Prepared“, had to say about this in a recent piece for WND… The imprisonment of Kim Davis won’t be the end of the insanity infecting America. We have been given over to a depraved mind, and the travesty inflicted upon this brave believer is unprecedented in American history as far as I know. I do not believe that anyone, public official or private citizen, has ever been jailed simply because of his or her firmly held faithbelief that marriage is between a man and a woman and not between two men or two women.

The culture is turning radically against us, and what we have seen so far is just the beginning.

This is how it starts. In television shows and movies, Bible-believing Christians are being relentlessly mocked. Laws are being passed that are slowly marginalizing believers and

So are you willing to give up your job, your future and potentially even your freedom for your faith?

INTERNATIONAL CIRCLE OF FAITH GLOBAL NETWORK 84th Anniversary Constitution and Bylaws (1932 -2016) MONTH DAY YEAR

ICOF 2016 MANUAL AVAILABLE NOW FOR ICOF MINISTERS Update credentials or Join with us!

http://www.icof.net 51

Dr. Barney Phillips and Bishop Derrick Day

MINISTER OF MUSIC. Life Church is seeking a minister of music for the La Grange Campus. For more information visit http://www.lifecommunity.us Seeking Spirit Filled Music leader that is knowledgeable in contemporary worship. Duties include leading music for all services and seasonal celebrations.

IF YOUR COMPANY, MINISTRY OR ORGANIZATION HAS AN JOB OPENING, MINISTRY OPENING OR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY YOU CAN HAVE IT LISTED HERE. EMAIL: Bernie.wade1212@gmail.com

Looking for an individual that leads from Keyboard or Guitar. Able to work with existing Praise Teams and develop vocals, musicians, etc. Experience with media and PowerPoint a plus. Must have strong leadership skills and be a team player. Send your resume to lifechurchky@live.com

Executive Vice President of Business. LIFE NETWORK seeks an experienced entrepreneur / business person to serve as the key person for our business division. http://www.lifenetwork.us For more information email info@lifenetwork.us

LIFE AMBASSADOR for Life Network. As a Life Ambassador you will serve your city, area, state, or nation in bringing the vision of Life Network. For more information please email: ambassador@lifenetwork.us

Secretary General. International Circle of Faith (ICOF) seeks a person to serve as Secretary General for North America. http://www.icof.net

MUSICIANS. Life Church is seeking musicians for the Life Church Praise Band for the La Grange Kentucky campus. For more information visit http://www.lifecommunity.us Email: lifechurchky@live.com

Network. http://www.lifenetwork.us This is an Executive Vice President level position. This person will serve as a key part of the Life Network Executive Board and will lead the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pillarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Government (Community) under Life Network. For more information email: bw@icof.net

EDITOR: NEXT WAVE MAGAZINE

Secretary General of Life Network. Life Network seeks a person with experience in government, or with a political action committee (PAC), or similar to serve as Secretary General of the Life

Next Wave magazine is looking for an editor. The Next Wave magazine is the monthly voice of Life

Network and is published 12 times annually. This person will be responsible for all aspects of the magazine. For more information email bw@icof.net

Administrator Job Skills • Excellent oral and written communication skills • Detail oriented and works with a high degree of accuracy • Highly organized and flexible • Ability to multitask and meet changing deadlines • Must be self directed and able to complete projects with limited supervision • Maintains confidentiality • Working knowledge of email, scheduling, spreadsheets and presentation software

Administrator Job Description for Life Network™ http://www.lifenetwork.us

Administrator Job Duties • Maintaining files and databases • Prepares reports, presentations, memorandums, proposals and correspondence • Monitors office operations • Schedules appointments and meetings for executives • Serves as the go-to for office inquiries • Manages staff schedules • Assists in the preparation of department budgets and expenses • Supervises all administrative personnel

Administrator Job Requirements • 2 years or more related experience • Preferred: Associates Degree or Higher Please send Resume to bw@icof.net

International Circle of Faith Executive Session Friday October 16, 2015 9 AM EST All ICOF Members invited

September 9, 10, 11 2016 LIFE FEST La Grange, KY. Life Church. 1901 Prestwick Drive. La Grange, KY 40031.

