Glad Tidings
Volume 14, Issue 4
July/August 2010
Glad Tidings July/August 2010
Glad Tidings
Something to Consider ....................... p. 3
is published six times per year by
by Vince Finnegan
Living Hope International Ministries
Jesus Is the Son Of God ..................... p. 4 by Sean Finnegan
458 Old Niskayuna Road,
Pleasing God with Loving Service ..... p. 6
Latham, New York 12110 USA
by Mary Ann Yaconis Demonology V ................................. ... p.8
Office
518.785.8888
by Vince Finnegan
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518.785.1990
Is God’s Name Jehovah?................ . P. 9
info@kingdomready.org
Website www.kingdomready.org
by Vince Finnegan Congo Connection .............................. p. 10 by Richard and Cheryl Elton Counselor Becomes a Doctor ............ p. 11 by Daniel Fitzsimmons
Glad Tidings is mailed free to anyone who requests it. Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.
July 4th - 10th Untried Passage Week (UP) _____________________________________
mark these important dates on your calendar!!
July 25th - 30th Teen Camp 2010 at Silver Bay _____________________________________
September 10th - 12th Royal Family Reunion at Living Hope Community Church 2
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER:
God Is Our Help God’s encouragement to Israel in the day of Isaiah can also inspire us today since we are the Israel of God by our faith. Isaiah 41:10 and 13 “`Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” “For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.`” In the world, we face a constant onslaught of threatening circumstances which can cause anxiety, dismay, and discouragement. Satan is the god of the world; therefore, evil and darkness are widespread. As the end of the age moves closer, the world and the things within the world worsen. Even as believers, we are not insulated from the negativity. Actually, we are more aware of it. However, we can resist the temptation to be a part of the evil or to react in an ungodly way to its assaults. The Apostle Paul endured many negative circumstances in his life but remained steadfast in faith. He knew that tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword could not separate him from the love of Christ. He was convinced that in all things he was overwhelmingly a conqueror through Christ that loved him. Romans 8:38 and 39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,” “nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul understood that these negative things held the potential to cause anxiety, dismay, and discouragement. He also knew that these same things could serve as a launching pad to pursue God and His help and thereby to strengthen his relationship with Him. The human tendency is to respond to evil with evil, but we want to rise above the norm because God is working in us. Philippians 2:13-15 For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world. Instead of grumbling, complaining, and losing heart, we can pray and receive help from God. Philippians 4:6-8 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
God Bless You,
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Jesus is the Son of God: Thinking Biblically about One of the Most Important Titles in the Bible By: Sean Finnegan
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s Christians, we are so used to calling Jesus the Son of God that we can easily forget that the phrase “Son of God” has serious theological and biblical content. Though most believers conflate “Son of God” with “God the Son” and interchange a biblical notion for a philosophical one, I contend that it is a much better strategy to ground our conception in Scripture alone. In order to investigate divine sonship, I will first look at the two predominant prototypes—Adam and David— before moving on to think about how Jesus combines both layers of meaning. First, we begin in the beginning. Adam was the first son of God (Luke 3:38). He had neither human father nor mother, but was specially created by God Himself. As such, Adam represents one archetype for sonship. God made Adam according to His own image from the dust of the ground. Into his nostrils the Almighty Creator Himself breathed the very breath of life (Gen. 1:26; 2:7). This intimate moment of “birth,” his beginning point, was unlike all humans who would follow. Adam began life without the impedance of any defect that could cause separation or alienation from his Father. As a result, he enjoyed perfect communion with God in the garden—a relationship untainted by sin, guilt, lust, fear, pride, greed, or selfishness. Though we all would like to know just how long Adam enjoyed basking in God’s presence prior to the first sin, Scripture is silent on this issue. Was it only a day, a week, a year? However long it was, for that time, Adam experienced what it meant to be unified with God in every way. Nevertheless, the moment he ate from the forbidden tree, he was different; he experienced shame and fear. We will return to Adam, but for now we must turn our attention to our second prototype. Many centuries later after Saul had
