THE REAL CHRISTMAS SPIRIT! WHAT IS IT—AND DO WE HAVE IT?

 

     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!

HOW DO WE SHINE LIKE STARS FOREVER AND EVER?

     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.

WHAT DOES “FOREVER” REALLY MEAN?

     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.

ARE YOU HEADING TOWARD THAT CITY?

 

     My question for today is, “Are you heading toward that city?” You might ask, “What city?” I’ll explain.
     I’ve been a born-again Christian for 48 years, but I've only gained some understanding of the Book of Revelation in the last 2 years or so. A preacher once told me his opinion that Revelation was one of the least essential books in the Bible, along with Genesis. I was astonished that he held such a view.
     A theologian, I am not—and I have never studied Revelation extensively, or even Genesis, until the last two years. But I still believed that Revelation was a critical book of the Bible. Genesis tells the beginning of the story of God and his relationship with mankind, and Revelation reveals the climax of the spellbinding story.
     I’m more of a feeling person. But, I think the Bible proves that God is a feeling God. After all, in John 11:35, when Jesus saw Mary weep over her brother Lazarus, who had died, Jesus also wept at the emotion she felt. I cry at movies and television shows with both sad and happy endings. I think it’s how many of us are. I think it’s how God is.
     We can’t all carry a complete understanding of theology, but we can all have a sense of awe when reading the story that surpasses all others in history. One movie title aptly states it. The title is “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” And I believe that the last two chapters of Revelation reveal “the greatest ending of a story ever told”.
     Who can imagine a pure and untarnished city coming down from the new heaven called “New Jerusalem”? And that its streets are made of pure gold that looks like clear glass? A city that has twelve foundations of precious stones and twelve gates, each made of a single pearl? A city where there will be no more death and sorrow, and where there’s a healing River of Life flowing down the middle of it?
     In this city, each believer will have a “mansion,” as Jesus described in John 14:2? I may not have a mansion on this earth, but I surely will have one on the next earth!
     Then comes the best part—Jesus and God will be there with us for the rest of eternity. That’s over a billion trillion years of pure joy!
     I’m heading toward that city. How about you?

ARE WE AS CHRISTIANS LIKE THE NOBLE KNIGHTS OF OLD?

     My question for today is, “Are We As Christians Like The Noble Knights Of Old?”
     Let’s look at the word ‘noble’ in the Bible. It’s used 69 times in some form in the Christian Standard Bible: ‘Noble’, ‘Nobles’, ‘noblemen’, ‘noble brothers’, ‘noble person’, ‘men of noble character’, ‘wife of noble character’, ‘noble ones’, ‘noble women’, ‘noble words’, ‘noble theme’, ‘noble things’, ‘noble causes’, and ‘noble birth’ are some of them.
     Finally, Jesus, in Mark 14:6, addressed the religious leaders about the woman who poured ‘expensive perfume’ over his head. He said, "Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for me."
     I got on the ‘noble’ rabbit trail last week after reading Isaiah 32:8, which says, "But a noble person plans noble things; he stands up for noble causes.” After I read that, I thought of the Knights of the Round Table, where King Arthur and his valiant knights fought 'nobly' for England. But King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are widely regarded as mythological or legendary characters that weren’t real.
     But let’s talk about nobles who were real. King David had 37 ‘mighty men’ who did valiant or noble deeds. His three closest mighty men repeatedly risked their lives to save Judah, and specifically King David.
     The online definition of the adjective ‘noble’ is the following: "Having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor."
     The question is then, “Are we as Christians thought of by others as ‘noble’?" Do WE plan ‘noble’ things? And, do WE stand up for ‘noble’ causes?” Isaiah wasn’t just referencing physical strength and exploits in Chapter 32. He was talking about mental strength and mental exploits.
     I generally think of myself as a wimp, with little gravity to influence things. But I want to take what Isaiah said to heart. I want to learn—that’s the key—LEARN to PRACTICE and THINK of myself as a ‘CHRISTIAN’ who is becoming more and more like ‘THE NOBLE KNIGHTS OF OLD!’

 

 

 

ARE OUR LIVES AS CHRISTIANS LIKE A JOYFUL MUSICAL?

     The video shows “The Mennonite Hymnal,” the songbook I used growing up in the Martinscreek Mennonite Church. It also shows “Maranatha Music's 100 Greatest Hymns and Choruses.” This leads me to my question for today's post. Here it is: “Are Our Lives As Christians Like A Joyful Musical?”