April 19, 2016 Life Church Anniversary Service. 1 PM. 1901 Prestwick Drive. La Grange, KY 40031 Phone: 502.265.3795 Email: lifechurchky@live.com

Life Fest Executive Director: Dr. Barney Phillips Phone: 502.265.3795 lifechurchky@live.com

LIFE NETWORK Social Media Coordinator Volunteer

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Ability to identify threats and opportunities in user-generated content Basic SEO knowledge Ability to produce quality editorial and technical output

Position Overview Functions, Duties, & Responsibilities

Social Media Coordinators help engage the target audience via various social media channels

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Expectations

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Education/Certifications/Experience 

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Degree in marketing, journalism, new media, advertising, entertainment or social media experience. Will train in lieu of experience. Digital or communications experience

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Computer Skills  Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite

Utilizes posts, tweets, podcasts, articles, videos, or screen casts to interact Moderate and promote communications that encourage the exchange of user-generated content Create strategies and tactics to increase participation and ensure the clarity of the message across social media channels Coordinates campaign calendars with online activity Contact: Dr. Ralph Day LIFE NETWORK VP of Social Media

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities  Demonstrated, participatory expertise in various social media channels, including LinkedIn, YouTube, Foursquare, Twitter, Bookmarking sites, Flickr, Forums, Wikis, blogs, etc

biewebmaster@gmail.com

of fear, prejudice, ignorance and pride. These are the walls which are most often the most impenetrable, especially for those who have something to hide.

Do you Build Walls or Bridges? By Ralph E. Day

Jesus used the term “whitewashed tomb” and Paul similarly used the term “whitewashed wall” to describe people pridefully hiding the fact that they were really not very religious behind a wall of religion. Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27-28 NASB) “Tear down this wall!” - Description: Narrow horizontal

We all struggle with issues of transparency. Prudence dictates that some things should not be hung on the clothesline for the entire world to see. All of us have done things we are not proud of. But those to whom Jesus spoke were involved in an ongoing cover-up, trying to hide their spiritual bankruptcy behind a wall of self-righteous tradition.

Those words of Ronald Reagan, uttered in a speech at the Berlin Wall in 1987, have long been remembered as a gauntlet thrown at the feet of communism. In a few years, both the Berlin Wall and a figurative wall known as the “Iron Curtain” tumbled into the ashes of history.

On the other hand, there are the overlooked walls built by those trying to protect themselves from repeated abuse of others. Sometimes that abuse has come at the hands of people claiming to be religious. I hear them sometimes saying “I’m OK with God, it’s the church I have problems with.” Their walls attempt to hide the bitterness, brokenness, resentfulness and unforgiveness as if to say nothing is

Walls are built for many reasons. Some are built to keep things in, others for protection and still others to hide something from view. Walls can be constructed of soil, block, brick, mortar and stone. Some walls are constructed in people’s hearts and minds. These are walls built 60

wrong, God’s still working here. It’s a cover-up, hiding behind a wall. Hiding behind either wall is not healthy. Jesus’ response to those “religious people” who crucified him was “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus’ response to the broken is, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

allowing the free flow of the Holy Spirit to continue and to be a conduit for such. We do not hold that we are the whole of the Body, nor do we exclude our fellow believers from participation based on religious documents. Rather we encourage those who believe that Jesus Christ is the manifestation of Almighty God to come and join hands and hearts with us as together we participate in the greatest move of the Holy Spirit the World has ever known.

None of us are perfect save one, the one who saved us. Yet beyond him we — especially we who claim to be Christians — must tear down walls of self-righteousness, fear and pretension. We must replace them with bridges of honesty, transparency and grace.

Using Apostle Paul as our guide, we welcome Jews and Greeks, men and women, bond and free to participate. We envision the day when people from all kindred, tongues, tribes and nations come together in a display of the demonstration and power of the Holy Spirit

Then and only then will we become the people God can use to touch those who are walking in darkness, hiding behind their own hand-hewn walls of fear or pretension.

