January 2013 Newsletter

In this issue:

All Things New

We are only a few days into a new year. But by now, some of you have already broken the resolutions you made on New Year’s Day. With the best of intentions we set goals and plans to become a better person, or we resolve to get in shape physically or financially. But usually, by the end of January, most of us are no different from what we were on December 31.

The problem is that we try to reform ourselves by our own effort. But God doesn’t work that way. He is the one who makes all things new. He specializes in creating new creatures. We try to reform ourselves, but that never works. Reforming means making changes in order to improve on the original. But God doesn’t work that way. Instead, he makes all things new. He completely changes our lives. In Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth he wrote “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV).

Look through Scripture and see if you can find one person who changed himself. I can’t find one. Perhaps you can. But I can show you example after example of individuals who had an encounter with God and then their lives were completely changed. The problem is that this goes against my human nature. I want to change myself. In short, I want to be God. But I was never intended to be God, and any effort on my part to do so will be laughable compared to what the real God can do.

Are you trying to play God by trying to change yourself? Perhaps a better plan would be to yield your life to God and let him transform you completely. This is perhaps the most difficult work of all because it means I have to stop trying and start trusting him. The level of transformation in my life is directly relative to the level at which I am willing to yield my life to him. But this does not come naturally.

While it is important to understand that it is God who changes your own life, it is also important to understand that it is God’s work to change someone else. Often I see folks who are stressed out trying to change someone else. They are frustrated and burdened because they can’t figure out how to get the other person to change. But it was never their job to change someone else. Again, this is the work of the real God. But somehow we think that we need to be the hand of God. We want to help him out, as if he needed help. We stress out trying to figure out how to get the other person to change. The irony is that this type of behavior shows how much we ourselves need to change, and it reflects what we really believe about God’s ability to change us and others.

In my home church, we sing a song that has become a favorite of mine, “All Things New” by Ben Richter, Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Wade Joye. Here are a few lines from the song:

Peace be still, You are near
There’s nowhere we can go
That You won’t shine redemption’s light
Our guilt withdrawn
As You rise, we come alive
The grave has lost, the old is gone

Chorus:
And You’re making all things new
You are making all things new
You are making all things new
And we are free

© 2011 Teal Leather Publishing, Thirsty Moon River Publishing, Elevation Worship Publishing

You can listen to the song here:

If you are not careful, one of the most important lines in the song can easily be missed. It is the last line of the chorus.: “And we are free.” Friends, there is a freedom that comes when we finally understand that it is God who does the work of change, both in our lives and the lives of those we love.

Are you free or are you in bondage because of the responsibility you feel to change yourself and to change others? You can be free, but it comes at the high cost of surrender. Instead of great effort, it takes surrender to God. It is a daily yielding of my life to the work of the Holy Spirit. When you reach the point of giving up, try giving in to God, the real God.

Revelation 21:5 (ESV) says, “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

He is making all things new, and as a result, we are free. So today, resolve to yield your life completely to God. The results may surprise you.

Till next month,

Free Downloads Page on the website

All of the resources we have available as a ministry are available for free downloads through the downloads section of the website. There are copies of several messages Tim has shared at conferences and special meetings, along with three different full length CDs you can download for free. Help yourself! And if you know of anyone who would be blessed by the resources, feel free to share the link with them. Click here to go to the Downloads page.

Connect with Timothy on Facebook

If you would like to keep up with what is going on in Timothy’s life and ministry, he would love to have you as a Facebook friend. This is also the primary means he uses for sharing prayer requests. So if you are interested in supporting the ministry through prayer, this would be a great option for you. Timothy will look forward to connecting with you there. Click here to go to the Facebook page directly.

Upcoming Ministry Events

Come hear Timothy live at one of these upcoming events and mention you heard about it through the newsletter. For details, click here to view Current Schedule.

  • February 20, 2013 – Lake Placid, Florida
  • March 3-6, 2013 – Chillicothe, Texas
  • March 31, 2013 – Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
  • April 14-17, 2013 – Jefferson, North Carolina
  • April 21, 2013 – Jefferson, North Carolina
  • April 28, 2013 – Marlette, Michigan
  • April 29, 2013 – Three Rivers, Michigan

Interested In Hosting a Timothy Mark Ministry Event for your Organization?

We are actively scheduling preaching and music ministry events for the next two years. God has blessed abundantly with multiplied opportunities for ministry. If you are interested in hosting Timothy for a conference, concert, or preaching ministry event, please let us know as soon as possible so we can accommodate you. It would be a privilege. As always, all of the ministry events are booked on a simple love offering basis. If the church or organization is able to help with travel expenses it is appreciated but never required. You can use the online booking request form through the link below. Or simply call 941-445-3288 or email today at timothy@timothymark.com.

Click here to go directly to the Booking Request Form.