     The other day, I read Ephesians 5:18-19. Here it is:

“And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord.”

     Did you get that? " 'Speaking' to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord.” I did a double-take when I read those words. I thought it strange to “speak” to others using songs.
     I’ve always enjoyed watching musicals. They are the only entities I know of, except perhaps opera, in which music and song are used to communicate with other people. Musicals are written, choreographed, and staged to bring joy to the audience.
     I don’t want to get too theological and try to dissect what Paul meant by his writing. However, I think these two verses in Ephesians prove that Paul wanted us as Christians to share joy and God’s great love with one another and others, ‘just like a joyful musical!’

730 STRAIGHT DAYS DISCUSSING JESUS!

 

     My post today is entitled “730 Straight Days Discussing Jesus!” It’s about a Bible passage I never noticed before in Acts 19:8-10. The writer of Acts wrote about Paul the following:

“Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples, and conducted discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.”

     The story is that Paul came to Ephesus and spoke in the synagogue for three months, but he began to encounter opposition there. So he “took up his marbles and ran”—uh—I mean that “he took the disciples with him” and went to another part of the city. He took them to the Tyrannus Lecture Hall. I’m assuming he went there because he could speak more freely about Jesus there without religious opposition from synagogue leaders..
     I had never noticed before, however, that he had spoken every day there for TWO YEARS—730 DAYS! Can you imagine going somewhere to discuss Jesus daily for that long? Now that I’m retired, I have a lot of time on my hands, so I’m being honest with you, I, in a way, actually long for that type of experience, where a portion of each day would be devoted to going to a specific place to talk about Jesus.
     Let’s face it: We all have family and other obligations that would prohibit this type of encounter for so long, especially in today’s world. But, I think it’s fun to think and dream about what it would be like to spend—

‘730 Straight Days Discussing Jesus!’

THE ‘HERE I AM, SEND ME’ DILEMMA!

 

     I had a dilemma. I call it “The ‘Here I Am, Send Me’ Dilemma!” It’s about reticence and fear of committing fully to God’s will.
     I watched the Charlie Kirk memorial a couple of weeks ago. Erika Kirk struck me with the story of her intense concern for Charlie's comments at one Turning Point USA conference a while back. She told him backstage that she wished he had consulted with her before quoting Isaiah 6:8 to a large group of young people. In the verse, Isaiah tells God that when He asked Isaiah who would go to help save lost Israel, Isaiah said, “Here I am. Send me.”
     Charlie said that he also told God the same thing about lost America. Erika shared that God might take him up on his words and that she feared for their young family. 

     For years, I have had the same fear that Erika shared. What would it mean to give total control of my life to the God of the universe? And would He take me places I don’t want to go? What would it mean if I did what Charlie Kirk did and told God, “Here I am. Send me.”
     I realize I don’t have nearly the platform that Charlie Kirk had. The circle around me is minuscule in comparison. But the ‘giving over to God’ of any life is the same, no matter who says it.
     One member of my church said it best on a Wednesday night. He said that he had read a book in which the author said, “Be careful what you ask for, because God might take you up on it.”
     So, what was it that I was so scared of for so many years that I could never quote that verse to God for myself? I think I have the answer. It’s the fear of suffering.
     You see, I’m a wimp at heart. I hate even the smallest amount of pain. I wince when I hear of stories of intense suffering of others—in my family, in my church, and others that I know. I even think of celebrities who seemingly had the world by the tail, but they ultimately met the fate of every human being on earth—suffering and death! I equated that verse as giving over to God that which I was hesitant about—my life.
     My fear of suffering, death, and even jail has actually served me well over the years. It kept me from delving too deeply into drugs and alcohol. One awful experience with alcohol and two bad trips using drugs were what it took to steer me away from them. And that was even before I was a Christian.
     It also played a big part in my coming to Christ in the first place. I had no clue about the meaning of life—of why people had to suffer and die—and of why there were wars in various countries. God used these fears I had of suffering and dying, and others suffering and dying, to bring me to Himself.
     So, about two weeks ago, I shared my fear of quoting what Isaiah and Charlie Kirk said to God in a Wednesday night church service that I had previously referred to. That night after the service, I researched a couple of Bible passages where God sent people to help seek and save the lost. The first one was Isaiah himself.
     The second one is in Acts 26:17-18, where Paul tells King Agrippa of his salvation experience, where Jesus personally tells him the following: “I am sending you to them to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
     That night, I concluded that God calls all Christians to say the same thing to Him. And that it’s not something to be scared of. God has the entire plan for each of us in the palm of His hand, and we don’t need to fear what He has control over.
     In conclusion, I said it, and I think it’s safe for all of us to say to God who wants to send us out to save a lost and dying world—'HERE I AM. SEND ME!’

