Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Dec 21st, 2013 The Perfect Gift – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:13-17)

Good morning. My wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I did not know. Don’t laugh: do you know what you want for Christmas? There was a time when I could answer that question. Something would catch my eye, either on TV or in a catalog, and I thought I really wanted whatever it was. Now that I’m old, I guess I’m not impressed by the things of this world. There was a time when I was amazed at new technology. I saw a commercial the other day for a new wristwatch. One that could just about everything a smart phone could. Amazing how far LSI (Large Scale Integration) has come: cramming all that stuff into a wristwatch. Okay, maybe I’m a little impressed; do I want one? Na, I’d probably have the screen shattered within the first month. What do you want for Christmas?

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6)

And you know what happened after that. That ‘gift’ Adam received from Eve caused the downfall of all mankind. But James 1:17 tells us…

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)

Let me give you three characteristics of the Perfect Gift…

1) It costs the giver, not the receiver.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

2) It is perfect: exactly what you needed.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

3) It is made to be shared so others will benefit from the gift also.

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1Peter 4:10)

This Christmas, let’s try to stay focused on God’s Perfect Gift…

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face;

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

Merry Christmas! (Luke 2:13-14)

Dec 13th, 2013 Memories of a Friend

Today’s Passage – Colossians 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read –Psalm 61 – 65; Proverbs 13)

Scripture Memorization for December – The Incarnation

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 89:1

Read a great article by Pastor Bob Gray Sr.– “Why?“

Watch the Growth Points video by Pastor Chappell – “Pressing Into the New Year with Godly Passion“

Read the “1213 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from today’s passage – “The Importance of Discipleship” and “Plugged In“

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” – Psalms 116:15

I received the news yesterday morning that a dear friend, Ben Thompson, passed away to Heaven after battling with pneumonia for the past couple of weeks. I first got word of his illness two Sunday’s ago and even though his condition was listed as critical, I was sure that Ben would pull through. Our family prayed and our church prayed, and for a time it seemed as if his condition was improving, but for some mysterious reason, the Lord chose to take him home.

I got to thinking about Psalm 116:15, which is a verse that I have quoted hundreds of times in order to try to comfort those that were hurting. I know that our loss is Heaven’s gain, and I also realize that Ben is in a “far better” place and would not desire to return to this earth again even if he could. But, I must confess that sometimes I get a little selfish and complain to God a little because the “life” of a friend like Ben is precious to me also, and even more precious to his family. Frankly, there are quite a few people that I can think of that I would like to send in Ben’s place. But, far be it for me to question God. He is always right in what he does.

When I was first saved, I used to wonder why people would get so excited talking about Heaven. Don’t misunderstand, I wanted to go there someday, and I certainly didn’t want to go to Hell; but to be truthful, life on earth wasn’t all that bad from my perspective. In fact, it was pretty good. At that point, as a young man in my twenties, I hadn’t really experienced the death of a close loved one; I knew little sickness or suffering personally, and I enjoyed many of the pleasurable things that this life could offer. As time goes on, however, I have learned that life on this earth can be very painful, and extremely sorrowful at times, and even though there are still many joys associated with living here inside the will of God, I find that more and more I am longing to go to that wonderful place where sin, sorrow and sickness will be no more. And no more death!! No more saying good-bye to people I love.

Thank you, Ben, for being a friend. I don’t use that word casually. I know thousands of people, but I only have a few that I call friends, and I really can’t spare any more. Thanks for the great conversations we had on the many, late Sunday night trips to and from Texarkana. Thanks for buying dinner for me and my son on more than one occasion at that all-night restaurant in Atlanta. Thanks for being available for breakfast or lunch every time I came back to town. Thanks for loving me and my family. Thanks for being my friend. I will miss you, and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Thank you, Thompson family, for being a consistently faithful and godly testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ. You never waiver. You were a tremendous inspiration to me when I was in college, and you are even more so to me now. You have the prayers and sympathy of my family, and our church as well. We love you!