fallen from his God-given position as king over the holy people, Israel, Samuel anointed a young shepherd boy with oil. David would become one of the greatest heroes in biblical history. A great lover of God and a model of fidelity, he is the one to whom all subsequent good kings would be compared. A poet, to whom seventy-three (nearly half) of the psalms are attributed, David yearned for intimacy with Yahweh and loved Him with every fiber of his being. A warrior, an administrator, a musician, and a deeply pious and devoted man, he is the archetypal messiah (anointed king). In fact, one of the prime designations for messiah is “the son of David.” He not only founded Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but he also brought the Ark of the Covenant there so that Yahweh’s worship would be central to the nascent monarchy. In those days, as it had been from the time of Moses, the Ark of the Covenant was housed in a portable tent. However, David decided he wanted to build a magnificent house for God. In response to this intention, God sent Nathan the prophet with the message: 1 Chronicles 17:4-6, 10-14 4 …"You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in; 5 for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another. 6 "In all places where I have walked with all Israel, have I spoken a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, 'Why have you not built for Me a house of cedar?'"'…10 … Moreover, I tell you that the LORD will build a house for you. 11 "When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12 "He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 "I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My 4
lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. 14 "But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever."'" This promise, known as the Davidic Covenant, foretells that David’s descendant would build God’s house, reign on the throne forever, and be called the Son of God. Thus, David serves as a second archetype for the coming Son of God. This second layer of meaning explains why the terms “Son of God,” “son of David,” and “Messiah/Christ” are used interchangeably in Scripture. But, before moving on to look at how this all relates to Jesus, we must turn our attention to the second Psalm. Psalms 2:2, 6-8 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, … 6 "But as for Me [God], I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain." 7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. This messianic psalm clearly sets forth the notion that God’s anointed one (messiah) is destined to rule as king on Zion (Jerusalem) over the nations (Gentiles) to the very ends of the earth. Furthermore, this Messiah is called God’s begotten Son. According to Acts 4:25, the second Psalm was written by none other than king David, to whom the similar promise was made about his descendant ruling over the kingdom forever. With this background concerning Adam and the promised son of David, we now turn to the birth narrative in Luke’s Gospel. Luke 1:26-35 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent (Continued on page 5)
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from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary… 30 And the angel said to her, "…31 you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" 35 And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. In this one magnificent announcement, Gabriel weaves together these two biblical ideas of “Son of God” and applies them to the virgin Mary’s future child. Like Adam, he will not have a human father; he will be the creation of God Himself. The text is emphatic in making the point that the child will be called the Son of God precisely because his conception resulted from God’s miraculous involvement (Luke 1:35). There are several incidences recorded in Scripture when godly parents struggled to conceive: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Elkanah and Hannah, Zechariah and Elizabeth. Yet, unlike these birth miracles, since the first two humans, no one has ever been born without a human father—until the second Adam was born. This layer of meaning, what could be called the literal sense of “Son of God,” is significant not only when Paul speaks of Jesus as the second Adam (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:2123, 45-49) but also when thinking about how Jesus could have lived without sin (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5). When we think of Jesus’ capability to live impeccably, we should think of him in the same category as Adam prior to the Fall. As I mentioned earlier, it is impossible to tell how long Adam
enjoyed an unimpeded relationship with God, but we know that there was at least some time when both Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect standing before their Creator. This gives us a framework to conceive of God’s second Son, divinely procreated, who continued living in such a sinless state by never succumbing to temptation. The annunciation of Gabriel also includes several references to the Davidic conception of “Son of God.” Firstly, Mary is explicitly identified as a descendant of King David. Secondly, Gabriel foretells that Mary’s future son will be “the Son of the Most High,” the one to whom God will give “the throne of his father David,” and the one whose rule over the kingdom will never end. Both the Davidic covenant and the oracle from the second Psalm are echoed here. Jesus will be both son of