Christian Triumph Mission Church

THE CHURCH By Jo

It is my understanding and belief, that the

Church is the conscience of our society.

As Children of God and part of His

Church, we are subject to and responsible for

upholding His Word regardless of what we

“think.”

We are to stand against those who would go

against God’s Word, especially those who have

the authority to create laws for mankind.

As Children of the Kingdom, we are not

to even support or promote anyone who is acting

in opposition to God’s teachings. If we do so, we

are in direct disobedience to God.

Our trust is not in man but in Almighty

God, and we are “not to lean on our own

understanding” but instead “to hold fast our

profession of faith without wavering.”

When we fail to uphold God’s principles,

we cause the Church to become weak, less

productive, and even lose respect in our society.

This occurs when we “teach one thing” and then

support another.

The Governor, Pilate, in the New

Testament is a good example of holding double

standards to achieve a purpose.

“But they (the people) shouted all the

louder, ‘Crucify Him!’

“When Pilate saw that he was getting

nowhere, but that instead an uproar was

starting, he took water and washed his hands in

front of the crowd.

‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he

said. ‘It is your responsibility!’”

Pilate’s weakness involved him in the very

action he wished to avoid! His lack of resolution

did not work for him, and it will not work for us.

We cannot excuse ourselves when we make

choices in direct opposition to God’s Word.

It is our duty as God’s Church to stand

for the truth without wavering. Let us be strong

in the Lord our God! ���� (edited)

Contents:

The Church by Jo 1

New Leader 2

Testimony 3

Be Strong in the Lord 4

Chorus 4

A Story 5

A Look at the Book of Matthew 6

Poem, Letters 7

*Volume 109 *No. 03 *Published by Christian Triumph Co. *Permit # 695 *MARCH 2009

2

NEW LEADER CHRISTIAN TRIUMPH

Fred Pena

My association with Christian

Triumph began one evening, after my wife

came home from a Women’s Bible Study.

She told me that after the prayer in their

meeting, the Lord impressed her to

volunteer “me” to help a friend with a need.

The friend’s burden was to reach out

to the community; however, she had no clue

where to begin and needed some guidance.

My wife’s friend was Diana Beletic,

Secretary-Treasurer of Christian Triumph

Company.

Having a degree in Architecture and

Engineering as well as working for the City

of Corpus Christi, I was impressed by God

to meet with Diana in an attempt to answer

some of her questions. In a meeting with her

and her husband, Steve, I soon realized that

they needed someone to do preliminary

ground work into putting the vision on

paper.

A few meetings later, I was able to

establish the role of the ministry and what

the needs were to construct and operate a

facility for the community. After many visits

to the Building Inspection Department, the

vision came together and was presented to

them. However, soon after this presentation,

my computer crashed with all the digital

work that had been produced and only hard

copies remained.

Approximately one year later, the

plans surfaced again, and I was called to

meet with contractors and new volunteers.

As well, I was asked to fill the vacancy of

Second Vice President for Christian

Triumph. Through continued prayer, I have

realized that God prepared me for this very

purpose.

Please pray with me that I will listen

as God leads in our efforts to serve Him in

this ministry. I believe, that past experiences

are not coincidences but instead open an

opportunity of service for our Lord. (edited)

(Page 3 – Fred’s testimony)

Faith Messenger Permit #695

Periodical Paid at Corpus Christi, Texas

Published monthly, except July and August. POSTMASTER SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO:

Christian Triumph Company

P.O. Box 5187

905-909 Bluntzer

Corpus Christi, Texas 78405

L.Y. Janes, Founder (deceased); Steve Beletic,

President; Israel Hernandez, Vice-President;

William Anderson, 2nd

Vice-President; Diana Beletic,

Secretary/Treasurer; Una Collins, Asst. Sec./Treas.

This periodical is issued without charge in the name of

the Lord Jesus to help inspire child-like faith and

maintain Christ-like simplicity among the people of

God. To send donations or for your FREE

SUBSCRIPTION, write to the address above or contact

Christian Triumph Co. at

christiantriumph@yahoo.com. Or see us on the web at

christiantriumphcompany.com

3

I was raised the son of a Mennonite

Brethren preacher and exposed to the

Gospel at a very early age in life. A

missionary came to my home town, and

during an old fashioned tent revival

service, at the age of three, I gave my life

to Jesus Christ. Since then, I have

discovered an interesting fact: Of the

Christians who are actively serving God

at present, over 85% of them received

Christ before the age of 15. Just as

significant, I realized that God gives us

the “Good News” which can be

understood by anyone-any age.