Dec 7th, 2013 The Builder – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

“Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss. All the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.” (2Corinthians 13:11-14)

Good morning. Paul is concluding his letter to the Corinthians. Under the dictation of the Holy Spirit, he writes us a To-Do list…

Be perfect (complete).

Be of good comfort.

Be of one mind.

Live in peace.

Matthew Henry gives a good explanation of these in his commentary…

“(1.) To be perfect, or to be knit together in love, which would tend greatly to their advantage as a church, or Christian society. (2.) To be of good comfort under all the sufferings and persecutions they might endure for the cause of Christ or any calamities and disappointments they might meet with in the world. (3.) To be of one mind, which would greatly tend to their comfort; for the more easy we are with our brethren the more ease we shall have in our own souls. The apostle would have them, as far as was possible, to be of the same opinion and judgment; however, if this could not be attained, yet, (4.) He exhorts them to live in peace, that difference in opinion should not cause an alienation of affections – that they should be at peace among themselves. He would have all the schisms that were among them healed, that there should be no more contention and wrath found among them, to prevent which they should avoid debates, envyings, backbitings, whisperings, and such like enemies to peace.”

Paul wrote in 2Corinthians 13:10…

“Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.” (2Corinthians 13:10)

If the Apostle Paul came to your church, would he have to use sharpness to get you to do what was right? Or, could he be uplifting Generic Viagra, building you up: edifying you. In 1Corinthians 14:12…

“Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.” (1Corinthians 14:12)

And in verse 26, “…Let all things be done unto edifying.”

When you edify someone, you build them up in the Lord: train them as a child in the way they should go, and they will help someone else; and so on.

Today the teens are going to the Youth Congress out in New Egypt, NJ. They will be receiving a Christian Life Journal. I would ask them to add one more question to the daily page if it is not already there: “What did I do to edify someone today?”

If we answer that question on a daily basis, we will be focused on what Jesus was focused on: others. If we get our eyes off ourselves, and look to the needs of others, edifying them, God’s work will get done.

Let me leave you with an example that my wife and I are very thankful for. Two actually: one from God, and one from someone unknown…

December 6, 2013, is my daughter’s 38th birthday. Camille and I celebrated by going over to the grave, adding new flowers, and a few other Christmas items. It had been raining and drizzling all day. When we got to the cemetery, God held back the rain. We were edified: God reinforced the fact to us that He is in control. He cares for us in the little things, as well as the big. Just think about it: the Creator, who spoke everything we have into existence cared enough about us to hold back the rain while we went to the grave. Just a note: as we drove away, the rain came down in buckets! God is good!

Part two of this is also a part of what inspired this blog today. Somebody had come and visited Melissa’s grave earlier, and left a message written in the ground behind the gravestone. Maybe the message was from God too. I know we received much joy from reading it, and knowing that someone else cared. The message simply said, “I LOVE YOU.”

Peace! (JOY: Jesus, Others, You)

Nov 30th, 2013 Can You Imagine – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1Corinthians 1:10)

Can you imagine what our churches would be like if we were “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”? Can you imagine all the souls getting saved and baptized each week because they want what we have? Can you imagine the impact we would have on our communities, on our states, on our country? Can you imagine? Even the liberals may get converted!

It came to Paul’s attention that there were contentions among the members of the church at Corinth. It had gotten to the point where Paul had to plead with the church to be of one mind. Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 2…

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)

Jesus, who is God the Son, was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God. If He were not God, He would have been steeling glory and worship from God. That would be sin, and that would make His sacrifice worthless, and He would have never risen from the grave. But He is God, and being God, He is perfect, and He rose from the grave, and all the glory and honor and worship goes to God.

Can you imagine if we were all of that same mind? Jesus, as God, humbled Himself putting on flesh and became a man, and was obedient even unto death on the cross. All that because He loved us. Can you imagine if we had the same love for each other? But of course we would have to be of the same mind and under control of the God the Holy Spirit to come close to that.