David and Son of God. He is destined to fulfill the role of God’s anointed (Messiah) and rule over both Jacob (Israel) and the nations (Gentiles). This second, very Jewish layer of meaning is indispensible when thinking about Jesus as the Son of God. The following Scriptures further illustrate how the titles “Messiah/Christ,” “Son of God,” and “Son of David” were interchangeable in first century Judaism, especially among Christ followers. Matthew 22:42 "What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?" They said to Him, "The son of David." Matthew 26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, "I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God." Luke 4:41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. John 7:42 "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes 5
from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" (Also see Mark 1:1; Mat. 1:1; 16:16; John 11:27; 20:31; Rom. 1:3-4; Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor. 1:19; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:13; Heb. 5:5; 1 John 1:3; 3:23; 5:20; 2 John 1:3, 9.) Thus, Jesus is the Son of God in two senses: (1) he is literally the one whom God begat through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit and (2) he is the long promised Davidic descendant who is destined to reign eternally over the entire world from Zion. In contrast to these two meanings, most Christians attach a different meaning to the phrase “Son of God” by accepting the doctrine of eternal generation. Simply put, this is the idea that God the Father begat the Son, but not in time such that he has no beginning. As a result, this post-biblical redefinition of “Son of God” mutated the dual layers of meaning presented in Scripture into a mysterious eternally existent “God the Son.” Sadly, such a belief has overwhelmed and replaced the biblical meanings as plainly stated in Scripture. Strangely enough, the philosophical scaffolding for eternal generation was erected by pagan neoPlatonist philosophers and adopted by the Church. But, in their zeal to utilize the cutting edge philosophy of their day, I fear they reinvented Jesus by substituting an otherworldly coeternal God for the second Adam and long awaited descendant of David. Surely, it is time to restore this phrase to its biblical meaning.
Pleasing God with Loving Service by Mary Ann Yaconis
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srael was commanded to bring sacrifices of animals, birds, and cakes to show their obedience and service to God. Since the first coming of the Messiah, we now offer a living sacrifice, our lives, in service to God for entrance into the Kingdom.
Hebrews 13:15,16 “Through Him (Jesus Christ) then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Some of the sacrifices we are to give to God today are doing good for others and sharing
our time, talents, and abundance with our neighbor. These acts of sacrifice are pleasing to God.
Because of our human nature, our acts of doing good may be hypocritical because the “heart of service” is not present. The heart of service is very simply put – it is about worshipping God and caring for others with a heart of love, as Christ taught. Mark 12:28-34a “One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He [Jesus] had answered them well, asked Him, `What commandment is the foremost of all?`” “Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The LORD our God is one LORD; “ “and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’” “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ There is no other commandment greater than these.`” “The scribe said to Him, `Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no one else besides Him;” “and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much
more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.`” “When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, `”You are not far from the kingdom of God.`” To love God and our neighbor is compared with all the burnt offerings and sacrifices in the Old Testament. In just one event of the dedication of the temple, Solomon sacrificed 22,000 bullocks and thousands of other animals. It would be impossible to count how many animals that were sacrificed. The comparison of loving God and neighbor as a greater sacrifice than the animal sacrifices spoke very loudly to those gathered around Jesus. How many times had each Hebrew taken an animal, or several, to the Temple for sacrifice? Each person there understood the effort and time involved, as well as the actual difficult work of sacrificing an animal. When we love God and our neighbor, we are offering a sacrifice of love that is very acceptable to God. Don’t we as Christ’s own, at times find it difficult to offer the sacrifice of loving God and neighbor by being kind, forgiving, tenderhearted, thinking good of others, being patient, thinking no evil, and taking the time to worship and praise God? When we love God and our neighbor, we are not far from the Kingdom of God. What a joy God puts before us for offering loving kindness to others and (Continued on page 7)
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worshipping Yahweh, God Almighty!
“What a joy God puts before us for offering loving kindness to others and worshipping Yahweh, God Almighty!”