This truth has led me to become an

active member in Child Evangelism

Fellowship. This organization was

established in 1937 and has the largest

children’s ministry institute in the nation,

devoted solely to children. The hearts of

little children are tender, and they can be

reached for Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “It is not the will of your

Father which is in heaven, that one of

these little ones should perish.”

As I serve the Lord at Christian

Triumph, I would like to give all that I

have to see what the Lord will do

through the building of a practical, safe

community center. There we hope to

minister to children who may never have

heard the Gospel. Through this outreach,

spiritual eyes will be opened,

missionaries will be sent, and blessings

will be given to all who take part in this

eternal effort. God’s picture is much

larger than we can imagine.

I believe He is calling me to step into

the battlefield - the West Side of Corpus

Christi - and enter a battle for the souls of

children in a field that is “white unto

harvest.”

As our culture slips deeper into sin, it

becomes more urgent. If we do not reach

individuals while they are younger, their

hearts will harden, and it may become

almost impossible to reach them later in

life.

Christian Triumph can become the

“Beacon of Light” that the little children

run to for HOPE! By Fred Pena (edited)

“…be careful, and watch yourselves closely

so that you do not forget the things your eyes

have seen or let them slip from your heart as

long as you live. Teach them to your children

and to their children after them.” Deut. 4

“Tell Me the Stories of Jesus.”

4

By Anita

BE STRONG IN THE LORD

When we began the New Year, 2009, it was

like gazing at a piece of blank paper -

beautifully clean and free of smudges with the

hint of numerous possibilities.

What a challenge for us as Christian people!

Although we recognize our limitations, we also

recognize that our future is in God’s perfect

Hands – Blemish free!

Our ability to live without “falling away” or

failing comes through a Savior who never

leaves us alone to face life’s New Year

surprises. Instead, Jesus “sticketh closer than a

brother.” Proverbs 18:24b

The World should never give up on

Christians because God doesn’t! In fact, their

strength comes from the Lord! “Finally, my

brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power

of His might.” Ephesians 6:10

In determining that Christian beliefs are of

the utmost importance and holding on to them,

we will take a stand for the truth and the right.

We will stand “together” for we join in with

all true believers in proclaiming the Lordship of

Jesus Christ.

In times of need, God will help us. He will

forgive and restore just as He teaches us to

forgive one another.

The Lord’s Prayer Matthew 6:9-13

“After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power,

and the glory, forever.

Amen.”

This prayer is followed by verses 14 & 15:

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your

heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye

forgive not men their trespasses, neither will

your Father forgive your trespasses.”

First John 1:7 promises strength in fellowship

with other Christians.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,

we have fellowship one with another

and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son

cleanseth us from all sin.”

KEEP THE FAITH!

BE STRONG IN THE LORD!

As you write upon your blank paper in 2009,

be encouraged! God is with you!

Steps toward being successful as a Christian in

this New Year are: Bible reading, prayer,

fellowship with other Christians, attending

church and Christian witnessing. Anita (edited)

Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me

All His wonderful passion and purity!

O Thou Spirit divine,

All my nature refine,

Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. Albert W.T. Orsborn Tom Jones

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious.

Slow to anger, abounding in love…He does

not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us

according to our iniquities. For as high as the

heavens are above the earth, so great is his

love for those who fear him…” Psa. 103

5

S T O R Y ���� (A word by the editor)

Although we cannot verify the accuracy of this

story sent to us, it is still a wonderful reminder

of God’s love. Story edited.

Every Sunday afternoon, after the

morning service at the church, the Pastor and

his eleven year old son would go out into

their town and hand out Gospel tracts.

This particular Sunday afternoon, as it

came time for the Pastor and his son to go to

the streets with their tracts, it was very cold

as well as pouring down rain. The boy

bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes

and said, “Ok, Dad, I am ready.”

His Pastor Dad asked, “Ready for what?”

The son answered, “It’s time we gather our

tracts and go out.”

The Dad responded by exclaiming, “It is

very cold outside and is pouring rain!”