We see this wave focusing on the restoration of the Apostolic and we are positioned to be part of that wave. Welcome to the Next Wave! Welcome to the International Circle of Faith.

The International Circle of Faith [Founded in 1932 as Apostolic Faith Church of God], International Circle of Faith (ICOF) is the continuation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The ICOF is focused on

International Circle of Faith Global Network has a mandate to help usher in a new wave of the Spirit of God in this century. 61

From our beginning in 1932, to present the International Circle of Faith has grown from one church to a global fellowship of like-minded men and women of God. From a handful in our beginning to networking more than

And now we have launched Life Network!

Today, ICOF represents some 25 million people and 50,000 ministers impacting every nation under the heavens. We have become what some call the largest Apostolic movement in history. Our vision is: It is our expectation that what God has done in the past, He will do again. Jesus told us, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Greater things than these you WILL do!â&#x20AC;? It is evident that we are destined to see the glory of the latter house be greater than the glory of the former house.

Transforming our world through the energy of a network of like-minded people from all ages, genders, races, nationalities and cultures whose mutual contribution extinguishes offense, hatred, bigotry, and violence; envisioning a world where war, pestilence, hunger, and poverty are distant memories. Imagine a Community Where... Economic conditions improve and lead to a discernible lessening of poverty for most citizens. New laws, curricula, character development and business practices are put into effect, raising the water level of dignity for all citizens in the community.

We have television programs on LiveStream; we have opportunities for educational advancement; we have opportunities for those who need to get their high school diplomas; and we have opportunities to establish Five Fold Connections.

Restored hope, purpose and joy leads to a significant decline in divorce, bankruptcy, crime, corruption, health problems and suicide. There is a marked change in social entertainment and vices that come from 62

BUSINESSES

an inward transformation rather than outward legislation. Volunteerism increases as both churched and un-churched people recognize their responsibility to heal and undergird the community. Imagine this being your Community! Let me introduce you to Life Network When we think about it, life is much like a three dimensional puzzle of the globe. Each of us has a piece of the puzzle, but that piece by itself doesn’t show much of the whole. However, when we bring several pieces of that puzzle together we can begin to see a vision of the whole. That is how we see Life Network. Many people with a piece of the puzzle working in harmony to bring a vision future fulfillment.

· CHRISTIAN WORLD NETWORK Marketplace – Coming in 2017. With Life Network‘s Christian World Network, business and the exchange of goods and services is the fabric of everyday society. Life Network serves others in pursuing a level of character and integrity in business that sets the standard for ethical Christian Business. Systems have a hard time changing, but people within those systems that have been changed can refocus, reshape and lead the next generation into a godly business environment. We envision the Kingdom of God continuing to bring influence and powerfully fueling that change.

We realize that it takes all the aspects of a community working together to bring a greater good. Life Network exists to initiate interaction, generate dialogue, envision the possibilities, build consensus, empower the potential and bring real and lasting change and improvement to our communities to create a better place for our families to live, work, play and raise another generation. Life Network is a partnership bringing business, church, education, government & media (including the arts and sports) together to transform communities.

can host your web site, develop it for you, maintain it and help you to envision what it must become to accurately and adequately represent who you are and what you are called to do for Christ to the entire world. In addition, ICOF’s talented IT staff, headed up by Director William Goins, is open to doing commercial web development for not only ministryrelated web sites but also for secular, commercial sites as well. We know that if you compare our rates with those of most U.S. commercial developers you will find that we are a wonderful bargain, helping you and your company to control your business costs in an evertightening global economy. Unlimited opportunities are still present worldwide, but only for those who run their businesses with both wisdom and frugality. We can help you do both.