 

CHRIST'S LETTERS ON HUMAN HEARTS!

 

     I love the word picture Paul used in 2 Corinthians 3:1-3, where he called the believers in the Corinthian church, “Christ’s Letters on Human Hearts”. Paul wrote the following:

"Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are Christ’s letter, delivered by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God—not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

     Paul was contrasting written letters of recommendation, which were used extensively during that time to endorse visiting leaders, with the fact that he had such a good relationship with the Corinthian church that he didn’t need a recommendation written with ink, but one written by the Holy Spirit on the hearts of the Corinthian believers.
     So fast forward to today. Do other Christians and outsiders alike look at us, you and me, and read “Christ’s letters on human hearts?”

HAS GOD'S LOVE BEEN POURED OUT INTO YOUR HEART?

 

  

     My question for today's video post is, “Has God’s Love Been Poured Out Into Your Heart?”
     I was reading Romans 5 today, and came upon verses 3 through 5. Here they are.

“We also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

     Take it in, especially the part where Paul wrote, "This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” God’s love doesn’t just trickle little by little into our hearts. His love doesn’t just fill a little bit of our hearts. It’s poured out to fill our hearts completely.
     If you’re like me, you have difficulty feeling that immense heart-filled love. We think we’re not good enough, or important enough to feel it. But, whether we feel it or not, Paul wrote the verse as a fact, not just a feeling. When we take his words at face value, we can then recognize the fact that we have our hearts full of God’s love in good times and bad—even when we don’t feel good or important enough.
     I’m retired now, and I wonder what I have left to give to my world and the people around me. Charlie Kirk was a Christian who was a legend, but is now gone. He had such an impact on so many people. I think of myself as a sort of peon who can never live up to what Charlie did. People around him called him a “joyful warrior” who faced adversity with a smile, joy, and enthusiasm—in essence, with a heart filled with God’s love. I don’t want to lift Charlie to sainthood. I know that many people thought he was Satan in the flesh. I wondered, and still wonder, why they didn’t see it the way I saw it.
     But, that being said, I want to live in my world, my surroundings, and among the people around me, with it being evident that God’s love has been ‘poured out into my heart’! What about you?

IS CHRISTIANITY A BIG DEAL—OR NOT?

     My question for today's video post is, “Is Christianity A Big Deal—Or Not?”
     In the past, I was told by a family member, alluding to their opinion that I had a somewhat unstable nature, “You get excited”. I inferred that the family member thought that I get too excited about my Christian faith. After all, I was the only family member who openly discussed my faith, and my desire for family members to experience that same joy that I felt. Of course, I defensively retorted that I had just completed a 29-year tenure in the mental health field, during which I served as the program coordinator of an employment program.
     That family member was telling me, perhaps not directly, that they didn’t feel the Christianity in my life was a ‘big deal’. That it made me become, in a way, eccentric, and not something that person wanted to follow, at least for now.
     I think there’s a dense fog surrounding Christianity that makes it difficult to navigate. Christians from different backgrounds and denominations have so many ways of thinking about their faith that differ from others that unbelievers may sense a lack of clarity in us. Let’s face it, many of us, including myself, have had a lack of clarity for a long time about our faith. We struggle with finding the best way to live it out, and we certainly struggle, at least I do, with the best way to share it.
     I love what Paul said in Ephesians 1:18-19. I think it, as well as many other scripture verses, can help us gain clarity to navigate through the dense fog we feel. Here it is:

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.”

     I think these verses hold step-by-step answers to our dilemma, and I pray for the Holy Spirit to help them to become more and more real to us. From the words of Paul, here’s what I think we need to gain clarity in our faith:

1. For our hearts to be “enlightened”.
2. To “know the hope of his calling.”
3. To understand the “wealth of his glorious inheritance” for us.
4. To grasp “the immeasurable greatness of his power” toward us.
5. To fathom “the mighty working of his strength” in us.

