Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember again this Holiday season that the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus. Deep waters can be majestic—or foreboding and downright dangerous. But the “Deep Water!” in today’s post that I’m talking about is indeed majestic—and also a profound mystery. It’s not dangerous at all, but a little scary to think about. Jesus talked about this ‘deep water’ in John 7:37-39:
“On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, (Note that he didn’t just speak out, or talk out—but he “cried out”, meaning that what he was about to say was so important that he shouted so that everyone would hear him.) ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.’ He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
Did you get that? To the one who believes in Jesus, ‘Streams of living water’ will flow, not trickle or leak, from that person. And it’s not just a shallow thing; it comes from deep within him—a flow of water that cannot be easily stopped. The nature of water on the loose is that it permeates every little space in and around it where there is even the tiniest crack or crevice. The final outcome is that, in most cases, it blows the crack or crevice wide open. With natural water, that’s a problem. But with ‘living water,’ it’s a great event, because the love of Jesus readily flows from that person out to others. What Jesus said is no small thing. It’s a HUGE thing! The Holy Spirit living in us is unexplainable. It has a degree of mystery and even a sense of scariness. Most people don’t want to be controlled by a force so tremendous. They go about their day thinking they have all the answers. But how wonderful it is to have a loving force deep inside us that has no choice but to break open the cracks and crevices in us to flow out to others. How wonderful it is to have that ‘deep water’. See you next time.
Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember again this Holiday season that the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus. My question today is, "Does God’s Message Burn Like A Fire In Our Hearts?” Jeremiah in the Old Testament was called “The Weeping Prophet” because of his sorrow over the sin, suffering, and impending judgment of the nation of Judah. In Jeremiah 20, he was beaten by a temple priest, if you can believe it, because the priest disputed Jeremiah’s prophetic pronouncements. Jeremiah said he was tired of being “a laughingstock” among his own people, to the point that he questioned his calling from God to try to turn his people around. He lamented the following in Jeremiah 20:8-9.
“For whenever I speak, I proclaim, 'Violence and destruction!’ So the word of the Lord has become my constant disgrace and derision. I say, “I won’t mention him or speak any longer in his name.” But his message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.”
So Jeremiah expressed his desire to stop being God’s conduit to His people. But it was a hopeless cause, because when God gave him a message, it became a “fire burning” in his heart. He could do nothing less than speak it. Is that how we are as God’s people? Does God’s message burn like a fire in our hearts? Does it get to the point within us that we become so tired of holding it in that we can’t prevail, and we must tell others? See you next time.
Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember again this Christmas season that the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus. My question today is “THE REAL CHRISTMAS SPIRIT! WHAT IS IT—AND DO WE HAVE IT?” For many years during the Christmas holiday season, I have longed for God to work miracles in my life and in my family's lives. I love everything Christmas. Since I was a child, I have loved Christmas lights, Christmas villages, Christmas vignettes, Christmas events, Christmas music, and Christmas TV specials—and who can forget Christmas gifts? My favorite gift of all time as a kid was a plastic fire truck. Also, my brother and I stayed up all night on Christmas Eve one time after getting a motorized racetrack. (Yes, we opened up all our gifts on Christmas Eve, but don't talk to my wife about it.) What made, and makes the Christmas season so special for me? It’s not really easy for me to explain. My family was not especially religious, and we went to church perhaps only one/half of the weeks in a year. I was never taught directly the details of salvation or the importance of becoming saved. One Christmas song, however, had a significant impact on me as a child. It was “Angels We Have Heard On High” by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians. I played a snippet in my video. The song brings to mind the impact of angels on the world—and this was even before I knew much about angels or the effect of Jesus' birth on mankind. I think that song had a substantial impact on my giving my heart to Jesus about twenty-some years later. So, what is the ‘Christmas spirit’? I’ll give a sample from the Old Testament that to me is emblematic and a precursor of what happened on the first Christmas Eve when Jesus was born. It's found in Ezra 3:12-13 when Ezra, the priest, records the profound moment when the foundation of the temple was laid during its rebuilding. Here it is:
“But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads, who had seen the first temple, wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple, but many others shouted joyfully. The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shouting from that of the weeping, because the people were shouting so loudly. And the sound was heard far away.”
Isaiah 9:2 prophesied another moment in time when another foundation would be laid, one that far surpassed the foundation of the physical temple. It was the foundation of an eternal spiritual temple: It was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. It reads the following:
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.”
Then Isaiah 9:6 further elaborated:
“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
Then, in Luke 2:8-14, the prophecy was fulfilled. Here it is, when the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce to them the birth of Jesus:
“In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly, there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors.”
