CHENANIAH MUSIC MINISTRIES, INC.

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: Have You Been Hurt By The Church? What Does Faith Have To Do With Prayer? A Different Kind of Christmas Display The Flava of Christmas

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Counselors 2 Corner: Faith & Prayer Hurt By The Church

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Editorial

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Christmas Tableaus Gallery

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How To Respond When You’ve Been Hurt By The Church “I cannot believe those so-called Christians would treat me like that!” screamed Debra as she angrily slammed the phone down. She had just returned home from a bitter meeting with church deacons who had brought to her attention complaints from other members of the church. Although she had done no wrong in the sight of God, perceptions had been skewed and gossip had begun to spread among the church, which had inevitably reached church leadership. As she defended her position and behavior before her accusers, bitterness began to stir within her and she vowed never to return to that church again. Months later, Debra has still not stepped foot into a church and has all but walked away from her

faith. Although this was a fictitious story, this is a regular occurrence

Rev. Keith Spencer

among believers that has resulted in numerous people leaving congregations, never to return again. I personally can relate as I recently resigned from my congregation, partly due to foolishness

from some believers. My hope in this article is to help those who may have been hurt by the actions of others within the church by offering a few short, but powerful realities for us to keep in mind. First, we must realize that we are all flawed human beings in need of a savior! If everyone in the church were perfect, then why would we need a savior in the first place? What this means is inevitably we will make our share of mistakes and wrong another person. The key isn’t if it will happen but when! Second, the church is a hospital for the sick, not a gathering place for the healthy! This goes hand in hand with my reality listed above, (Continued on page 3)

Counselors Corner: Prayer & Faith In the book of Hebrews we read these words: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (chapter11:1, KJV). Another translation says: Faith is the assurance of thing hoped for and the conviction of things not yet received. Still, another ren-

ders it this way: “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” For the last few months I found myself pondering the subject of faith. I know that the Bible has a lot to say about faith.

For example: The story of the woman with the issue of blood for twelve years and who had spent all of her living trying to get well to no avail, when she decided to press through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus garment, Jesus said to her, (Continued on page 2)

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Prayer & Faith (Cont’d) (Continued from page 1)

Rev. Verleta Spencer

“The difference with having faith in God is that you do not assume God is there, you know He is there.”

“Daughter be of good comfort; thy faith hath m a d e t h e e whole.” (Matthew 9:20). Again, when Jesus was with the disciples in the ship and the severe storm arose that caused them to cry out in despair; Jesus spoke to them and asked, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). The bible speaks of great faith, little faith and no faith. So what is faith? Back to verse one of Hebrews 11. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for; faith is the evidence of thing not seen.” Two words have caught my attention. Substance and evidence; what are the meaning of these words? The dictionary defines substance as: “The material of which anything consists; also as something tangible, and evidence; as that which serves as a ground for knowing something with certainty or for believing something with conviction.” Funk & Wagnalls. The living bible says: “Faith is believing that what you want is going to happen even though now you cannot see it.” Put another way, Faith is the conviction that you will get a response to request you have made. Faith to me is approaching a locked door without a key, and trusting that someone is on the inside, behind that

“Faith is believing that what you want is going to happen even though now you cannot see it.”

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locked door, to answer and let you in. Prayer is the key to that locked door, and faith is what we need to get the door open. As I continued to read in Hebrews, I came to verse 6, which says: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” In order to please God we must have faith in him. We must first believe that he is, that he is who he says he is, and that he does exist. If you believe that no one is inside, beyond that locked door to respond to your call, why would you even dare to approach the door and knock? But because you believe that someone is at home, on the inside, you approach the door with confidence knowing that you are going to get a response, Remember, faith is having assurance in the thing you hoped for. It is having the confident assurance that even though you do not now see it, you are going to have the answer some day. Let’s go back to my earlier scenario of approaching the locked door. Have you ever visited someone and expected them to be home? Happily you arrived in the drive way, you got out of your car and hurried to the door with confidence that you are going to connect very soon with that loved one. You rang the doorbell and listened for footsteps,

but heard none. You knocked, thinking the doorbell does not work and you waited, but no one comes to the door. After much trying, you walked away disappointed because no one answered the door. You expected someone to be there, but there was no one. The difference with having faith in God is that you do not assume God is there, you know He is there. You know that He is. That He is who He says He is, and that you can trust His promises. He that comes to God must believe that He is. I will allow you to fill in the blank. God is……………. To me He is: Creator; Provider; Protector; Deliverer, Comforter; Defender; and the list go on. He is my all in all. With such a Great God on your side, why would you not learn to trust Him? Then verse 6, concludes, that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Yes my friends, though the answer may seem long in coming, if we seek Him with all our heart and do not doubt, He will answer in His own time. He cannot deny Himself. He is a God who keeps his promise. Listen to this promise: And Jesus answered them,” Have faith in God. I assure you that whoever tells this hill to get up and throw itself in the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. For this reason I tell you: When you pray and ask for (Continued on page 3)