CITIES OF REFUGE NETWORK (C.O.R.N.) – Coming in 2016. We are a network of like-minded Christians who have the foresight to see that an economic, government, terrorist, natural or other crisis could interrupt people’s lives and threaten their very survival. · International Circle of Faith ICOF members have united over 50,000 ministers representing more than 25 million constituents, hundreds of colleges, schools, orphanages & feeding programs, humanitarian aid organizations and charities. ICOF WEB: http://www.icof.net

“It’s not that God has lost His power, it’s that the Church has lost its focus.” –

Many of our staff members have their own companies in their native countries and are well-established web developers there. By combining the incredible breadth and width of the professional backgrounds of our IT staff, ICOF’s IT department can offer web site development, project management, specialized email addresses, ISP support, business, software design and web design consultancy and a virtually unlimited number of services to our member ministers and ministries. We

- T.D. Jakes

CHURCH PARTNERS

路 Five-Fold Roundtable Vision Statement: The ICOF Five-Fold Roundtable exists to restore the Church to the level of power experienced during the first-century, as chronicled in the Book of Acts. The Five-Fold Roundtable will relentlessly teach the importance of the Ministry Gifts outlined in Ephesians 4:11 to the health, power, and authority of the Church.

路 LIFE CHURCH NETWORK (LCN). Life Church network is focused on networking and church planting. We envision re-evangelizing America by 2019 through networking with, relaunching or planting churches in communities across the United States. From our beginning in 1932, to present, the International Circle of Faith has grown from one church to a global fellowship of like-minded men and women of God. From a handful in our beginning to networking more than 50,000 ministers impacting every nation under the heavens we have become what some call the largest Apostolic movement in history. Today, ICOF represents millions globally. The ICOF Global Network continues to offer formats for purposeful connectivity in every sphere of society. ICOF Global Network provides an environment in which significant relationships can be found, developed and enhanced.

路 ICOF Chaplaincy Corps ICOFCC is a (NGO) Non- Governmental Organization, committed to serving God,

the security services and the rest of humanity. ·

Hope for Refugees

WE ARE ON THE BRINK OF CHRISTIAN HOLOCAUST YAZIDI GENOCIDE! It is estimated that there are still over 70,000 Christians and Yazidi trapped in the mountains of Sinjar. They have been forced from their homes and their cities by the Islamic Statehood of Iraq and Syria. ISIS is a jihadist group. In its selfproclaimed status as a caliphate, it claims religious authority over all Muslims across the world and aspires to bring much of the Muslim-inhabited regions of the world under its direct political control.

· CHILDREN OF AZUSA STREET Join Children of Azusa Street. Help us bring 1 million people who trace their spiritual heritage to The Azusa Street Revival together. There is no charge to be a member. As a Christian Leader join the Christian Leadership Roundtable group at:

ISIS has stated that they offer them three choices: Islam; the dhimma contract - involving payment of jizya; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword. Many people cannot afford the payment of Jizya and have been forced to flee or face death, death by mass execution, beheadings or hanging. Those who can pay Jizya have to sit by and watch while ISIS rapes their wives and children in front of them, and they are left with nothing. Those who flee, leave everything behind. They are now stuck, in hiding, in the SInjar Mountains and various refugee camps in Erbil, unable to leave for food, water, clothes, or any supplies for fear of being found and killed.

· ICOF Ministry Credentials: The process of joining ICOF – International Circle of Faith and receiving ministerial credentials is not complicated but we take it very seriously. Endorsement of an individual as an ordained minister takes serious consideration. Experience, biblical knowledge and maturity are expected of the candidate seeking this title. Not everyone is at the experience, biblical knowledge and maturity level of an ordained minister and that is why we have several levels of ministry recognition designed to help people grow into full ordination status. One of these levels will fit you now and give your calling the opportunity to develop.

It is important that you apply for ministerial credentials that fit your experience, biblical knowledge and maturity. This gives you the greatest possibility for successful development. ICOF is a credentialing ministry; there are three primary credentialing options granted through ICOF Global Union.