Ephesians 5:1, 2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;” “and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
Walking in love as Christ did, we are to imitate how God is with us. The following verses in Ephesians 5 talk about how our actions are not to be – having impurity, greed, coarse jesting, silly talk, and being covetous. We are exhorted to be pleasing. Ephesians 5:8b-10 “. . . but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light “ “(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),”
“trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” We are not to participate in the works of darkness or even to speak of them, and we are to be wise in what we do all day, every day, our daily service of sacrifice. Ephesians 5:18b-21 “. . . but be filled with the Spirit,” “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;” “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;”
“and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”
Possibly, at times, it may feel like taking an animal for sacrifice might be easier than loving the person who is mean spirited or very annoying or taking time away from another task to go out of the way to help a friend or to give the ten percent tithe to God because of a more urgent personal need. The Israelites heard the animals bleating, walked home with blood on their clothing, and smelled the burning flesh all day and night. These perceptions were neither easy nor pleasant. Sacrificial love is also not an easy task and is not for the faint of heart. But, when we offer the sacrifice of our lives in loving service to God and others, we offer a sweet smelling sacrifice and please God. Through the gift of holy spirit, we are enabled to give sacrificial loving service to God and others. Pleasing God is the motive of our heart which sustains the ability to live this way each day, every day. I Peter 4:11 “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
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Demonology V
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he Canaanite woman with the demonized daughter showed extreme aggressiveness and almost shameful determination to help her child. We can learn a great deal from her example. Matthew 15:22-28 “A Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, `Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demonpossessed.`" “But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, `Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.`" “But He answered and said, `I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.`" “But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, `Lord, help me!`"
“And He answered and said, `It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.`" “But she said, `Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.`" “Then Jesus said to her, `O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.` And her daughter was healed at once.” The vast majority of people recorded in the Gospels who received healing or freedom from evil spirits came to Jesus for help. Jesus was “out and about” and therefore available to people, but those who wanted freedom came to him. Far too often people are not aggressive when pursuing their deliverance. Obedience and action always accompany true faith. Many times, it is necessary for us to get help from another person. Yet, shame, pride, awkwardness, embarrassment, or fear prevents people from seeking and asking for help. We just cannot bear the thought of someone else knowing we are harassed by demons. The 8
By Vince Finnegan Canaanite woman did not care if the whole world knew her daughter was demonized because she wanted deliverance. A good image, approval, and acceptance by others were meaningless in comparison to her baby getting free. She was utterly convinced that Jesus could heal her daughter and therefore ignored all resistance. She shouted at the disciples! She with humility bowed before Jesus and refused to take no for answer. Can you imagine how you would feel if Jesus told you to get lost when you came for help? She did not care what anyone said or did; Jesus was going to heal her baby! Jesus’ earthly ministry was to Israel. (After he ascended into heaven, salvation was wide open to all of humanity.) However, he could not deny this woman because of her faith. Jesus had and has complete authority over all demons. He delegated his authority to us so that we too have complete authority over demons. When unclean spirits harass you, cast them out in the name of Jesus Christ. If you doubt your own ability to do so or run into some other difficultly, ask someone to help you with the same aggressive determination demonstrated by the Ca naanite mom.
Is God’s Name Jehovah?
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By: Vince Finnegan times. Since two of the verses specifically relate to God’s proper name, this oversight has caused much confusion. “Jehovah” is not God’s name. His name is YHWH, transliterated into our English word as “Yahweh.” The next logical question is where did the name “Jehovah” come from if it is not from the Hebrew Scriptures? The answer can be found in most any encyclopedia. Look online at Wikipedia or the Jewish Encyclopedia.com.
word “LORD” [all in caps] replaces the he word “Jehovah” is found in Hebrew “YHWH,” which again has not the King James Bible four times; helped people to understand God’s proper whereas, in the New King James and the name. “Lord” is a title, not a name. The New American Standard Bibles, it is never word “God” is also a designation, which used. God’s proper name “YHWH” is writexplains who and what Yahweh is and ten approximately 7,000 times in the Hedoes. His name is Yahweh. Jesus instructed brew translation; however, the word his disciples to call Yahweh Father. Again, “Jehovah” is nonexistent. The four verses in “Father” is a title or descriptive term and the KJB are as follows: not His name. Several times in the English Bible, “Yahweh” was translated “God” instead of “LORD” because another Exodus 6:3 (KJV) - "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto “The name “Jehovah” was man- Hebrew word which is properly translated “lord” [Adonay] was used in the Jacob, bythe name of God Almighty, made! Perhaps we should not same verse, so they could not translate but by my name JEHOVAH [Hebrew it Lord, LORD. The following are some word YHWH] was I not known to call God by a name someone examples. them."
other than He selected.”
