Bigger Than Life
Gateway Pregnancy Centers
27th. Annual Stewardship Banquet
Thursday, October 25, 2012 7:00-9:00 pm at The Gran Centurion, Clark, NJ
Good evening,
I’m Dean Gavaris and I approve this message; my prayer is that God does as
well. This is the first and the last time that I will allude to the political
arena because Gateway is NOT a political or social outreach, but a biblical
mandate to choose life.
Our focus, our ministry is ‘bigger
than life’ and
therefore our message needs to be ‘bigger than life’ – and it is.
Gateway
Pregnancy Center is ‘Bigger than Life’ because ALL that a man or woman really
needs is found in Jesus Christ.
Often the
prolife message is delivered with persuasion, yet our message is delivered by
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our message is delivered in weakness, "My grace is sufficient
for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Yet our message is delivered without apology.
Our message is found in the gospel: I
Corinthians 15:1-6: “ Now I would remind you, brothers,[a] of the
gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast
to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first
importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance
with the Scriptures, 4 that he was
buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the
twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than
five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some
have fallen asleep.
Yes, social services can help (and we help in all these areas,
either providing or referring to others) a free pregnancy test, free sonograms,
free baby items, referrals for housing, drug rehabilitation, STD testing,
battered women shelters, high risk pregnancy care, boyfriend counseling,
adoption – we could go on and on.. but
none of these earthly helps can save a soul or direct a person in the path
God has already prepared for them.
We strongly believe in ethnic
diversity @ Gateway
but we do not rely upon spiritual diversity for our marching orders.
We get our focus from the Bible, which tells us to make no idols
before God, even the idol of the preborn baby, who I, with all my heart believe
is made in His image, is alive at the moment of conception and is worth
fighting for, living for and dying for.
But our focus must be on the glory of
God, the honor of His
Son, and the last command of Jesus on this earth – “Go, therefore and make
disciples of all men.”
You may be prolife, but do you have
eternal life?
The true
prolife person knows that life eternal is far more important than simply fighting
for, standing up for, rescuing or living for the preborn.
People need transformation, not reformation.
They desperately need what you and I
cannot supply – they
need a change of heart and not just a change of behavior.
Apart from
the work of the Holy Spirit, our efforts are mere service, no matter how loving our intentions:
1. Service is not salvation
2. Encouraging people to ‘turn over a new
leaf’ is not salvation
3. Asserting one’s manhood or womanhood,
honoring biblical chastity or biblical marriage is not salvation because these
things, although very important, are not a substitute for the finished work of
Christ on the Cross.
4. Right thinking on the issues we deal
with is not salvation – no matter
how many sonograms we do, videos we show or biblical truthsa on chastity we
share – these cannot by themselves convert the sinful human heart; only God’s
Grace revealed in the gospel can do this.
5. Denying ourselves for others is not salvation – I Corinthians 13:3 –
giving our possessions, our money or ourselves to a cause cannot earn us
salvation, BUT, they can lead us from
salvation if we don’t recognize that
it’s Christ alone, not our works, that removes the penalty of sin.
6. Sacrifice is not salvation- The prolife movement is a great cause- probably
the single most important issue facing the modern church, yet, living for or
even dying for the prolife movement – yes, the babies is not salvation -because discipline and sacrifice and suffering
don’t cleanse- from sin.
‘You may be prolife, but are you sure
that you have eternal life? You can be sure..
‘I
write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you
may know that you have eternal life.’ ESV
7. Repaying God for taking a human life
through abortion doesn’t free a woman from guilt, but the Blood of Jesus Christ
does!
Behavior is a product of belief, not the other way around. Reformation cannot be substituted for transformation.
As easy as it
is to be reactionary to all the evil
around us, we need to be revolutionary
in our response.
Jesus didn’t
react to the evil around him; otherwise Satan would’ve tricked Him when he
tempted Him in the desert (Luke 4), Jesus spoke truth, which cannot change, and
our responses to the evil of abortion must be biblical, not social, not
political and certainly not ‘religious’. Following a religion is the opposite
of living in a relationship with the God who made us.
The Word of life, (the gospel) is bigger
than life (the prolife movement)
Are we
holding forth the Word of life or holding fast to a movement – both are
important, but what’s more important in the long run?
When we gloat
at failure, we are no Jeremiah’s. When we fail to forgive, we are not acting
like followers of Christ.