Harvard High School International (HHSI) was established in 1990 with a vision to assist men and women who had not completed their high school requirements. The vision was to create a school where:  Everyone (100%) of Americans would have a high school diploma.  Meet the need of students traditionally victimized by the educational system (i.e. minorities and women).  Meet the needs of students who left high school because of financial hardship, pregnancy, etc.  Meet the requirements of high school in a timely manner so that the student would be able to achieve education equality with their peers.

http://www.icof.net

EDUCATION PARTNERS · Life College history dates back to 1932. Life College is a collaboration of Christian Colleges, Universities and Seminaries from around the world. Life College carries the embodiment of experience, knowledge, revelation, foundational truths and disciplines developed through more than 80. http://www.lifecollege.education .

Today, thousands have benefited by the innovative approach that the academic staff of HHSI provides. http://www.hhsi.education

Life College application may be found at https://secure.jotformpro.com/aimjcorg2 014/admissions_form . 67

GOVERNMENT (Community)

· The Next Wave is published by Life Network. The Next Wave is an emagazine dedicated to exploring and challenging the modern church through thought provoking articles. This popular e-publication covers world, national, church and ministry news in relation to modern church culture and life. Find practical advice on every aspect of Christian life from parenting and marriage resources, help with college and seminary selection, guides, and sermon aids.

· LIFE AMBASSADOR. The official representative to various organizations, countries, states, etc. are titled Life Ambassador. A Life Ambassador is charged with representing the Life Network and participating during plenary meetings of the Life Network Executive Session, except in the rare situation in which a more senior officer of the Life Network is present.

Is your current plan working?

MEDIA ·

· What strategies do you use accomplish to support and strengthen your plan to reach out to others? · What problems do you face? · What do you have to overcome to build your bridge? · What concepts guide you daily? · How do you receive strength to share the peace of Christ?

ICOF TV

ICOF is pleased to have a variety of broadcast ministries and sponsors which help pay for the broadcast time of programs. We also welcome you to bring your television program to ICOF TV. For a very low cost your ministry can reach a global audience. This is affordable media for any budget!

All together, the problems we encounter seem overwhelming. When we allow Christ’s peace to help us, we are provided the strength to overcome those obstacles. How does Christ’s peace give us strength? Now take the sticks apart and break them, one at a time. Christ’s peace helps us see in new perspectives and shows us new ways to overcome our problems by helping us face them one by one.

Please consider sponsoring a program today. http://www.livestream.com/ICOF

Another wall people encounter is loneliness. People are lonely because

they build walls instead of bridges. — UNKNOWN

that pain feels like.

“The Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear.” (2 Timothy 2:17a NLT)

When we fear love, we don't give ourselves away, and we're guaranteeing ourselves loneliness. We set ourselves up in a self-imposed prison of solitary confinement that is absolutely unnecessary. Give your life away!

When you’re lonely, you need to focus on others and not yourself. The loneliest person in the world is the guy who's self-centered and wrapped up in himself. God wired us to give our lives away, to help others, to think of others and not just ourselves.

When Paul was in prison and about to be executed, he said all his friends had left him, but God was with him. That gave him the strength to reach out to others and complete the work God had given him: “The Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear” (2 Timothy 2:17a NLT).

If you want to break out of loneliness, stop saying, "I don't have any friends," and start being a friend. Stop focusing on yourself and instead give yourself away. Instead of focusing on yourself, you need to emphasize others' needs.

The key to overcoming loneliness is to stop building walls and start building bridges. Stop building walls between you and other people. Start building bridges. Take a risk. Begin to help other people.

Loneliness is often a fear of love. We're afraid to be open. We’re afraid to be vulnerable. We're afraid to share how we really feel. We're afraid to step out and risk a relationship because we might be rejected, and we know what

There are thousands of people in the world who need your love. Re-channel it. If you hold it in, it's going to dry up

and wither away. You need to find a ministry, a place you can use your talents and gifts to help other people.

bottom, reinforced steel 10 feet in width, alarms ready to resound, fire-proof, gunproof, grenade-proof, nuke-proof…you get my point. Those are the walls we seldom see reached in a lifetime. BUT it’s not impossible with God, nothing is.

Give yourself away. When you do that, the loneliness will dissipate. Why is it sometimes easier to hold love in than give it away?

What causes people to build walls?