     I think these are some first steps we need to take to bolster our own faith. Then, and only then, can we show others that Christianity is in fact—A BIG DEAL.

RICHLY PROVIDED ENTRY INTO THE ETERNAL KINGDOM

 

     The title of my post today is “Richly Provided Entry Into the Eternal Kingdom”.
     About 40 years ago, I was fascinated and longed to listen to and read the Bible. I heard that the Bible publishers hired professional readers to produce audio versions of every book of the Bible. So, after Mom died in 1988, I received a small inheritance. I was still in college, but I decided to invest about $80, a very high cost at the time, into a 48-cassette tape audio version of the NIV Bible. I loved my audio Bible.
     But one of the drawbacks of cassette tapes, as many of you Baby Boomers like me have found out, is that cassette tapes are prone to wearing out fairly quickly. And, they were very, very, very inefficient at finding specific passages. I did much winding and rewinding to find particular passages, and that led to them wearing out. I still have all those old cassettes, if you can believe it, in four nice binders on my office bookshelf, collecting dust. They may be worth some money someday, if someone can get them to work correctly.
     So I think one of the greatest advantages of modern technology in today’s world, in my opinion, is the ability to listen to the Bible on the web, in addition to reading the Bible. I love that I can click and point to specific passages of the audio Bible to listen to. No more clunky cassette tapes that require winding and rewinding.
     Oftentimes, there’s a particular passage that makes my ears perk up. That happened to me the other night when listening to 2 Peter 1:11. It goes like this:

“For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.”

     So, entry into heaven won't be just a little bit provided, not just marginally provided, but RICHLY PROVIDED! Sometimes I feel like I’m going to enter heaven by the skin of my teeth because of all my failures and flaws. But Peter confirms in verse 10 that if I “make every effort to confirm” my “calling and election”, in other words, follow Jesus as closely and intimately as I can, that I “will never stumble”—and I will have not just a little bit provided, but a “richly provided entry into the eternal kingdom”.

HOW DO I CONVINCE YOU?

    The title of my post today is, "How Do I convince You?" It’s about, in my retirement, my desire to become a full-time ‘convincer’, if you will, to convince family members, friends, and others to become saved before it’s too late.

• Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:7, “The time is short.”
• James said in James 4:14, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away.”
• The Psalmist in Psalm 91:10 wrote about our life here on earth, “For it quickly passes, and we disappear.”
• Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.”
• Jesus told the parable in Matthew 25:1-13 about the wise and foolish virgins. The foolish ones did not have their lamps ready, so they went at the last minute to buy oil. Jesus said in verse 10: “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the groom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.” The foolish virgins were shut out forever.
• Jesus followed that parable up by saying in verse 13, “Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour.”

     The title of my post today is, “How Do I Convince You?” The Bible is very clear about the importance of people turning to Jesus to repent of their sins and to call upon Him to become saved before it’s too late. I want my family members and friends to be saved, and for them to go to an eternity in heaven—and not an eternity in hell!
     Now that I’m retired and no longer have a daily job, evangelism, in essence, has become my full-time job. My full-time job now is to convince as many people as possible to become saved. I want YOU to become saved. ‘How do I convince you?’

SHINING LIKE A STAR!

        I haven’t made a video in about a month or so. You see, my laptop crashed and I lost over six months of saved files, including my soulwinnersr.us files. It set me back digitally, and also it set me back mentally. It was a stressful time for me, and with my OCD tendencies, it set me on a bit of a tailspin that was difficult to break out of. I now, however, have a new laptop, even a better one, so with God’s help, perhaps I can get back on track.
     Not that my videos are all that popular. After all, who wants to hear about the boring topic of evangelism anyway?
     I know one former Amish young man who creates videos about repossessing sheds, along with family videos, and he has over 200,000 followers, with several thousand views on each video, if you can believe it! I only have a few followers, and I am lucky if I get 100 views on each video.
    I’m OK with that. I started Soulwinnersr.us in the first place to get myself moving with evangelism. And if others decide to move along with me, that’s icing on the cake.
     Today’s very short post is entitled “Shining Like A Star”. Following is the theme verse found in Philippians 2:15:

“So that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.”