With the Holy Spirit in control, the life of the Christian, and the life of the church, would be showing the fruit of the Spirit…

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. [24] And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. [26] Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26)

Can you imagine if we had the same mind? How about the same judgment? God’s mind and His judgment are available to us from the same place: the Holy Bible: the Word of God. God’s Word has everything we need to have His mind and judgment. How can we make it our own?

1) PRAY…

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)

2) READ…

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.” (Psalm 119:9)

3) LEARN…

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Can you imagine?

Peace. (Psalm 34:14)

Nov 23rd, 2013 Felix Trembled – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

“And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” (Acts 24:24-25)

And wouldn’t you tremble too? Good morning. Felix listened while Paul tried to reason with him. And Felix trembled. And why not? Paul was giving Felix the Word of God. The Holy Spirit was at work on Felix’s heart. It was if the Lord Himself were speaking to Felix. And Felix trembled. Paul reasoned…

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

1) Paul reasoned of righteousness. Your righteousness must be greater than the righteousness of the Pharisees…

“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

And you know what God says about our righteousness…

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

And…

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one…” (Romans 3:10)

Only the Lord can make you righteous…

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2Corinthians 5:21)

He is our righteousness…

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

And Felix trembled as…

2) Paul reasoned of temperance. Felix, you need some self control. I’m trying to tell you about the Lord, and all you can think about is money…

“He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.” (Acts 24:26)

Temperance is also from the Lord. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit…

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26)

And Felix trembled.

3) Paul reasoned of the judgment to come.

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:7-15)

And Felix trembled. Are you trembling? Jesus is coming back soon. Are you ready? You can be. If you have never called on the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your heart and save you, then you need to do it before it’s too late. Don’t tremble like Felix. Start rejoicing because the trumpet is about to sound!

Peace. (John 6:37-40)

Nov 16th, 2013 Mirror Mirror – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Passages –Acts 4 – 6 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 76 – 80; Proverbs 16)

“Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.  And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.  Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.  And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him , and caught him, and brought him to the council,  And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:  For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.  And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.” (Acts 6:9-15).

Good morning. When others look at you, what do they see? When you look in a mirror, what do you see? When the men who sat in the council looked at Stephen, they saw his face as if it had been the face of an angel. And false witnesses had told the council that he blasphemed against God. Taken prisoner, forced to stand before false accusers, nowhere and nobody to run to. Trapped and about to be stoned, his face should have shown fear. His face should have shown anguish. There should have been trembling and there should have been tears running down his face. But his face was as the face of an angel.

Mirror, mirror, what do people see in my face? Do they see calm or adversity, strength in truth or cowardness in lies, angels or devils, Jesus or Satan. You can have the face of an angel if you want too.

1) Stephen was full of faith (vs 8). He must have pleased God…

“But without faith it is impossible to please him : for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

2) Stephen walked with the Holy Spirit. Stephen was full of power (vs 8)…

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).

3) Stephen had wisdom (vs 10)…

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)

When men accuse you, will you hang your head in shame knowing they are right? Or will you stand boldly on God’s truth, and have the face like an angel? Mirror, mirror?

Peace (1Corinthians 15:58)

Nov 15th, 2013 At the Men’s Retreat – No Wifi

Good morning! We are at the men’s retreat at Camp Calvary. I haven’t been able to access the wifi here yet, but as soon as I am able, I will post something. I am posting this note with my phone.

Today’s Passages – Acts 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

Scripture Memorization for November – The Kenosis Passage – Philippians 2:5 – 11

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Proverbs 3:5 & 6

Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “The Joy Killers“

Nov 9th, 2013 Caught In The Act – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Passages – John 8 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)

Scripture Memorization for November – The Kenosis Passage – Philippians 2:5 – 11

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 89:1

Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “The Joy Killers“

Read the “1109 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “Put Down Your Stones”; and “I Am”

“Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” (John 8:1-11)