Who are the people around you who need your love today? How can you share it with them? Your heart is an intricate part of who you are. An organ that sets the pace for how you operate. Although physically it pumps rhythmically and involuntarily for your body to function properly, emotionally you have a little more control over what goes in and what comes out.

Fear? Insecurity? Anger? Bitterness? Resentment? Jealousy? The list could continue…

Personally I can tell you I have felt the physical weight of carrying things around in my heart. From a young age I built walls; like a city would to fortify and protect itself, I too have built walls of defense to contain or retain things in my life. Walls that keep people at a distance.

I love this quote because I understand what the difference is between a wall and a bridge. I’ve experienced the building of both. Walls keep people out, while a bridge joins them together. A bridge gives open access into another territory to explore. Imagine a tangible bridge between your husband’s heart and yours. Powerful! Go and build a bridge with your neighbor, explore their heart and allow them to explore yours.

Communication and transparency are the tools, Jesus is the Keystone!!! Keystone: A central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together. Something on which associated things depend for support.

Some of the walls in my heart are made of sticks and mud, easily washed away with the flood of tears, a kind word, or a simple glance. Others are made of bricks, which take a little more effort to break down, like a friend discerning a struggle I am facing or a challenge to do something like make a public speech. Then there are those walls that are buried 100 feet below the surface, armored guards surrounding the perimeters, barbed wire from top to

Pope Francis reflected in his homily on the conflict between King Saul and David. At one point, the Pope said, David has the chance to kill Saul, but he chooses “a different path: the path of dialogue, to make peace”. All Christians, always, should follow the path of reconciliation because that is what Jesus taught us, because Jesus 70

continue on our pilgrim journey. It’s OK to be a sinner who seeks God’s forgiveness, and who tries and fails and tries again.

showed us the way. In order to enter into dialogue it’s important to be meek, to be humble, even after an argument or a fight. It’s important to “bend”, to be flexible, so as not to reach breaking point.

What does it take to build bridges? When you look back over the day, have you communicated in a way that inspires others and listened to what others told you? Before I built a wall I’d ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offence.”

However, it’s not easy to build dialogue, especially when we’re divided by resentment. It’s not written in the Bible, but we all know that to be meek, to be humble, we have to swallow a lot of pride – but we must do so, because that’s how we build peace, with humility. Humility may be hard but allowing resentment to swell in our hearts is much worse than attempting to build a bridge of dialogue. When we allow resentment to grow, we end up isolated in the “bitter broth” of our own rancor. To be a Christian, instead, is to always be the bridge.

We should build bridges. Bridges connect. Walls divide. Bridges enhance communication. Walls obstruct communication. Bridges promote friendship. Walls cause isolation. Webster defines a bridge as: “any structure—raised to afford convenient passage over river, railroad, ravine or any other obstacle. “

I am afraid of these walls, if left unchecked these walls that grow taller every day, building resentment and hatred. Let us follow instead the example of David, who defeated hatred with an act of humility.

We have to build bridges of understanding. We must connect people by brotherhood. We are obligated by Christ to construct passageways of friendship between persons who may differ in Church or language or race.

Building bridges is the work of evangelization, the work of going out to the whole world to proclaim the Good News of our salvation in Jesus Christ. Building walls is what fearful, insecure people do to protect what they have and to keep others out.

People, like islands, need bridges - a way to cross over, speak, reach, and see, over all that silent water. It is the only way. Because people aren’t people, not real people, with-out that bridge; and the only action, the only REAL action, takes place on the bridge between people. So if I wait, you wait, everyone waits; when I don’t start, you don’t start. Nobody arrives. No builders, no bridges.

It’s OK if we stumble and fall. God always forgives us. He gives us the grace to get back on our feet and 71

The meaning of the world doesn’t change; it always stays the same same hopes, same challenges, same tragedies, same fears and victories. What does change is my involvement with it - my awareness, my understanding, and my growth. And growth is only a deepening of what passes between you and me - what passes on the bridge.

out. The winner is the team that captures the most people. This game creates artificial walls. Were you the one who couldn’t wait to be captured and joined the opposing line? Were you the last one or the only one never to be captured? What are some of the walls we create that separate us from others?