Gateway is Bigger than Life because we believe the truth of John
10:9 pictured on our Journal cover: “I am the gate, whoever enters through me
will be saved” Jesus is the only way to salvation and this must be our central
message.
The gateway to life is the door mentioned
in John 10. Jesus is the doorkeeper and the good shepherd who laid down his
life. Verse 3 3 The
gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls
his own sheep by name and leads them out. Verse
11: 1 “I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’
Jesus is the gateway to heaven – the way in
to the Kingdom of God. The Blood of Christ is the way out of sin. At Gateway,
we preach the blood while directing people to the ‘gate’, that’s why we are
called Gateway.
The Gateway to eternal life is trust in the
finished work of Christ. God is looking to forgive sinful people, not to punish
them.
We see this in the two verses that follow
John 3:16, the most well known verse in the Bible: John 3:17-18: ‘For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed
in the name of the only Son of Go’
We read in
the Book of Matthew that ‘the gate is narrow’. Only those who’ve personally
trusted Christ can enter. Jesus himself said in John 14:16, ‘I am the way, the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.’
We are not
perfect at Gateway, but we do have a Savior who can perfect us, not our works,
but our soul, which is then led to do the works already prepared for us.
Jesus is
willing to forgive ALL sin but we need to allow Him to have our hearts and not
just our outward religious expression.
The rich
young ruler in the book of Mark ran up to Jesus, he knelt before Him, he
addressed Him properly, yet he was unwilling to give Him his heart – he held
something back.
Many people
today are cold towards ‘church and religion’ but they’re open to hearing about
Christ. Many of those we see at Gateway are in this category. If all we had was
an offer to return to church, we wouldn’t be seeing the great number of people
trusting Christ.
Others we
come in contact with at Gateway, perhaps even those who call themselves
“prolife”, moral, religious people - (perhaps even you) are unsure if they died
today why God should let them into heaven. But they/you can
be sure because of the finished work of Christ.
I John 3:16 – ‘“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’ ESV
I John 5:13 – ‘These things
I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you
may know that you have eternal life.’ NASV
Finally,
others we see at Gateway, some 17%, are born again believers, yet like the
woman caught in the very act of adultery, they have been marginalized by others
(even by some in the church) – “Oh, I’m not like those people!”
I’m struck
with the fact that our Lord Jesus had deep compassion for the lost, the
confused, the lonely, those who felt the burden of their sin, the lonely, the
poor, the homeless, the weary, the tempted, the helpless, the ignorant, the
ones who often admitted their own need v—but only one category drew His anger
- the self-righteous, as seen throughout
the gospels: Luke 15:15 – ‘He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of
men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable
in God's sight.’
So what should be our heart attitude
towards the lost, the confused, the spiritually ignorant, the sinning?
Luke 18:9-14: 9He also
told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous,
and treated others with contempt: 10“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a
tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayeda thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not
like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax
collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes
to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the
other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles
himself will be exalted.”
Gateway
is ‘Bigger than Life’ because we’ve been made aware by a loving and
compassionate God that His grace and mercy extend to all – first to us and also to those we serve (the men and women)
as well as those who oppose the truth of the Bible, the mockers, the racist,
the abortion provides.
When
we gloat at the failure of others, we are no Jeremiahs who warned of coming
judgment. When we fail to forgive, we are not acting like followers of Jesus,
who used one of his last sentences on earth to say these words, ‘"Father,
forgive them for they know not what they do."
Someone
just posted this on Facebook: “The greatest failure of the Church isn’t the failure
to teach about the love of Christ, but the failure to really live it.”
Let
God judge the sinner, but reach out to the sinner with the offer of forgiveness
through Christ’s finished work.
What
the world needs today is not economic stability, or ease of heart or even ‘love
sweet love’, but cleansing from sinful hearts, but for the world to see their
need, we do need the sweet love that can only come from our growing and
personal relationship with the One we point the world to.
People
need transformation, not reformation. While we work in areas that involve
sinful behavior we’re well aware that the “real problem is a heart problem”.
Unless
our passion is to share His simple gospel of grace, focusing not on behavior but on the real need of
the heart, relying on the Holy Spirit for our strength and guidance, we’ll tire
and even grow discouraged or worse yet, cynical and judgmental, like the
Pharisees of Jesus’ day.