So there you have it: “good news of great joy that will be for all people”, which is a Savior, “born in the city of David”. It follows the song that I played earlier, “Angels We Have Heard On High”. This then is the REAL Christmas Spirit—that we can all have only when we embrace Jesus as our Savior. See you next time!
Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember again during this Christmas season, that today the angels in heaven are rejoicing when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus. Last week, I posted, “What Does Forever Really Mean?” I talked about the 'ginormous' length of time that is ‘forever'. I spoke about ‘forever’ being ‘over a billion trillion years’. Today, I want to discuss Daniel 12:3 and ask, “How do we shine like stars forever and ever?” Many people want to be stars. They want to be a star on TV, in the movies, in sports, in music, or in business. Many want to become viral influencers online. But the Bible shares the only surefire formula for shining like a star in God’s eyes. And again, we’ll talk about the word ‘forever’. It’s found in Daniel 12:3 and reads:
"Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."
So, the following are two points Daniel said are part of God’s formula to shine like a star in His eyes:
1. "Have insight"
a. Webster’s Dictionary defines “insight” as the following: “The ability to understand people and situations in a very clear way: the ability to discern deeply and acutely." b. Some synonyms to ‘insight’ are the following: Wisdom, understanding, perceptivity, discernment. c. This ‘insight’ comes from where? Many people might have some degree of ability to figure things out. I joke with Dee, my wife, that 99% of all TV shows and movies have heroes or experts to figure things out—like who murdered who, or who the real villains are? Their ‘insight’ helps them—every time—to solve the case. They have a definite God-given ability, but they NEVER, or almost never, ask God to give them ‘insight’ or wisdom—and they NEVER, or almost never, give God the credit after they solve the case. The same holds true in the business and work world. Do business people and workers ask God to help them perform their sometimes very complicated tasks? And then do they give God credit for helping them to do the tasks?
2. “Lead many to righteousness.”
a. Again, many people try to figure out ways to ‘influence’ others. Their goal, especially on the internet, and also in their vocations, is usually to earn money—and perhaps gain popularity. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that if God calls them to do it. But the question is, by doing what God calls them to do, are they leading ‘many to righteousness’—or are they doing it purely for financial gain and/or to gain popularity?
So Daniel confirmed there is nothing wrong with you and me wanting to be stars—if it’s being stars in God’s eyes, using God’s formula. Then we will do as Daniel stated—shine like stars forever and ever. That’s like I said in my last week’s post—for over a billion trillion years. See you next time.
Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from Soulwinnersr.us. Remember, during this Christmas season, that today could be the day the angels, according to Luke 15:10, rejoice in heaven because you, a loved one, or a friend gives their heart to Jesus! My question for today is, “What does 'forever' really mean?” I’ve heard many people, including preachers, talk about living ‘forever’ in heaven. It’s a common topic in sermons and when discussing living for an eternity somewhere, either in heaven or hell. I think the frequent casual use of the word has somehow diminished it. I know I don’t often think about what ‘forever’ really means! Why is that specific word so mind-boggling? My last post, a couple of weeks ago, was entitled “Are You Heading Toward That City?” The city is The New Jerusalem that comes down from the new heavens and upon the new earth where Christians will live with Jesus for eternity—or ‘forever’. In the post, I tried to give eternity, or ‘forever’, some perspective. I tried to show the enormity of one giving his or her life to Jesus by saying the following about eternity—or the word ‘forever’. I said, “Then comes the best part—Jesus and God will be there with us (in the New Jerusalem) for the rest of eternity. That’s over a billion trillion years of pure joy!” “Over a billion trillion years”! Scientists and commentators often flippantly say that an archaeological artifact is over a billion years old. Sometimes they even get more specific. Recently, I heard a news person say that discovered dinosaur bones were “319 million years old”. Not 318 million, or 320 million years old—but specifically 319 million years old. I usually laugh out loud because no one has proof of how old a dinosaur bone really is. But, I don’t think we’re being flippant when we talk about ‘forever’ in grandiose terms—like the fact that it’s “over a billion trillion years”. Contrast the shortness of our life on earth with the enormous length of our lives in heaven. Job said the following in Job 7:7 about his life on earth:
“Remember that my life is but a breath.”
David said the following in Psalm 39:4-5:
“Lord, make me aware of my end and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am. In fact, you have made my days just inches long, and my life span is as nothing to you. Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor. Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.”
So the contrast between our lives of perhaps 60-90 years on earth, and our ‘forever’ lives in The New Jerusalem is “ginormous”—if that’s a word. Using the term, “over a billion trillion years,” gives the word ‘forever’ only a little bit of justice! See you next time.