Psalms 83:18 (KJV) - "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH [YHWH], art the most high over all the earth." Isaiah 12:2 (KJV) - "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD [Hebrew word YAH] JEHOVAH [YHWH] is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." Isaiah 26:4 (KJV) - "Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD [YAH] JEHOVAH [YHWH] is everlasting strength:" In each occurrence, the translators failed to acknowledge what was written in the Hebrew and interjected the word “Jehovah.” They should have translated YHWH the same way they did the thousands of other
The encyclopedia Britannica states: “The Masoretes, who from about the 6th to the 10th century worked to reproduce the original text of the Hebrew Bible, replaced the vowels of the name YHWH with the vowel signs of the Hebrew words Adonai or Elohim. Thus, the artificial name Jehovah (YeHoWaH) came into being. Although Christian scholars after the Renaissance and Reformation periods used the term Jehovah for YHWH, in the 19th and 20th centuries, biblical scholars again began to use the form Yahweh.” The name “Jehovah” was manmade! Perhaps we should not call God by a name someone other than He selected. God states emphatically and frequently that His name is “ Yahweh.” In most of the significant English Bibles, the 9
Isaiah 56:8 "The Lord [Adonay] GOD [Yahweh], who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, `Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.`" Isaiah 61:1 and 11 "The Spirit of the Lord [Adonay] GOD [Yahweh] is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;" For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, "And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, So the Lord [Adonay] GOD [Yahweh] will cause righteousness and praise To spring up before all the nations. “
Congo Connection By Richard and Cheryl Elton
Students study God’s Word at Kennedy’s His Story class in Kinshasa
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otable outreach activity in the two Congo countries continues as the Word of God is taught, lives are changed, and God is glorified. In June, 35 children and their families finished out another school year – made possible by the generous giving of sponsors through
Living Hope International Ministries. Please share in the blessings as you read this update on what is happening in the three Congo Armel and his wife ministries we partGaelle Sandra on ner with. Your Pentecost prayerful support is making a difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world!
His Story – God’s Purpose of the Ages is taught In May, Rev. Kael of Zoe Church in Kinshasa held a class on His
Story – God’s Purpose of the Ages, with 46 students graduat-
ing on Saturday, June 5. A week later, on June 13, he and his wife Babi began a second His Story class in the Masina district with about 60 students. Kael reports that electric power is highly unpredictable in this area of the city, but this did not deter them. They hooked up a gas-powered generator to make sure the microphone worked and the lights stayed on. Meanwhile, also in Kinshasa, Rev. Kennedy of The Way Restored completed a His Story class in May with 24 graduates. This June at the Kinshasa area fellowship, he did a teaching entitled “Let us Become Living Epistles.” Pentecost celebration a blessing for all Across the river in Brazzaville, Rev. Armel and his church, Liv-
ing Hope International Ministries of the Congo, had a large
a great consola- Praise Music at Kennedy’s Class tion to all our people amid the pressures and hardships that we have endured.” Student sponsorship continues for 20102010-2011 school year The Congo children and their families express their gratitude to those who sponsored students this past school year. Thanks to your financial and prayerful support, these children were able to attend school, and the overall quality of life for these families was improved. Please prayerfully consider sponsoring a child for the upcoming school year. Cost is $480 for the year – which pays for school tuition, books, and uniforms for one child. This amounts to payments of $40 a month.
outdoor gathering in May to celebrate Pentecost.
Contact Living Hope International Ministries this summer if you care to get involved for the
Armel shared, “We give thanks to Yahweh for your support for us and for the great success that God has given us at this gathering. The holding of this meeting was God's answer to your prayers for us, and it was
upcoming school year.