Good morning. Ever get caught in a lie, or any other sin, for that matter? Maybe you were just never caught. Having your sin exposed to the whole world (or even just a few people) is not a good situation to be in. Think about this woman who was caught in the very act of adultery. Being taken in the very act, she was probably naked when the scribes and Pharisees brought her to Jesus. And it takes two to Tango: where was the man who was involved? There are only three explanations to the man’s whereabouts: he either escaped, or he was a scribe, or he was a Pharisee. Either way, the woman was alone, naked, and facing the fruit of her sin. Scary. The Law said that she should be stoned to death. What would Jesus say? After all, He was the Man of God, and the Pharisees were hoping to entrap Him with His own words. They all waited for the Master’s replay, and it was not what they expected. And He said unto them, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

Some scholars say that the word sin in Jesus’ reply refers to the sin of adultery: the same sin as the woman. I don’t have time right now to verify this, but Jesus said…

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)

The Bible also says: for all have sinned. So it really doesn’t matter if it was the sin of adultery or some other sin: they all had sinned and could not cast the first stone. The only one there who could cast the first stone was Jesus. Her accusers put down their rocks and departed. All that was left there was Jesus, the woman, and her sin. And Jesus asked, “Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?”

She said, “No man, Lord.”

And Jesus said unto her, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Do you know someone who was caught in the very act of sinning in some way? Maybe you are sinning, but haven’t gotten caught yet. What would you rather hear? “You bonehead! How could you do something that stupid?”

Or would you rather hear something like, “These things happen to the best of us. Let’s pray, and ask the Lord for help with this.”

We need to be more like Jesus, instead of running with stones and ready to kill. Our attitude should not be one of condemnation, but one of restoration: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Peace. (Romans 5:8)

Oct 29th, 2013 JUST FOR LADIES – BY CAMILLE STAHL

Today’s Passage – Luke 8 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read –  Psalms 136 – 140; Proverbs 29)

Scripture Memorization for August – Revival Verses

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8

Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “Five Ways To Become a Missions Minded Family“

Read the “1029 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Return To Thine Own House“

CASTING OUT DEVILS

“And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.” (Luke 8:27-33)

Ahh. A new born baby is brought home. It’s totally dependent on it’s parents for everything. As the baby gets a little older, he or she starts testing the waters of independence, aka ‘the terrible twos’. Now a child is forming their personality. Before we know it they are teens, graduating High School and going out on their own.

Today as I was reading the verses above, I thought of the young people of today are not much different then the man who was possessed. Lets take a closer look.

“Ware no clothes” – We don’t have to look to hard to see that today’s styles are showing more skin then ever. My Dad had a saying “What happened to the rest of the dress you almost have on? As soon as the weather gets warm, the clothes come off. No need to go on here.

Next, “neither abode in any house, but in the tombs”. People are consumed with the living dead. Many new TV shows are about zombies. The world is celebrating Halloween and they decorate with graveyards in the front of their houses. There is nothing fun about graveyards. Oh, just a little side note about Halloween, it is Satan’s high day. If you do some searching, you’ll find more kidnapping is done around this time of year.

“When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not”. The lost world does not VigRX want anything to do with Jesus, except to use His name as a curse word. They avoid the Bible and church. For them to even think they would have to stay on the straight and narrow would be torture. Satan has them believing a lie. They are entangled in the sin satan has laid out for them. They have fallen into a ditch and cannot climb out on their own.

And last, “Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked”. If unchanged, the lost individual will be tormented for life and one day wake up in hell.

“And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” (Luke 16:20-31)

What a joy it is to find a lost person and share the Gospel of salvation with them. It is a greater joy to lead someone to Christ; to be used of God to change a person from death to life; to watch God change them into His image.

“Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.” (Luke 8:35)

I know I blog about soulwinning often, but it’s something I believe that is close to God’s heart. Jesus didn’t ask to pray for souls to be saved, but for labors to find them.

Will you join me this week and find someone to talk to? Can you think of someone you can invite to church? Would you be willing to past out one Gospel tract? I’ll pray for you and you pray for me as we labor for souls.

Thank You

l John 5:13