1. Why do we create walls? What could be better than to be a 2. What do we allow to come between builder of bridges between persons and us (hurt, want, fear, power, groups? What could be a better misunderstanding, pride, way to be remembered money, hatred, anger, when we are gone? mistrust, jealously, greed, Would we not like I like to see myself as a prejudice, religion)? people to say of us bridge builder that is me 3. Can we tear these “He was a builder of walls down? How? building bridges between bridges”?! Can you think of a more people, between races, Ephesians 2:11–22 noble cause? between cultures, between 11Why remember, that politics, trying to find you being in time past For he is our Gentiles in the flesh, common ground. peace; in his flesh who are called he has made both - T. D. Jakes Uncircumcision by that groups into one and which is called the has broken down the Circumcision in the flesh dividing wall, that is the made by hands; 12That at that hostility between us. — time you were without Christ, being Ephesians 2:14 NRSV aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, Remember the game “Red Rover” and strangers from the covenants of where you divide into teams and one promise, having no hope, and without team calls out for someone on the God in the world: 13But now in Christ opposite side to run over and break their Jesus you who sometimes were far off human wall. If you break the wall, you are made near by the blood of Christ. can select a hostage and return to your 14For he is our peace, who has made home side. If you fail, you became an both one, and has broken down the outsider in new territory. You continue middle wall of partition between us; this “wall” competition until time runs 15Having abolished in his flesh the 72

God’s household. New love and peace come through Christ. Human barriers can’t keep him out. Christ brings peace, justice, and reconciliation. Different, yet the Same

enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of two one new man, so making peace; 16And that he might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were near. 18For through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20And are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21In whom all the building fitly framed together grows to an holy temple in the Lord: 22In whom you also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Consider a package of M&M candies. Look at and count the number of different colors in their package. Compare the different colors to the diversity of people around the globe. Now close your eyes and eat a few of the M&Ms. Do the colors taste different? (No, they are all chocolate. They are the same inside even though they appear different on the outside.) · What if you were treated like you treat others? · What are the walls in your life that keep Christ out? · What walls do you build to keep others out? · What can you do to let Christ and others into your life?

The apostle Paul was talking about the people he knew in his life. He was telling the people who had accepted Christ that as others came to know God as they did, those people would also be included in the household of God. Just as it was difficult for those around Paul to accept the socially unacceptable of that time, it is hard for us today to accept some people. What breaks down those walls (faith, trust, love, forgiveness, knowledge, education, kindness, hope, prayer, friendship, an open mind, listening, and communication)?

I was recently sent an email from a friend in South Carolina. It tells the story of going for a checkup at the Lord’s Clinic. I went to the Lord’s Clinic to have my routine checkup and I confirmed that I was ill. When He read my temperature, the thermometer registered 40ᴼ of anxiety. When Jesus took my blood pressure, He saw I was low in tenderness. He ran an electrocardiogram and found that I needed several “love bypasses” since

No one is excluded from Christ. As followers, we provide the action; we set the example. Everyone is invited into 73

my arteries were blocked and could not provide for an empty heart.

are living and being in the place you are now.

I went to orthopedics, because I could not walk by my brother’s side and I could not hug my friends, since I had fractured myself when tripping with envy. He also found I was short-sighted, since I could not see beyond the shortcomings of my brothers and sisters. When I complained about deafness, diagnosis was that I had stopped listening to Jesus’ voice talking to me on a daily basis. For all of that, Jesus gave me a free consultation thanks to His mercifulness, so my pledge is to, once I leave the clinic, only take the natural remedies He prescribed through His words of truth:

May God give you… For every storm, a rainbow. For every tear, a smile. For every care, a promise. And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share. For every sigh, a sweet song. And an answer for each prayer.

Rev. Dr. Ralph E. Day, Jr. Chairman Life Network “Wisdom is the comb that life gives you after you have lost your hair!” Contact Information Address 17884 Meadow Dr

· Every morning take a full glass of gratitude. · When getting to work, take one spoonful of peace. · When getting home, take one dose of love. · When getting to bed, take two caplets of clear conscience.