So
you see, our work as well as our mission and purpose is ‘Bigger than Life’.
For
the Columbian teenager in Elizabeth, the African America young man from Newark,
the young mother from India, the West Indian woman in Plainfield, the women
from Barbados, Haiti, Nigeria, the Dominican republic and Ghana – all these
have visited Gateway in the past year – the number one priority for us, and the
number one need for them – is to know personally the God who made them, and
loves them, and died on the cross for them and arose for them 3 days later, and
lives to allow them to really live and is returning to take them to their real
home.
We
can settle for nothing less because our ministry, our goal, our focus, our
passion is “Bigger than Life”.
Yes,
life is natural, but most
importantly, life is spiritual
and with His empowerment, can be, in this sinful world, triumphant.
At
Gateway we realize and proclaim that life is natural – we’re all made in God’s
image (Genesis 1:27 tells us that), and we belong to Him, so no man has a right
to end that life. Our life is also spiritual, born in sin and desperately
needing a Savior.
No
man should and no Christian ministry can have a right to only focus on the
natural right to life without declaring the mandate of Jesus, “You must be born
again” (John 3:3)
And
that again is the question of the evening, “You may be prolife, but do you have
eternal life?”
Acts
4:12 states this: “And there is salvation in no
one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by
which we must be saved.”” ESV
Spiritual
life can be secured only by trusting in the finished work of Christ. No amount
of good works (even works in the prolife arena) can save us from the penalty of
our sin. Once secured, though, eternal life allows us and those we serve to
live the life intended before sin entered the world.
John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
So
many of the women we see endure their life and it’s often a hard life as a
result of the consequences of their own sin, yet God doesn’t want us to endure
but to triumph over sorrow, the sin of the world, our own failings and
temptations, our circumstances and yes, the evil of this world, knowing deep in
our heart the truth of I John 4:4 ‘ Little children, you are from God and have overcome
them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.’
This
is the message and uniqueness of Gateway, and that message is bigger than life.
We
help the women and men who come to Gateway to rely on Jesus Christ for their
needs rather than on their boyfriend, girlfriend, parents or the government.
The
programs and plans of well-meaning men and women often cripple the God given
desires to live this life as God intended.
The
women we serve need empowerment, not paternalism.
They
need love not tolerance.
They
need and deserve to know the truth about God, who in His Grace and Mercy
desires all men everywhere to personally know Him through trust in His Son
Jesus.
They
deserve to know that it’s by Grace that they can be saved, not of their own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9. They need and deserve to begin triumphing in, rather
than trying to simply endure, this earthly life being labeled victims of
racism, paternalism and poverty.
Christian Life Purpose Coach Yvonne Carson has said this: There are
many reasons for poverty in someone's life. Some reasons are out of the
person's control (i.e., born in a third world country or the inability to find
adequate paying jobs) but there is such a thing as self-imposed poverty:
Laziness versus hard work, foolishness, drunkenness, wastefulness, pride,
hiding sin or the love of money.Our focus should not be these failings and how we can rehabilitate people, but a focus on encouraging men and women to allow God to enrich their soul, which transforms their life and leads to a stability and purpose seen over many years.
Our focus should not be on opposing something (abortion) but on lifting up Someone needed by all (Jesus Christ)
Our focus needs to be Jesus, NOT:
a.
Being prolife
b.
Practicing chastity
c.
Honoring message
d.
Avoiding outward sins
e.
Working to gain favor with God
f.
Not even knowing that God loves us (John 3:16)
Our focus needs to be that without Jesus, all men are condemned already
(John 3:17-18) “For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever
believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned
already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only So”This restaurant, as you know, is the Gran Centurion. I’m reminded of a reference in Matthew 28 to another centurion, who said these words, along with his friends, “Truly, this was the Son of God.”
That’s our desire; to see men and women realize that Jesus is the Son od God, and that through Him they may have real life.
Closing:
Give an invitation. Speak to me or one of our staff.
Remember I John 5:12-13: Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God
does not have life.Give an invitation. Speak to me or one of our staff.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Do you know? Are you prolife? Great, but are you sure you have eternal life? You can be!
Contact us at dean@gateway.org or call us at 973-399-8378
Bigger Than Life
Gateway Pregnancy Centers
27th. Annual Stewardship Banquet
Thursday, October 25, 2012 7:00-9:00 pm at The Gran Centurion, Clark, NJ
Hi folks,
Just hours to go before Gateways Annual Stewardship Banquet!! Will YOU be there??
