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Welcome
Come Over and Help Aid Organization Inc.
An organization committed to providing aid to churches and christians in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Our foundation is the Bible, which is the Word of God. COAH adheres to the revealed truths and principals in that Word in accord with the Three Forms of Unity (Heidelberg Catechsim, Canons of Dordt, Belgic Confession) and the Westminster Confession.
Please browse though our website to see and learn more about the work we do - and what all needs to be done. If you have any questions, please send us an email or give us a call. And, of course, your support is always greatly appreciated.
ADMINISTRATOR: Mr. Martin Heikoop
BOARD:
Chairman: Mr. Bas DeLeeuw
Vice-Chairman: Mr. Dick Westrate
Treasurer: Mr. Peter Kranendonk
Secretary: Mr. Tom Moerdyk
Members: Rev. Gerald Procee, Mr. Jack Tamminga,
Mr. Doug Vandenberg, Mr. John Vergunst
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The Source Of Joy
WRITTEN BY Pastor Vadim Tchubukin, Ukraine
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10,11
The sense of joy is an integral part of any person. It’s impossible to even think of life without joy. In all circumstances people try to find a reason for joy. A rich person rejoices in having more valuable things, a poor person finds his joy in having his daily bread. Someone who has power rejoices when he moves up in his career. The insignificant in this world rejoice when somebody notices them. To have joy, people always need a little bit more than they have. The problem with this, however, is that as soon as people get that little bit more, they very soon find out that this doesn’t bring joy anymore. This kind of joy is only a counterfeit of the true joy that God wants to give to people.
True joy is an evidence of fullness of this earthly life and of participation in heavenly blessedness. I am firmly convinced that no man can be truly happy and have complete joy without assurance for tomorrow. He realizes that he won’t be able to maintain his happiness through all circumstances of life because he is dependent on external factors. Even if he possesses the whole world and gets all kinds of pleasures, one thought of the day when he will have to depart from all of it, makes him miserable.
When Christ was born, an angel told the shepherds, “I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people”. First of all, this joy is an unusual joy because it is great, and secondly, because its scope is global. It reaches not only the shepherds from Bethlehem but all people around the world, as well. We see how Simeon viewed this event when he took the baby Jesus into his arms and praised God (Luke 3:28-30). He knew that this meeting with Jesus meant he would soon die, but instead of having fear, he rejoiced and thanked God. Why? Because in Jesus he saw something bigger than earthly joy or horror of death. In Jesus he saw the deliverance from sin and death. And this is true joy and eternal happiness.
Our problem is that we do not know our real diagnosis and treat ourselves with the wrong medicine. We are deceived and use cures that only dull our pain and intensify our condition. The source of this deception is the devil himself, an enemy of the souls of men since he is the father of lies (John 8: 44).
In order to always experience joy, we need to draw from the “wells of salvation”. The prophet Isaiah said, “with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12: 3). A Samaritan woman who came to the well for water wanted to satisfy her thirst, but Christ told her that she needed a different kind of water that would satisfy the thirst of her soul (John 4: 13, 14).
In a time of great danger you will not rejoice to hear that you’ve been promoted at your work place, or that you have won an expensive car. The only news that brings joy is that the danger is over. You have been saved and death is no longer a threat for you. If temporal salvation provides us with temporal joy, then to receive eternal joy we need eternal salvation. The only source of eternal joy is Jesus Christ whose coming into this world was signified with rejoicing angels. Realizing his greatest need fulfilled in God, David exclaimed, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm16: 11). And Jesus said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15: 11). Christ speaks of completely different joy than what we find in this world. He speaks of His joy which is perfect, that is, true and complete. It feeds and satisfies the soul.
This kind of joy can help people through all trials of life without losing hope. And even more than that: with the joy of God in our hearts we can endure these trials with joy knowing that through these trials God works, shaping our character and preparing us for eternal life. James writes, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1: 2,3). This kind of joy was proclaimed by an angel. That amazing night of Christ’s birth, the lives of common shepherds were filled with new colour, with joy: the same joy that drew rich men from the East to make that long, dangerous journey. For thousands of years, millions of people have been seeking for this joy and have found it in Jesus Christ. They have carried it through their lives and have continued with it in eternity. This is the true Christmas gift from God making the joy of salvation possible for sinners who come to Him. Where is the source of your joy?
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YOU MUST READ THIS!
You can almost feel the hunger and thirst as you read the responses from many in the former Soviet Union for the books that are being distributed by the thousands!
More...
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