AN URGENT TIME FOR CHRIST!

The Church considers the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ as urgent a task now as ever. None of the great strides in scientific or social progress has reduced this need. Why? Because, save for the message and grace of Jesus Christ, our fundamental human condition remains one of desperation, with or without the benefits of science.What are the causes of our desperation? They ar e both internal and external. It is easy to understand the desperation of the incurably ill, the extremely poor and destitute, or those living in lands wrecked by war or famine. We know, nevertheless that we can be in a secure and prosperous situation and be no less desperate. We may be desperate because we feel that what our heart most desires we can never have. Or our desperation may stem from having attained our heart’s desire only to discover it did not bring us the happiness we so much hoped it would. We may be desperate for fear of never finding true love, or from being disappointed in it.We may be desperate because we feel we’ve been cheated out of our chance to achieve greatness in our career or in some other field of endeavor, because others were blind and didn’t recognize our talents or give us a fair chance. Or we may be desperate because through years of faithful service and dogged determination we made it to the pinnacle of success, only to find we had become a stranger to those around us and even to ourselves, and had let the best and most important things of life slip through our fingers.We may be desperate because a loved one suffers some deep pain and we feel powerless to help. We may be desperate because we feel we never received the love we needed as children and now nothing seems to be able to make up for it. We may be desperate because we are approaching the evening of life and are alone. We may be desperate because we have neglected our children and now they have rejected us, and we fear we have lost them for good.We may be desperate because we have neglected what is most important of all our relationship with God and we feel we can never recover a lost innocence or make up for the wrongs we have done. We may be desperate because we simply feel lost.For these and countless other reasons, we may feel desperate. Even if we had everything we ever desired and were able to say we were the luckiest and most blessed persons alive, our situation would still be desperate because all these good things these loves, these achievements, these possessions will be taken away from us, for we must die. Our earthly joys, dreams, hopes, and aspirations will all be extinguished in death.We have devised a culture that enables us to distract ourselves from our mortality, but the jaws of death will eventually close on us whether we are ready or not. No human tonic has ever freed any human being from desperation, because there is no human solution to the predicament of our mortality.It is not until we distance ourselves from the noise and activity swirling around us so as to enter into silence and prayer that we are able to hear the cry that rises from deep within our souls, and it is not until we squarely face that part of us which lives in quiet desperation that we are able to know with our whole being what it means to need to be saved, and to know the futility of all purely human projects of salvation. It is also only then that the urgency, power, and majesty of the words of Jesus Christ are able to seize us as they should: “I am the resurrection and the life: whoever believes in me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11:2526).Only the horizon of eternal life, which Christ opened for us by his passion, death, and resurrection, can free us from the sorrow of our mortality, and that is why the Church proclaims that there is no lasting peace or joy or hope for humanity apart from Jesus Christ, and why it is that she considers the preaching of the gospel as urgent a task today as in any age, and why she believes it is folly to put our trust in earthly powers alone political, economic, scientific, or otherwise to make our lives secure and free from desperation.

BELOVED AUNT SARA ORTIZ GRAVELY ILL

By Noel Serrano

Ceiba, PR-2010- Sara Ortiz, the youngest sister of the late Felicita M. Serrano is facing one of the toughest battles in her life. She is gravely ill in Puerto Rico. Sara is one of the last remaining Gala Elders. Sara has been weathering various illnesses for several years now but remains in good spirits. Sara is a beloved Mother, Grandmother and Aunt of a large family that recognizes her enormous contribution and legacy to all that have been touched by her love, compassion and devotion to the Cause of Christ and the work of the ministry of her beloved Salvation Army. Sara studied long and hard, along with her late husband Victor Ortiz to prepare for the ministry that the Lord gave to them. They both served for many years as Captains in the Salvation Army, travelling abroad and planting the seeds of the Gospel to all the territories that they had the privilege to soldier in. Sara Ortiz is a strong and dedicated Public Servant and a Woman of God. She was blessed to be in a large family with older sisters and brothers that shielded her and prepared her for the ministry that the Lord had destined for her. Her stern but loving father, Rev. Lucas Maldonado gave her the proper upbringing and sufficient mettle to have her endure all of the various storms that would come to her life. The late Nieves Bosch and and Felicita Serrano became major influences in the life of the younger sister. Sara would always cherish their examples and their advice. There came a time when Sara and her husband became members of the Beloved Church home "La Sinagoga" during the 1950s. They lived in Spanish Harlem and raised their large family in the same area where the twin Bosch families resided. Sara had a very neat apartment with a large kitchen and would often receive frequent visits from her two older sisters. There came a time when Sara and Victor to moved to Puerto Rico. It was there that God called them into the Ministry of the Salvation Army. It was hard at first, declared Sara. They both started as soldiers and Cadets. They worked very hard in the Ministry and studied to be Officers. Life was tough because Sara was raising her kids at the same time. During the early 1970s Sara and Victor became Captains. They were travelling non-stop. during these times the Ortiz couple would visit their family in New York. Felicita and Nieves were very proud of their younger sister. She was going in a totally different denomination but her sisters knew that the Salvation Army was doing the work of the Lord and they were winning souls. The late Francisco Serrano and the late Victor Ortiz were very close friends. They would often spend hours talking about all the experiences that they would have as they grew more into the ministry.