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Hurt By The Church (Cont’d)

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but oftentimes we forget that and expect that our church will always be filled with sanctified, Christfollowers who will never make mistakes. If we hold this view, it won’t be long before we find it shattered, but it will be the saint with the proper perspective that will emerge from any incident stronger in their faith. Third, recognize that it was people that may have hurt you and NOT God. In my decade of ministry to God’s people I cannot tell you how

Don’t walk many times I’ve seen people walk away away from from their faith bethe church cause of others! because God didn’t cause people people to wrong hurt you. you, people in their flawed state did. The simple fact is that people aren’t always true Christ-followers and aren’t always in the Word knowing how to behave! Those who leave the church often do so because their eyes weren’t on the cross, but rather on man. So what do you do if you’ve been hurt? Recognize that this too shall past and begin to work on the process of forgiving those who have offended you. This won’t always be easy but it’s possible and we forgive not for them, but out of obedience to God. Remember, forgiveness is not letting them off the hook, but

rather letting them off your hook so that you are no longer carrying around their baggage while they are walking free and sometimes unaware of your bitterness towards them! Also, recognize that if you feel it necessary to leave a church, find another one! Don’t walk in assuming that people will hurt you again, but rather be open to allowing that new congregation to help you through your healing. People aren’t perfect, but our God is and always will be! It’s vital to be connected to a congregation in order to keep growing! John 15: “Remain connected to the vine” Hebrews: “Let us not forsake meeting together as some are in the habit of doing”

“...recognize that it was people that may have hurt you and NOT God.”

Prayer & Faith (Cont’d) (Continued from page 2)

something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for.” Mark 11: 22-24 (Good News Bible). I am fascinated as I continue to read Hebrews 11. It tells about all these great heroes of faith who endured so much and did not give up. It says: “What a record all of these have won by their faith! Yet

they did not receive what God had promised, because God had decided on an even better plan for us.” (Good News Bible). So let me encourage you to hang in there. There may be times when we pray and pray and we seem not to get any answer, don’t give up. Whether we sense God’s presence or not, by faith we can be assured that He is standing by and will an-

swer our prayers in His own appointed time. So do not be discouraged, you can have faith in God for He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Prayer increases our faith.

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Editorial: Christmas TABLEAUS One of the advantages of being Editor of a publication is that you get to spotlight things that are special or interesting to you. That is exactly what I’m going to do here.

Antoinette M. Ferrara Editor

Last year I was blessed to be a part of a unique program put on by a beautiful country church in Rhode Island. Each year the Perryville Bible Church hosts the Christmas Tableaus. This is an open air tour that takes guests back to the nativity journey and experience. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines a tableau as [short for tableau vivant

The Tableaus is a family friendly and

belong to Cindy, an animal lover or close friends.

These lighted scenes take you from the angel’s visit to the Virgin Mary all the way to the birth of Jesus in the manger. Each scene features live “actors” and some even include live animals.

Guests are treated to hot and sweet refreshments in the church fellowship hall to help them warm up after their tour.

The event is the dream child of Cindy Mellor Mills who felt led to start this project many years ago. All participants are volunteers and the animals

Each year, Mellor Mills tries to enhance the experience; last year by adding a choir that sang throughout the 2-hour touring period each night.

This year’s Tableaus will be held on Saturday & Sunday, December 1& 2 from 7 to 9:00 p.m. This event is family friendly and handicap accessible and I encourage you to include and it in your holiday plans. Your family will love it!

Christmas Tableaus Photo Gallery

handicap accessible event and we encourage you to include it in your holiday plans.

NEWSLETTER

(from French, literally, living picture)] : a depiction of a scene usually presented on a stage by silent and motionless costumed participants. The Tableaus are exactly that.

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Chenaniah Music Ministries, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is Based in Providence, RI. Our purpose is to glorify God, edify His church, and lift up, encourage, and em-

Chenaniah Music Ministries, Inc. Email: [email protected] Web: www.chenaniah.net That we might be to the praise of His glory… Ephesians 1:12

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