The boy gave his dad a surprised look

and asked, “But, Dad, don’t people still need

God, even though it is raining?”

The Dad answered, “Son, I am not going

out in this weather!”

Despondently, the boy asked, “Dad, can I

go? Please?”

His Dad hesitated for a few moments and

then said, “Son, you can go, but be careful.

Here are the tracts. Get back soon!”

And with that, the son was out of the

house and passing out tracts door to door as

well as handing anybody one that he met on

the street.

Down to his last tract, the boy stopped on

a corner and looked around; he saw one

more house and ran to ring the doorbell. No

one answered. He rang it again and again.

Finally he turned to leave but something

stopped him. He went back to the door and

knocked loudly and rang the doorbell one

more time. He waited just a moment before

leaving.

Slowly, the door opened and there stood a

very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly

asked, “What can I do for you?”

The boy smiled and with radiant eyes

said, “Ma’am, I am sorry if I disturbed you,

but I just want to tell you that ‘Jesus really

does love you.’ I came to give you my last

tract which tells you all about Jesus and His

love.”

With that, he handed her the tract and

turned to leave. She called out to him as he

ran down the street, “Thank you, son! And

God bless you.”

The following Sunday morning, an

elderly lady came into the church service and

when the Pastor asked, “Does anybody have

a testimony or want to say anything,” the

lady stood to her feet.

She began to speak, “No one in this

church knows me. I have never been here

before, and I have not been a Christian. But

my husband passed away, leaving me alone

and last Sunday, it was a cold and rainy day.

My heart hurt so badly that I came to the end

of the line where I no longer wanted to even

live myself. I had no hope or will - left.”

I was about to take my own life when

suddenly my doorbell rang. I waited for it to

stop, but it rang again, and then someone

began knocking. I wondered who it could be

so I went to open the door.

There stood a little boy, and, oh, his smile

was so wonderful! He handed me a tract and

said, ‘Jesus really does love you.’ I am even

now holding that tract in my hand.

When the little boy ran up the street in

the cold rain, I closed my door and read

every single word of the Gospel tract. And

then I decided there was no reason for me to

quit on life and give up. Jesus loves me!

You see – now I am also a Child of the

King. I saw your church’s address on the

tract and have come to say, ‘Thank you.’”

6

A LOOK AT THE

BOOK OF MATTHEW SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Chapter 5

(Reference for this study comes from the Holy Bible

as well as the book,

The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1

By William Barclay)

Matthew Matt. 5: 43-48

“You have heard that it has been said: You shall

love your neighbour, and you shall hate your

enemy; but I say to you: Love your enemies, and

pray for those who persecute you, so that you

may become the sons of your Father who is in

heaven; for He makes His sun to rise on the evil

and the good, and sends rain on the righteous

and the unrighteous. If you love those who love

you, what reward can you expect? Do not even

the tax-gatherers do that? If you greet only your

brothers, where is there any extra about that?

Do not even the Gentiles do that? So then, you

must be perfect even as your heavenly Father is

perfect.”

We will begin with a question:

Is there anyone so perfect that he or she

could live accordingly to the principles of the

Sermon on the Mount without the help of Jesus

Christ?

Surely in keeping the above passages, one

could only do so through the grace of Jesus, our

Savior Who enables individuals to experience good

will towards those who persecute them.

Jesus tells us to be like God, to “love our

enemies.” Who could easily do that? In searching

for the answer, we must remember there are four

different words for “love” in the Greek language.

1. a word meaning love of family

2. the love of a man for a women

3. a word describing a warm, deep affection

4. *the word meaning unconquerable

benevolence, invincible goodwill

It appears that Jesus never asked us to love

our enemies the same way we love our family and

close friends for these forms of love come naturally

from the heart.

Love for enemies is unnatural. It comes

from a submission to the Spirit of God and is

empowered through the saving grace of Jesus.

This love turns away from bitterness and turns to a

Heavenly Father Who promises, “I, even I, am He

who comforts you…” (Isaiah 51).

“I will contend with those who contend with

you…” (Isaiah 51).

God promises in His Word to never leave us

alone to face difficulties without His Holy Spirit!

In reality, loving the unjust does not mean

leaving their behavior unchecked. Sometimes, an

enemy’s behavior must be stopped, disciplined or

punished but not for the purpose of fulfilling our

need for revenge; it must be done as a safety or

corrective measure - through wise principles.