If you haven't yet made a reservation, please note that this may be your 'last opportunity to make a reservation'. Email us at dean@gateway.org or call in your reservation(s) to 973-399-8378 - immediately.
Please pray as to how the Lord will lead you as we present the ministry and seek your prayer and financial support.
'We believe that all we have comes from God and we give it out of His hand'
Just hours to go before Gateways Annual Stewardship Banquet!! Will YOU be there??
If you haven't yet made a reservation, please note that this may be your 'last opportunity to make a reservation'. Email us at dean@gateway.org or call in your reservation(s) to 973-399-8378 - immediately.
Please pray as to how the Lord will lead you as we present the ministry and seek your prayer and financial support.
'We believe that all we have comes from God and we give it out of His hand'
(1
Chronicles 29:14b Dutch paraphrase)
You will hear
testimonies by men and women impacted by the ministry. You will be blessed with
music to stir your soul and challenge your spirit
Our special guest speaker
Mr. Thomas Weinert
(pictured below left
with his daughter, Maci and below right with the rest of his immediate family) will share his testimony as a result of his visit to us in 1989. (You may remember, Tom shared with us at our 2000 Stewardship Banquet with Elisabeth Elliot)
Check out Tom Weinert’s testimony:
Rev. Dean Gavaris, Gateway’s
Executive Director (below)
will
share on the theme of the evening,
Bigger than Life!
Our special music will be
provided by the band
Genesis is a band that
has created a new style of praise and worship music. We have a music style that
crosses many mainstream musical genres, from rock to blues, to light jazz and
even doo-wop. Highly accented in our music presentation, is the variety of different
sounds of our percussion ensemble. Djembe, congas, bongo's, doumbec, and
timbales unite to form a rich and dynamic musical explosion! Our songs were
written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The words and music give a
message of hope, comfort, and promise from the words of Jesus himself. Some of
our songs are composed of Bible passages and scriptures.
Presently, we have four members in the band. Genesis has performed at coffee houses, Gospel festivals, fund raisers, and church concerts. Genesis has played at the following locations: Body & Soul coffee house, Jamesburg N.J Belmar Trinity Cafe, Belmar N.J. Hamilton Square Baptist Church ,Trenton N.J. St. Lutheran church[ open door cafe] Monroe, N.Y. Gospel Fest, First Presbyterian church of Iselin. Townley Presbyterian Church buffet/ benefit concert for the children of Haiti. Gospel Fest, Faith United church of Christ, Union N.J. New Hope cafe. Staten Island N.Y. Evangel Baptist church. Scotch Plains N.J. Lamb of God Church. Bethlehem, P.A. Street Light Church, Elizabeth N.J. Higher Ground Coffee House, Helmetta, N.J. Band of Festivals, Alder Gate United Methodist Church. East Brunswick
Presently, we have four members in the band. Genesis has performed at coffee houses, Gospel festivals, fund raisers, and church concerts. Genesis has played at the following locations: Body & Soul coffee house, Jamesburg N.J Belmar Trinity Cafe, Belmar N.J. Hamilton Square Baptist Church ,Trenton N.J. St. Lutheran church[ open door cafe] Monroe, N.Y. Gospel Fest, First Presbyterian church of Iselin. Townley Presbyterian Church buffet/ benefit concert for the children of Haiti. Gospel Fest, Faith United church of Christ, Union N.J. New Hope cafe. Staten Island N.Y. Evangel Baptist church. Scotch Plains N.J. Lamb of God Church. Bethlehem, P.A. Street Light Church, Elizabeth N.J. Higher Ground Coffee House, Helmetta, N.J. Band of Festivals, Alder Gate United Methodist Church. East Brunswick
To make reservations, please call us immediately at 908-686-8180 or email dean@gateway.org.