     It’s amazing to me how many references there are to “stars” in the Bible. Sixty-nine times, to be exact. And, we as Christians, are involved as the main actors, stars if you will, in God’s wondrous plan on the world stage. It doesn’t matter how many followers we have in this world, or how many people view our videos. What matters is that we allow God to work through us and in us to bring about His Kingdom, as Jesus said in Matthew 6:10:

“Our Father in heaven. Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Only then will we shine bright—like ‘stars’!

DO WE AS CHRISTIANS HAVE SUPER POWER?

  

     Today’s post is entitled, “Do We As Christians Have Super Power?” I’m dressed today in my somewhat silly “Super Job Developer” costume that Dee and I made some years ago for my work as the Supported Employment Coordinator at Appleseed Community Mental Health Center. I supposedly had a great superpower in my role to help people get jobs. We can debate how much ‘power’ I really had.
     As a kid, I was fascinated and read many Superman comics and watched many Superman TV episodes. Remember, “Up, up, and away!” that Superman shouted as he flew off to save the day?
     Recently, as an adult, I have been equally fascinated by two Bible verses found in Ephesians 1:18-19. Here they are:

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.”

     Surely Paul wasn’t indicating that we as believers have a kind of super ‘power’—was he? Don’t many people think of Christians as wimpy and whiny—that we are so weak that we use our Bibles as a crutch in the face of adversity.
     And what does ‘immeasurable’ mean? According to Merriam Webster, synonyms for ‘immeasurable are the following: “vast, endless, limitless, infinite, immense, unfathomable”. You get the picture. The power of God toward us that Paul was talking about is so great that it can’t even be measured.
     So, in conclusion, it’s clear that we as believers have access to ‘power’ that is much greater than a superhero has.
     So, here I go, off to save the day.

THE BEAUTY, GRANDEUR, MYSTERY, AND ADVENTURE OF GOD!

     The title of my post today is “The Beauty, Grandeur, Mystery, and Adventure of God!” If I were to pick a theme verse, it would be Psalm 19: 1-2:

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge.”

     The other day, I was listening to Michael W. Smith’s “The Spirit of Christmas” album, which I listen to several times per year. I was in tears while listening to the first two songs on the album. The first one is “All Is Well”, which was written by Smith and sung by Carrie Underwood, with Smith singing backup. It’s about men and angels rejoicing over ‘Emmanuel’, our Lord and Savior, being born. Ms. Underwood sings the song with such passion that it always tugs at my heartstrings.
     The second song, “Almost There”, was also written by Smith and sung by Amy Grant, again with Smith singing backup. The song is about the arduous journey by Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, where she was going to give birth to Jesus. The song is one of encouragement to hang in there, because they were ‘almost there'—where the whole world would be changed forever.
     If you ever get a chance to listen to the album, I encourage you to do so. What I think about when I listen to this album and the beauty of the songs, and songs and stories like it, is that it takes the person listening to them into what I would term “an unknown and unfamiliar world.”
     Since the Garden of Eden, when sin was introduced into the world, life instantly became very messy, with much darkness and peril. We as humans may encounter moments of beauty, grandeur, mystery, and adventure from time to time, but those moments seem very rare. But, with all my heart, I believe that God designed us to crave His beauty, grandeur, mystery, and adventure—because He is the author of it.
     Many people try to encounter beauty, grandeur, mystery, and adventure in various ways. One man in my church every summer goes on trail rides out west. He shares breathtaking pictures of the scenic rides into the mountains.
     I experienced beauty, grandeur, mystery, and adventure when I drove to Colorado in 1995, one year before I was married, and I saw the mountains in the distance for the very first time. I was almost overwhelmed with their beauty and grandeur—and was excited about the adventure awaiting me as I entered those majestic mountains.
     Some people encounter beauty, grandeur, mystery, and adventure when they hear a symphony, or even watch their favorite movie, or see their favorite actor. The talent of these people, after all, was given to them by the God of the Universe, although most might not know or acknowledge it.
     My wife follows and frequently watches Nate Bargatze, a very popular, but ‘clean’ comedian. She gets a sense of the joy he fosters when he uses the creativity God gave him to write and share funny lines. I oftentimes hear her laughter all through the house from her back office.
     Beauty, grandeur, mystery, and adventure aren’t limited to only young people with the ability to travel to faraway places. After all, I encountered it the other day in my car on the way to Sam’s Club. Even a 90-year-old shut-in can encounter the beauty, grandeur, mystery, and adventure of God when he or she reads the great stories of the Bible—when they listen to old hymns of the past—or when their children and grandchildren visit them. We can encounter beauty, grandeur, mystery, and adventure in a church service and within relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
     Sometimes, however, after we experience beauty, grandeur, mystery, and adventure, reality hits us right in the face. We might have a disagreement or argument with a family member, coworker, or even a church friend. Or perhaps an appliance breaks down. We’re quickly brought back to the hard lessons of reality.
     But even that reality that hits us so hard—is a part of ‘the beauty, grandeur, mystery, and adventure of God!’