Bridgeville DE 19933 Home Phone 302-337-0383 Cell Phone 302-258-3888 Skype: ralphedayjr

· Do not give into sadness or desperation for what you are going through today. God knows how you feel. God knows exactly and with perfection what is being allowed to happen to you in your life at this precise moment.

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God’s purpose for you is simply perfect. He wants to show you things that only you can understand by living what you

Twitter: Rick Day @rickeday ICOF Website www.icof.net 74

EDUCATING TOMORROWS LEADERS http://www.lifecollege.education

LIFE COLLEGE NOW ENROLLING FOR JANUARY 2016!

Together we are making a real and lasting difference for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

WANTED INTERCESSORS

IF YOU ARE AN INTERCESSOR WE NEED YOUR HELP! We are putting a team of intercessors together to pray for our Life Network. We know that we can never accomplish the vision that God has given us without intercessors. As part of our team we need a plethora of God called intercessors. We would love for you to be part of what God is doing in our area. If you will commit to praying for LIFE NETWORK we will commit to give you timely updates on the needs.

It seems when these leaves fall all at once there must be some form of confusion as they dance about with no care of where they descend. Then I heard the Spirit tell me the winds I heard were the winds of change. Confusion comes from change. It can bring on fear. We fear change because it takes us out of our comfort zone.

WINDS OF CHANGE By LEA BATES

Does God’s Word tell us that perfect love cast out all fear? If so then God’s love is perfect. If His love is perfect then there is no confusion in His love – only peace. Like the geese forming a line while they travel in the air, I realize that things line up when we choose to receive His peace and His love during our season of change. God’s love never fails, it always succeeds. Like the leaves which settle upon the ground, and never question its placement, they are at peace. So we should be at peace when we choose His love over fear.

Fall is the season I always look forward to with anticipation. It marks the end of a season of working and seeming unrest. As I begin to put away my canning equipment and lay aside my gardening tools, I begin to reflect on what lies ahead. Today I envisioned a road. As I went down this road it was turning into a curve. I saw that we are turning ever so smoothly into a new season. Later in the day I saw geese beginning their first trek towards their winter escape. They too were following the curve in the road. As I allowed myself to slip into worship and praise to the Maker of these wonderful things we enjoy on this earth, I could hear the sound of wind blowing. Whoosh! Whoosh! I envisioned the leaves, as colder weather slipped in, being tossed by the wind and distributed upon the ground each neatly place where God intended for them to go; separated from the branches on the trees by the blowing of the wind.

This has been a year of putting things in their place for me; especially during the summer season. What was previously unclear, confusing, and out of place is now clear and peaceful. Could this be a season of rest that I am turning into in the road of life? No, it certainly isn’t. I am learning to rest in His love. It is a season of allowing the winds of change to move me forward into the destiny He’s called me into. At first fear tried to settle in because of uncertainty and a 79

feeling in inadequacy with the task at hand. Recognizing the handiwork of the enemy trying to bring me confusion I chose to surrender it all to the One who could direct me and lead me into His perfect love removing all fear and replacing it with His peace. “I’ll teach you”, He said.

This season is also for many others who have been held back as well. We are about to propel into our destiny. We are about to be catapulted into the winds of change where opportunity abounds to bring the love of Christ to others. Yes, the fields will be ripe for the harvest. The winds of change are turning the leaves and scattering them to their rightful place for this season. Selah!

Fall clears the air. Contaminates that would give us allergies during other seasons are gone, the coolness of the air brings on an excitement that things are soon going to change. We should embrace it; because with change comes an opportunity to succeed in something we may not have allowed ourselves to venture into. The geese flying to their destination for the winter months don’t seem to be bothered by the changes of the season. They do what they know to do. So we too must learn to seek the direction of the Holy Spirit and let him guide us; as He puts you in your rightful place.

Lea Bates is member of International Circle o f Faith. Her ministry carries a strong prophetic anointing.