In truth, God does not want us enslaved to

anger because of someone else’s harmful behavior.

Instead, God wants us to be free, filled with love.

And He, as our Role Model, offers salvation to

every enemy of the Cross. Even when we ourselves

have broken His law and heart, He did not withhold

His forgiveness and love.

Jesus further states in Matthew that we

“must be perfect” even as our Heavenly Father.

This word has nothing to do with * abstract or

metaphysical perfection; instead it speaks of one

who realizes his purpose for which he was made.

“Let us make man in our image and after our

likeness.” (Genesis 1:26) The Story of the Creation.

In being “perfect”- like God, we seek the

good of individuals, realizing that their behavior is

not the same as who they were created to be.

Example: Abusive adults can take an innocent child

and create a person with cruel behavior, and yet,

this is not the original “authentic person.”

The thing that makes us like God is allowing

God to give us His unconditional love, creating

within us a desire to pray for such troubled, injured

individuals. Although we may need to take

measures to protect ourselves from destructive

behaviors, we will *enter upon Christian perfection

when we learn to forgive as God forgives and to

love as God loves. * The Gospel of Matthew, Page 172

* The Gospel of Matthew, Page 175

* The Gospel of Matthew, Page 177

APRIL FAITH MESSENGER: Matthew 6:1-18

7

� In studying the book of Matthew, we are

constantly reminded of our own inabilities and

imperfections; and yet we humbly face those

personal areas which need cleansed by the grace of

God and empowered through the Holy Spirit.

Being genuine means being meek and then

teachable.

Sometimes we acquaint “perfect” Christians

with the word “Saint.” Thankfully, the Bible speaks

of the Holy Spirit interceding for the Saints, those

who have been washed clean by the blood of the

Lamb.

Paul writes in Romans 8 that “the Spirit

helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we

ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes

for us with groans that words cannot express. And

He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the

Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in

accordance with God’s will.”

Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 are given to

encourage our growth and submission to the will of

God. In opening our hearts to His teachings, we will

learn that “in all things God works for the good of

those who love Him, who have been called

according to His purposes…He who did not spare

His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will

He not also, along with Him graciously give us all

things? Who will bring any charge against those

whom God has chosen?...in all these things, we are

more than conquerors through Him Who loved

us…” (Romans 8)

====================================

((((TeachableTeachableTeachableTeachable))))

A NEW MEA NEW MEA NEW MEA NEW ME

I looked at myself, and what did I see? It was somebody I didn’t want to be.

I tried as best I could to improve on me, But gave up at last and just tried to flee.

I learned that from me I couldn’t get away, And found with myself I’d just have to stay.

But now I think I’ve found the solution,

Which isn’t by a simple resolution.

If I call on the Savior, and make Him my Lord; Put my trust in Him, and obey His Word;

Forgiving my past, He gives me a new heart. I’m now a brand-new me, and have a fresh start.

--Byrum C. Lee 10/2006

From Las Vegas: Christian Triumph, What a friend we have in Jesus! Thank you for all your prayers. God is so good. Love in Jesus Name, Lyn

From Los Angeles: Dear Friends: Greetings in Jesus Name, hoping all is well. Also wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! It’s getting like most people don’t want to say Merry Christmas. anymore. Anything related to Christ they are out-lawing it. School plays can’t carry a cross or mention Jesus. But you can have plays about gangs and loose girls. They are trying to take (In God We Trust) out of our currency…our Enemy is getting stronger while as a nation, we’re getting weaker….they say we are dishonoring other religions. We must use our thoughts and songs and anything dealing with Christ only in our own place of worship. But they are in for a great surprise for our Bible says, “Every knee shall bow…” and that means theirs too… Pray for my family…Say hello to all and May God Bless, Eldred THANK YOU FOR THE LETTERS! MORE COMING IN THE APRIL ISSUE!

8

Faith Messenger

A publication of Christian Triumph Company

P.O. Box 5187 905 Bluntzer Corpus Christi, TX 78465

Address Service Requested

“Wash away

All my iniquity

And cleanse me

From my sin.

Wash me,

And I

Will be

Whiter than Snow.”

Psalm 51

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

Corpus Christi, Texas

Permit # 695

9

10