Banquet Location:
Grand Centurions
440 Madison Hill Road
Clark NJ 07066
732-382-1664 http://www.thegrancenturions.com/index.php?id=7
Directions to the
Gran Centurions
440 Madison Hill Road,
Clark, NJ 07066
440 Madison Hill Road,
Clark, NJ 07066
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=440+Madison+Hill+Rd.+Clark,+NJ+07066&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=440+Madison+Hill+Rd,+Clark,+New+Jersey+07066&gl=us&t=m&z=14&vpsrc=0&iwloc=A&f=d&daddr=440+Madison+Hill+Rd,+Clark,+NJ+07066&geocode=%3BCZulIAvVSnoPFbjGawIdPxGS-yn9PrvHWLHDiTF0YHW5Y00O9g
From the North:
Garden State Parkway (head south). Go around traffic circle to Central Avenue to the light at Raritan Road. L. on Raritan Road to light at Madison Hill Road. Left turn to 440 Madison Hill Road
From the South
Garden State Parkway (head north). toward Clark/Westfield. Turn right on Central Avenue. Go.3 mile. Turn left on Raritan Road, go 1.1 miles. Turn left on Madison Hill Road. Go 1/2 mile. Destination will be on your left.
From the North:
Garden State Parkway (head south). Go around traffic circle to Central Avenue to the light at Raritan Road. L. on Raritan Road to light at Madison Hill Road. Left turn to 440 Madison Hill Road
From the South
Garden State Parkway (head north). toward Clark/Westfield. Turn right on Central Avenue. Go.3 mile. Turn left on Raritan Road, go 1.1 miles. Turn left on Madison Hill Road. Go 1/2 mile. Destination will be on your left.
Reservations are available by advance notice only !!!
How To Make Reservations
(Please have all reservations to us by Monday, October 22nd)
(1) Call us at 908-686-8180
Prayerfully consider giving at the banquet.
You will be challenged to help Gateway meet
our $50,000 challenge!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, I wish to make a significant difference at Banquet 2012!
_____ I plan to
attend and will bring ______others with me. Please list your guests
names
and addresses on the reverse side of this form.
______
I cannot attend, but wish to give a
special stewardship gift of:
______$5,000
_____$2,000 ______$1,000 ____$500 ___ $250 ______
other
______$20 per month pledge ______ $50 per month pledge
Name:
_____________________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________
City
________________________________State_____________Zip___________________
Telephone: ( )
____________________email:_______________________________
Gateway Pregnancy
Centers, Inc. (973)
399-8378
960
Springfield Ave, Irvington, NJ
07111 Website: www.gateway.org
dean@gateway.org
Please pray as to how you will participate in
the freewill offering to be taken that evening. An opportunity will
be available for monthly pledge giving.
Gateway Pregnancy Center have been helping some 25,000 women in Elizabeth, Irvington, Plainfield and the surrounding communities. The gospel ministry of Gateway has had the opportunity to share Christ with women who otherwise may never enter a church building.
Services offered by the Gateway ministry
include pregnancy testing, boyfriend and husband counseling on responsibility,
limited ultrasounds for pregnancy verification, infant clothes and supplies,
baby furniture, post abortion counseling, church, high school, college, radio
and television speaking opportunities, Internet counseling, and various
contacts with the judicial system.
All services are free of charge and strictly
confidential. Gateway's services are made possible only through church missions
giving and individual gifts and pledges.
Check out these messages..
We hope to see you on
October 25th!
You Tube:
Banquet 2011
Animoto 30
second promo for Banquet 2010
You Tube: Compassion in ministry Do You Feel The Need?
Consider giving to Gateway online:
Network for
Good
Directions to the Gran
Centurions
440 Madison Hill Road,
Clark, NJ 07066 Telephone: 732-382-1664
From the south: Garden St Pkwy to exit 135, stay straight to the traffic light and
make a right. At your second exit make a right. The hotel is on the
left.
From the north: Garden St Pkwy to exit 135, go straight to the second traffic
light and make a left. Go through the next light and take the second exit to
the right. The hotel will be on the
left (Valley Road).
Consider placing an ad in our 2012 Banquet Journal
for your church, your business, your prayer group, yourself or in
honor or memory of a loved one..(see below)
Downloadable materials
Banquet Tri-Fold Brochure
http://www.scribd.com/doc/109753672/Banquet-2012-Tri-Fold-BROCHURE
Banquet Flyer ‘Bigger than
Life!”
Banquet Response Form
http://www.scribd.com/doc/109753983/Banquet-Response-Form
Banquet Prayer Breakfast
October 13, 2012
http://www.scribd.com/doc/109753900/Banquet-2012-Prayer-Breakfast-October-13-2012
Banquet Journal Response
Form
Banquet Journal 2012 Price
List
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