In 1993, the Gala Award went to Sarah Ortiz, for her Outstanding contribution to our family. Sarah joined the rank of the Family Elders within a year. the Award was shipped to Puerto Rico and was special delivered in time for Christmas Eve.
In 1994, the Award was presented to Victor Ortiz, the strong Ortiz Patriarch in Puerto Rico was elated when he received the prestigious award and was also included in the rank of Elders. Sara Ortiz is a fighter. She was bred to be strong and to be a voice to the voiceless in this lost world. God has blessed her with a Noble spirit and she is not alone . God is with her, even in the midst of some difficult moments of health. Sara witnessed the passing of her beloved husband Victor, her only daughter Elsie and her oldest son Vitim. God fortified her during those trying years.We all pray that God will give her the health and vigour that we have all witnessed through the years. May God continue to bless Aunt Sara. Let us all keep her in our prayers.

LET THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD GUIDE YOU !

By Rev. Joaquin Maldonado

My Dear friends: I wish you the richest of God's blessings this Christmas season and lots of joy and fulfilled hope in the years ahead. Following is an article from christdisciples.org. I invite you to read it and remain blessed. Bye for now. J. Maldonado A fulfilled Hope The story of Simeon found in the gospel of Luke chapter two, is briefly stating, an uncommon case of patience. We read that it was “revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.” Luke 2:26 However, we aren’t told for how long he waited or how old he was when he finally saw the baby Jesus. But we know that Simeon had a living hope which was untouched or crowded by untamed human desires. He was asked to wait for “the consolation of Israel.” So, his life was driven almost entirely by the sole purpose of reaching this goal. He patiently and expectantly waited on God, relying on His strength to whom he fully abandoned his will. ... See More When God’s time was accomplished, his patience was rewarded. Years of uncomplaining waiting, anticipation, hope and prayers became instantly fulfilled. The Holy Spirit led him to the temple court where he awaited the arrival of Jesus and his parent. There he saw and received the baby Jesus. With the baby Jesus in his arm, Simeon thankfully asked the Sovereign Lord to dismiss him in peace after he had given profound prophesies about Him. What a relief and a fulfilled hope! This story reminds me of my nine year old son. He was ecstatic as he related the testimony of his DS Nintendo gift in the church. He said he had wanted the gift so very much, but receiving it was dependent on his fulfilling the goals that his mom had set for him. He had doubts that he would reach the goals by Thanksgiving Day when he expected the gift. “So, I asked God to assist me and I did not remind my mom about it at all”, he said. “In the Thanksgiving Day morning, God answered my prayer. My mom presented me with a brand new DS Nintendo, and in the color I have always wanted.” He reported, beaming with a smile. Like my little son, I can imagine Simeon swelling up with gratitude and joy as he held baby Jesus in his arm. The Scripture says it was “revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ”. He had waited all his life to witness the promised child. Simeon understood an important truth. God is true to His word. To date, God still honors His word above all else. Simeon knew also that it is impossible for Him to repudiate what has gone out of His mouth, so he wrapped himself with patient. And he was eminently rewarded. But stop and think! Is patience, possible in our age of instant satisfaction? There are pressures and urges to get our wants now and at any means. But consider Simeon. He is described as righteous and devout, which implies that he was dedicated, virtuous and totally consecrated to living for God in achieving the goal He had set for him. Dear friends, if you want to reach your God-given goal, like Simeon, you must be willing to wholly give up yourself to God. Then God’s Spirit will lead you daily. There might be clouds of difficulties and hardships; perhaps, betrayal too, overspreading your paths, but you must remain resolute on achieving your goal, and be patient; the Spirit of the living God will one day lead you into the temple courts of God’s blessing from whence you will be presented with your reward. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

CHRIST SHOULD BE AT THE CENTER OF OUR LIVES ON 2010

New Year’s Resolution
“Putting Christ in the Center of our Lives”
Galatians 2:20
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
What would happen in the New Year if we put Christ as the center of our lives and most of all “our thinking?”
In our work we have come to believe that the meaning we give any internal or external event determines how we live our lives for as a man thinketh so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7) The word meaning is a German word which means “to hold in mind.” That is exactly what Proverbs 23:7 is talking about.
If we get the meaning right, all other areas of our life will be right. The Bible teaches us that when Christ is center, all is well. John 10:10 Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”


When “He” is at the Center, all of our thinking becomes Christ centered:



In Galatians 2:20 Paul is asserting that Christ is the center of his life for “Christ lives in him” and the purpose (#7 Purpose) of his life is to live it “crucified unto Christ.” When the meaning of our life is to be “crucified with Him” that will determine the remaining components of the circle which we believe sums up all thinking/behaving.

By letting Christ be at the center, we create a “new Self” (#2 Self) for in 2 Cor 5:17 Paul says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Knowing our position in Christ solves all identity issues. I know who I am because I know Whose I am. And, that is good enough!

By letting Christ be center of our lives the gives me the Power and Resources (#3 Power) to live in this world successfully for Phil 4:13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

By letting Christ be the center of our lives, we have a dynamic relationship with this concept called Time (#4 Time). He has given me eternal life (John 3:16). “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:8)Paul says, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18) That tells me that being crucified with Christ, having our meaning from Him makes time irrelevant for we are in Him the timeless one.

By letting Christ be the center of our lives, we will live in obedience to the Greatest Commandment which calls upon us to love God and to love our neighbor(#5 Others). Matthew 22:37-40 “37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with thy entire mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

By letting Christ be the center of our lives, we will accept the world as a place that we can live in without fear but with confidence and joy (#6 World). 1 John 4:4 says, “…dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

By letting Christ be the center of our lives, He is our purpose, period (#7 Purpose). 2 Timothy 4:6-9 “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.