TODAY COULD BE THE DAY! (HOW HOPE IN GOD CAN CHANGE OUR DAYS)

     The title of my post is “Today Could Be The Day! (How Hope In God Can Change Our Days)”. You might ask—“Today could be the day—for what?” I’ll tell you my thoughts in this post.
     I’ve always had a little difficulty getting up in the mornings, even during the fifty or so years that I worked. I’ll let you know, however, that I was never late to work one day that I can remember. I retired a little over six years ago, and now I have nothing pulling me to get out of bed most mornings, so it seems my difficulty getting out of bed has increased. This has been bothering me for some time now, and I have been thinking about and praying for a way to solve this problem. I think the solution is simply—“hope”.
     Dictionary.com defines hope as the following:

“The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.”

     Ephesians 2:12 encourages us to think about a time when we were all ‘hopeless’. According to Paul, it’s when we were “without Christ” and “without God in the world.” And then to contrast it to now, with God, where we have hope.
     The Bible, over one hundred times, references having hope. I could likely fill 10-20 pages with hope-filled verses, ones that will almost knock your socks off with joy—but I’ll only quote a couple here, some that we’ve likely heard often, but perhaps don’t think too much about:

1. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
2. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
3. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
4. "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:24-25
5. “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

     I could go on, and on, and on with Bible verses that mention ‘hope’, but I think you get the message. Hope is a foundation of our faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. What do we hope for then that will help us wake up each morning with anticipation for what lies ahead of us for that day, week, month, and year? Here’s a list that I came up with. Yours may, or may not, be different:

1. Hope that ‘today could be the day’ that God’s mighty Holy Spirit refreshes us anew.
2. Hope that ‘today could be the day’ that God, with His great wisdom and mystery, guides us on the path He has for us to share His wonderful love with others.
3. Hope that ‘today could be the day’ that God continues knocking on the doors of our loved ones to bring them to Himself.
4. Hope that ‘today could be the day’ that God starts a great revival where many people come to Him and don’t miss out on the wonderful joy of knowing Him.

     So, I’m praying that I keep in mind these things to help me get up every morning—and face each day with anticipation—and hope!

'THE WALKING DEAD' TO 'THE WALKING LIVING'!

     My wife, Dee, knows me as a Christian with a nearly incurable positive outlook associated with my Christian beliefs. For example: My Bible is filled with yellow highlighted positive parts of scripture—no negative parts. I also usually try to focus on positive topics about evangelism in my Soulwinnersr.us videos. Occasionally, however, I come across a topic that I deem very important that is not so positive. Today is one of those days.

     The title of my post today is “‘The Walking Dead’ To ‘The Walking Living’!” It’s based on a Bible verse that—I’ll be honest, startled me, that I had either never seen, or never noticed. It’s found in John 3, which is a very well-known Bible chapter with some very familiar verses like the following:

1. The first one in John 3:3, is where Jesus told Nicodemus he must be “born again”.
2. Another one is found in John 3:14-15 where Jesus said like the snake Moses “lifted up in the wilderness”, that he too “must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life”.
3. Then almost everyone has heard John 3:16 where Jesus said the very familiar, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

     But the verse that startled me is found in John 3:36. Here it is:

“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

     So, in other words, people that don’t believe in Jesus, have God’s wrath on them. So, picture it. The thing that was startling to me—was that people all over—family members, coworkers, people that you see in the store, that you see on the streets—everywhere. If they don’t have Jesus—they are walking around with the wrath of God on them. That’s why I term them “the walking dead”. Only these walking dead aren’t zombies. They’re real live persons around us every day.

     John 3:17-18 explains it more explicitly. Here it is:

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, cause he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.”

     This is a terrible outcome for our loved ones and friends. What drastic actions do we as Christians need to take about the “walking dead” people in our lives?

