Many people love the carols of the Christmas season. I sure do. Stu Hayes and his worship band with a brass quartet led us in some of the great ones at our Christmas Breakfast this week! The great words fill our mind and heart in a kind of holy echo chamber. “Word of the Father now in flesh appearing! O Come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.” “Joy to the World the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room. And heaven and nature sing..” Jesus’ Kingship is a dominant theme in our historic Christmas Carols as the one born the King of Angels (O Come All Ye Faithful), the long awaited King of Israel (First Noel), and the King of the earth (Joy to the World). The King of all heaven and earth! He is revealed as Lord and Christ as well. The witness of scripture is unified in declaring Jesus as King of all heaven and earth and Lord to whom all people will bow and confess in recognition one day (Philippians 2:10-11). The word of God makes clear he is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords (Revelation 19:11). He has an all powerful claim over all of life as our Creator. In his first coming, he lays hold of his claim through an all powerful love that conquers sin and death for us and will one day set the creation free as well. As Christ’s disciples, we owe to him the surrender of our lives, complete loyalty, and obedience. Here is the amazing news; our warrior King saves us from the penalty and the power of sin by his victory in the cross and resurrection. We have a new King and Father who makes us members of a new Kingdom. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13) The obedience he requires is empowered by the gift of his Spirit that indwells us. So then what is our calling? We must die daily to self to release the resurrection life of the Spirit in us. In this, we show through our lives that our mighty King Jesus reigns in heaven, on earth and on the throne of our hearts.
Our Need
We have a monthly budget that includes funding to our ministry partners. These include: Del Rey Ministries (Kim Costanza), Mercy For All Nations (John Carey), Good News Jail & Prison Ministry (Mike Pierson) and our monthly support for Terry Brown’s Prison Ministry. Our monthly budgetary need is $10,000 for payroll, program expenses, and our commitment to ministry partners. Could you help us with a year end gift or by becoming a monthly donor? Our monthly donor base now accounts for 25% of our budgetary need. What a blessing! We will run into a shortfall at the end of December. We need your help to make it in the first quarter of 2020. We rely on your generosity at year end to help carry us through the first quarter of the new year. Can you make a donation of $50, $100 or $1,000?
You can make a donation on our website at: www.lockingarmsmen.org/giving or send us a check payable to Locking Arms Men. Our address: 6307 Oyster Bay Court, Bridgeville PA 15017. Your prayer support and financial help is greatly appreciated. Your partnership enables us to continue in God’s work here and in the Dominican Republic.
If you have a few minutes read our 2019 Year in Review below. Our full list of 2020 events can be viewed at: www.lockingarmsmen.org/events
All Glory to Christ
Leo Wisniewski & The Locking Arms Leadership Team