“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

April, 2010

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. All is well here, we are pressing in to spread the gospel of Christ and giving Him thanks for the opportunity to do this through our phone lines. Because of your faithfulness in finances and in prayer, we are able to reach people around the world! Our volunteers are blessed with every call that comes in, and many are receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is a reminder that we are here for you too! If you need prayer, or someone to talk to, call our Hope Connection prayer line: (718) 238-4600

This month we are commemorating the life, death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we meditate upon all that He has done for us, let us be mindful of what our role is now that we have received Him as Lord and Savior. God has called all of us to minister to others. Perhaps not all are called to the Office of Minister, but all are called to minister wherever they are. This means in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our schools, our workplaces, and wherever we go. He has placed an awesome responsibility to us, hasn’t He? Unless we tell others, how will they know the means of salvation? Unless we make ourselves available to others and not be timid about it, many will not see heaven. Scary! But true!

The Bible tells us “And Jesus came and spoke to them saying. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:18-20) This commission is for all believers for all time! Let us meditate upon this as we rejoice on Resurrection Sunday for all that Jesus has done for us! I love Resurrection Sunday! There is such a brightness on that day, even if it is raining out! There seems to be electricity in the air, and I believe that is the power of the Holy Spirit coming down as worshipers gather to praise God for all He has done. We all dress in beautiful spring colors which also remind us of how God took us out of darkness, and brought us into His marvelous light. With Him, all things are beautiful. The day is beautiful, the worship is awesome, and the preaching takes on fresh meaning in church that day. Just see how the choir in your church lifts up His Name in an especially wonderful way on Easter! Everyone, including

the congregations join together to worship God in all His Holiness and Beauty. We are all reminded of where we came from, and how Great our God is to have picked us up and washed us clean, and filled us with His perfect love. He wiped our faces, dried our tears, and gave new life into these dry bones. He smiled and said “it is good!” The angels rejoiced! All heaven broke loose that one sinner has repented of their sin and received the Darling of Heaven, Jesus Christ! Wow! Just picture that. Picture how your turning to Jesus has broken the power of the enemy over your life! Picture him crawling away, with his tail under him, as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords speaks out saying “This is my beloved child, leave!” Tears came to your eyes as you realized the significance of turning away from sin and turning towards your Lord and Savior. There is no other event or time in our life that could ever compare with that! Only Jesus... only Him... He lifts us up, teaches us, and transforms us into His Image. When God sees us now, He sees His Son! Glory!

All of our past is behind us now. It is no more. When God sees us, He sees us as His Son, with the precious Blood of Jesus covering us. We are no longer a stranger; we are now citizens of heaven, and that begins right at the moment of salvation. Yes, we are a work in progress.. Yes, we have much to learn, and.. Yes, we make mistakes and fail, but praise God, we are under the Blood of Jesus! As we become closer to Him, we want more and more to be like Him. Sin no longer has a hold on us. We are quick to ask for forgiveness and He is quick to forgive. We rise up again with our eyes on Jesus and thank Him for His forgiveness and mercy. We go further on in our journey with Him, learning day by day by day.

 He is so patient with us! His love is endless!  He wants more than we do, for us to win the race in this life. All heaven cheers us on! “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Heb. 12:1) We are running a race, and it is as if we are in a stadium and all heaven is on the benches cheering us on to the finish line. Glory! On Resurrection Sunday, worship with all your might, sing loudly and give Him glory! He doesn’t care if you cannot sing, He loves it anyhow! Let all you see know about your Lord and Savior, and ask Jesus to keep sending you people to witness to.

Father, in Jesus’ Name, I life up this reader, and I ask You to bless him or her in a powerful way, especially on Resurrection morning! Implant a fresh impartation of Holy Spirit wisdom and boldness so that Your Gospel can be preached through this vessel in a greater way. Bless this reader’s family, and if anyone needs to know You, I pray that this reader will be given every opportunity to be a witness for You, so that all in this family will come to the saving knowledge of You. Praise You for taking this life to a new level in You! Praise You for encouraging and cheering this person on, and bringing this person safely to the finishing line, winning the race that is before him or her. Encourage this person today, give this person a special experience of Your love and grace. Thank You Father! In Jesus Name we pray. Amen & amen!  God bless you!

Rev. Barbara Yovino, Ph.D.