1. The first step is to pray like never before—like our very own lives depended on it!
2. The second step is to depend like never before on God’s great and mighty Holy Spirit to open up doors for us to share with our loved ones and friends how very much God loves them, and how much we love them.
3. Step three is to trust God from the bottom of our hearts that He knows everything in the heart of a person and will use any means possible to get that person, the subject of our prayers, to repent and give their hearts and lives to Jesus.

     Only then will many of “the walking dead”—switch ranks to “the walking living”.

CLIMBING THE ROMAN ROAD STEP 7 & 8 (LIVING SACRIFICE/HEAVEN WITH JESUS!)

     I’m very excited today to share my last Roman Road tract post because in it, we’re going to conclude with the ultimate goal of all Christians! I think I loved sharing these posts more than any other posts I've ever done--because they were about the essence of the Gospel that is so near and dear to my heart. OK, here we go.
     My last post, "Climbing the Roman Road Step 5 & 6 (The Response/A Restored Heart),” was about the response a person makes when he comes to the end of his rope. He then needs help from someone much bigger than himself, so he calls out for help from God. His prayer is one of desperation and urgency.
     God always responds to this call, and he gives that person a restored heart, free from sin. What’s next for the person who called out to God and has a restored heart?
     Steps 7 & 8 (Living Sacrifice/Heaven With Jesus!) give us a serious mandate, then a wonderful outcome. The serious mandate, Step 7, is found in Romans 12:1, where Paul wrote, 

"I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” 

     It’s a mandate to, instead of being a dead sacrifice, be a living one. This means that after we become Christians, we obey God’s calling for us to act as Jesus did, to do good works. No amount of good works will get us into heaven--but as Christians, good works are a response of gratitude for what He has done for us. Our good works for Jesus, in a sense, bring a little bit of heaven down here to earth.

     Step 8 isn’t depicted in The Roman Road picture in the tract, but I just had to add Step 8. What is Step 8 of the Roman Road tract? It's the ultimate goal of every born-again Christian. It's eternal life with Jesus in heaven. Paul explained it in Romans 5:21: 

“. . .so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

     It would have been difficult for The Roman Road artist to add a Step 8, “heaven”, onto the top of the picture, but I simply couldn’t leave out the final outcome or scene of the Christian story.
     My wife, Dee, will confirm that I love happy endings of stories like what happens in ALL Hallmark movies. I cry at most of them, and I even cry for joy at the end of action stories like Westerns when the hero wins the conflict and rides off into the sunset with the heroine.
     But what is the happiest ending of all time? It's when we enter the New Heavens, the New Earth, and the New Jerusalem with its streets of gold—and we live with Jesus there for the rest of eternity!

CLIMBING THE ROMAN ROAD STEP 5 & 6 (THE RESPONSE/A RESTORED HEART)

     My last post, "Climbing the Roman Road Step 3 & 4, “The Gift/Cross Solution", was about the “good news of great joy” which was the gift sent by God, Jesus, to be our once-for-all-time sacrificial lamb to take away our sins. No longer was mankind dependent on the repeated sacrifice of animals to atone for sins. Again, I reiterate that God’s plan was “good news of great joy”.
     Steps 5 & 6 of The Roman Road tract is entitled "The Response/A Restored Heart". Step 5 shows a person in the middle of the Roman Road praying in an almost prostrate position. It's the response a person needs to make to experience this “great joy”. After a person recognizes his or her dire need, even if they don’t have a full understanding yet of the cause of their need, they do what Romans 10:13 says: “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
     When I called upon God’s name almost forty-eight years ago, I felt a great sense of freedom that at the time was unexplainable to me. I cried with joy for a long period of time. I knew later, however, that the joy I felt was because I had finally broken free from the bondage of sin.
     Now on to Step 6 on the tract which shows a restored heart. The verse associated with the restored heart is Romans 10:9, where Paul wrote, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” At the beginning of The Roman Road tract, there was a picture of a broken heart as a result of our sins. Now, after calling on Jesus’ name, we have a restored heart as a result of being saved from our sins.
     There’s not much more I can say about the wonderful transaction of being saved from the bondage of sin after calling on the name of the Lord, except that the transaction has heavenly implications. In Luke 15:10, Jesus explains these implications. Here's what He said: “There is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”
     Imagine angels in heaven singing with joy over one person, perhaps you, who gives their heart to God.