REMEMBERING!

      Hello again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
      Someone said to me once, “You’re living in the past.” By doing so, they were attempting to jerk me back to the reality of the present, rather than me dreamily remembering the past. But I think remembering the past is a very important part of our lives as Christians. And I think the Bible agrees with me.
      Therefore, the title of my post today is “REMEMBERING!” The Bible lists the word “remember", "remembers", "remembered", and "remembering" 262 times. So, I think we can assume that remembering our past is a very important part of looking forward to our future. Let’s look at three aspects of the importance of “remembering”.

Aspect #1: The value of remembering what mighty acts God did for the Israelites. Psalm 78:1-7 gives us what I call a blueprint for the value of remembering. Here it is—it’s a little long:

"My people, hear my instruction; listen to the words from my mouth. I will declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past—things we have heard and known and that our ancestors have passed down to us.

We will not hide them from their children, but will tell a future generation the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, his might, and the wondrous works he has performed.

He established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children so that a future generation—children yet to be born—might know.

They were to rise and tell their children so that they might put their confidence in God.
and not forget God’s works, but keep his commands."

      As a retired man, I sometimes feel useless because I don’t have the physical and mental stamina I once had to make an impact on the world around me. I think one of my jobs now, and for my fellow senior citizen retirees, is to pass down to the next generation, as the Psalmist wrote, “wise sayings”, “mysteries from the past”, and stories of “God’s works”, “that they (the people in our lives) might put their confidence in God”. In other words, help the next generation in ‘remembering’ God’s mighty acts of the past.

Aspect #2: The value of remembering what mighty acts God did for my/your denomination or faith group.

• Denominations or faith groups aren’t the end-all and be-all of our faith. But I think they can play an important role in bolstering our faith by remembering the Holy Spirit of God moving in the lives of people in each of our denominations or faith groups over a period of time.
• I used to think that denominations or faith groups weren’t that important. The important thing was having a relationship with Jesus—right? But I’ve grown to cherish my relationship with the Church of God denomination from Cleveland, Tennessee. The Church of God is over 140 years old, and I like having a rich denominational history to ‘remember’. I talked in a recent post about my wife and her late husband growing up in a Church of God church, and about her attending a Church of God university. She ‘remembers’ many important people in the denomination who shaped her life, like the well-known evangelist Carl Richardson, or Robert O’Bannon, her science professor at Lee University.
• It isn’t 100% necessary to belong to a denomination to feel the warm feelings of what God is doing and has done in our lives. But I think it can provide a foundation that is very important to the next generation.

Finally, Aspect #3: The value of remembering what mighty acts God did and is doing in our own lives.

• God is, quite frankly, amazing. What He did for you and me on the day we were saved is the greatest ‘mighty act of God’ ever.
• It’s something we’ll always be ‘remembering’ and can tell our children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends for the rest of our lives here on this earth.

      I was recently brought to the point of ‘remembering’ my roots when I was first saved. It happened when I turned on the online music platform Pandora and went to the 2nd Chapter of Acts station. Listening to old Christian hits by Christian artists of the 70s and 80s almost gave me goosebumps. It brought me to the point of ‘remembering’, as David wrote in Psalm 51:12, “the joy of God’s salvation.”
      See you next time.

CENTURIES OF GOD’S PEOPLE, WOVEN INTO A BEAUTIFUL TAPESTRY, AND ON A PROFOUND JOURNEY!

 

      Hello again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
      The title of my post today is “CENTURIES OF GOD’S PEOPLE, WOVEN INTO A BEAUTIFUL TAPESTRY, AND ON A PROFOUND JOURNEY!” The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘profound’ is the following: Difficult to fathom or understand. Characterized by intensity of feeling or quality. Very great or significant.
      The other day I was reading the August 13 entry of the yearly devotional written by Gary Lewis, the General Overseer of the Church of God. I was struck by his take on the Book of 1 Chronicles. My limited insight into the books of Chronicles is only this: They have list after list after list—of names, after names, after names. I was oblivious to the importance of the names the Chronicler identified. But Overseer Lewis put them into perspective.
      I’m going to read Overseer Lewis’ entire devotional for August 13, and I want to see if we can view together parts of the Bible that seem boring and mundane in a brand-new light.

“The genealogies in 1 Chronicles remind us that each name, each person, carries a story within God’s grand design. These aren’t just lists of names; they represent lives filled with hope, struggle, and the journey of faith. God saw each individual and valued their role in His plan, weaving their experiences into His redemptive story. The Holy Spirit reminds us that our own lives are part of this tapestry, showing us how God has worked through our past to shape and prepare us for His purposes.

Every experience, whether joyful or painful, becomes a thread in God’s plan. The Spirit brings clarity to our memories, helping us see how God’s hand has guided us through trials and triumphs. When we embrace our stories with gratitude, we can see the ways God has used them to strengthen us and to build a testimony of His faithfulness. Our lives, like those of Israel’s tribes, become beacons of hope for others.

Today, reflect on your own story and invite the Holy Spirit to reveal His presence in every chapter. Embrace both the blessings and the challenges, knowing that each moment is part of God’s purposeful design. May your life testify to His ongoing work, drawing others to the hope and strength found in His faithfulness."

      So there you have it. Overseer Lewis sheds light on the fact that each of the many persons listed in the Bible, just like us, had their own struggles and triumphs. He enlightens us with the fact that centuries of God’s people, along with us, are on a profound journey!
        See you next time.

NO EYE, NO EAR, NO HUMAN HEART!

      Hello again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
      The title of my post today is “NO EYE, NO EAR, NO HUMAN HEART!” It’s about why I consider 1 Corinthians 2 one of the most wonderful Bible chapters. I’m going to tell you five reasons why it’s so wonderful.

Reason 1:
Paul indicated in verse 1 the following: God’s relationship with mankind is a great mystery. He said, “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery of God to you—” I sometimes think that the church in its present form, and church people in their fallen state, including myself, outsiders look at us as boring, stale, and lifeless. But Paul declares that God’s plan is a great unfolding mystery—far from boring, stale, or lifeless.

Reason 2:
Verses 2-5 reveal the infinitely important role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives in bringing about God's will. Paul said that he didn’t, in himself, have great “brilliance” or “persuasive words of wisdom”. But in his weakness, God was very present, “with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” And where God’s powerful Holy Spirit is present, great things are inevitably going to follow.

Reason 3:
Paul declared in verses #6-8 that God’s great wisdom far surpassed the wisdom of the rulers of the age. He said, “On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory.” Can outsiders see in us lives that reveal “God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery”?

Reason 4:
Paul declared in verses #10-11 that God reveals this great wisdom and mystery to those of us who have the Holy Spirit inside us. Here’s what he said:

“Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, since the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except his spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

Reason 5: 

Paul wrote what I think is the crescendo, if you will, of 1 Corinthians, Chapter 2. In one of my recent video posts entitled “The Greatest ‘Super’ Book of All Time, Revealing the Greatest ‘Superhero’ of All Time!” I commented on what I termed ‘superlative’ Bible words, like “unsearchable”, “incomprehensible”, and “immeasurable”. I Corinthians 2:9 contains what I call one of the Bible’s most ‘superlative statements’! I want you to take in the wonder of the following promise:

“What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived—God has prepared these things for those who love him.”

      ‘No eye, no ear, no human heart!”
      See you next time.