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Open Air Pentecost Celebration in Brazzaville
Closing day at Kael’s His Story class in Kinshasa
Counselor becomes a doctor while giving glory to God By Daniel Fitzsimmons ALBANY - Mary Ann Yaconis quit her job as a high school teacher at the age of 51, when most people are well into their careers and contemplating retirement. Why? At the time she had no idea, but after some thought and prayer, Mary Ann came to the conclusion that God wanted her to obtain her Ph.D. in counseling and in so doing to provide empirical evidence that God matters within the realm of psychology. “It was as clear as me sitting here talking with you,” said Mary Ann. “God saying to me, ‘Mary Ann, quit your job.’” On the way to obtaining her degree, Mary Ann faced such difficult challenges that even recalling them almost brings tears to her eyes. Maybe it was the thousands of pages of research she had to read through. Maybe it was the rigorous standards that doctoral dissertations are held to. Or, maybe it was the fact that nobody had ever attempted to insert God into the arena of psychology in such a way that left no doubt that He exists. On May 21st, in front of a committee of tenured professors and counseling experts, she did just that. “What I have shown, empirically, is that the variable of having God as benefactor does make a difference when predicting to outcomes such as pro-social behavior.” In layman’s terms, Mary Ann showed that God is a considerable factor in the counseling and healing process in such a way that stood up to strict academic scrutiny. One of Mary Ann’s committee members, Ralph Piedmont, was initially skeptical when she came to him with the idea for her dissertation. After she passed her final defense, Piedmont told Mary Ann that he cited her study while giving a lecture when faced with
the question of why study God? Piedmont went on to tell Mary Ann that if there was only one thing to take from her work, it was that God really does matter. In her study, Mary Ann measured 345 individuals with a host of backgrounds (from every major religion as well as pagans and atheists) on academic scales, some of which had previously existed and some that she made herself. These scales measured people’s feelings of gratitude and its relationship to God. After controlling for many variables, including personality and gender, Mary Ann showed that people who were more God-minded were more prone to be socially conscious.
“It was a good cross section,” said Mary Ann. “And it still showed that God matters.” According to Mary Ann, gratitude has three components: a benefactor, a benefit, and a beneficiary. This was an established psychological theme before Mary Ann began her research. In this paradigm, the beneficiary’s feelings of gratitude are proportional to their perception of the benefactor’s motives. If the beneficiary feels that the benefactor is acting purely out of good will and grace, as in God’s case, then the feelings of gratitude will increase – causing him or her to desire to be a benefactor to others. “Gratitude that acknowledged God as benefactor was more robust in predicting to spirituality in psychologically mature outcomes than gratitude that did not have God as benefactor,” said Mary Ann. If you read through her dissertation, 11
Functions of God-Minded Gratitude Versus Interpersonal Gratitude in Spiritual and Psychological Systems, you’ll find a lot of statistical jargon that you probably won’t understand, like multiple regression analysis and differential validity. However, you won’t see any academically lobotomized euphemism for God such as divine spirit or higher power. She uses the word “God”, as in Yahweh, to give Him the glory so that nobody can attribute her findings to something other than the one true God of Abraham and Isaac. “This is the first time, in any kind of psychological research, that it has been shown by multi-method that God, as a numinous (spiritual/ religious) variable is important as a predictor,” said Mary Ann. While Mary Ann’s work is groundbreaking in terms of God-focused research, there is still more work to be done. Mary Ann’s next task is to write articles for peer-reviewed journals that explain what her work has shown so that her dissertation can begin to make an impact in the psychological world. She will also give lectures and speak at conferences. “God will do with it what He wants,” said Mary Ann. Mary Ann’s motivation came primarily from God, and she said that ever since she was a little girl, she has always had a strong relationship with Him and an ardent desire to help people. “The benefit for this is for pastoral counselors,” said Mary Ann. “It reaffirms for them to use God as an important topic in the counseling process.” Mary Ann’s research is also important because it opens up a large and newfound swath of psychological research that will focus on the power of God in counseling methods.
458 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham, NY 12110
Calling All Ambassadors for Christ
Royal Family Reunion Save the date September 10, 11, 12, 2010 Living Hope International Ministries Latham, NY 12110
Theme: Ambassadors
for Christ
II Cor. 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Join us for another wonderful weekend in the Word celebrating our calling to be Ambassadors for Christ. Workshops, music, teachings, fellowship, and food fit for royalty are all a part of this great weekend. Please save the date. Be looking for details on our website: www.lhim.org. www.lhim.org.