Just for Ladies – by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passages – John 1 – 3; (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 26 – 30; Proverbs 6)
Memory passage for the month of November – Psalm 95
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 27:15
Study of Women in the Bible
ANNA – A WOMAN WHO WASN’T DESTROYED BY A BROKEN HEART
“And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:36-38)
This is all we know of Anna. It’s not much but enough to show her character and devotion to God. The prophetess Anna’s life should have been one without hope after her husband died, but instead turned her life completely over to God. She not only served in the temple, she must of lived there as the Bible says she departed not from the temple. There are many, who when they lose a love one, stop living, have self-pity or flee to isolation. She didn’t become a burden or lonely woman who everyone pitied who no one knew how to help. She didn’t flee to past memories for happiness, but served the true living God who gave her peace in her heart. I am not talking about mourning, but the peace that God gives us through the valleys.
“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” (Ecclesiastes 3:4)
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”(Psalms 23:4)
She and others were waiting for the Messiah to come. Is it any wonder that Anna walked in when Mary, Joesph and Jesus were there? God surely blessed her for her faithfulness by the sight of the One she had long hoped for. Immediately she thanked her heavenly Father and spread the news to others.
There is nothing more heart breaking then to lose someone dear to your heart, but we have a choose. Spiritually live or die. Continue to serve or quit. It’s not easy. We ask WHY?
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Let’s ask ourselves: “do we share the single-hearted devotion to God as Anna did? Are our spirits tuned to His voice that we hear and obey His call in our lives? When the Holy Spirit calls in that still small voice, is it drowned out by the cares of our broken hearts?” Let us turn to the only one who can heal our wounds and turn our sorrows into joy.
Thank You
1 John 5:13 – 14
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This Is Just The Beginning
Today’s Passages – Luke 21 – 22;
(Second Milers also read – Psalms 16 – 20; Proverbs 4)
“And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?” – (Luke 21:7)”
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” – (Luke 21:11)”
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;” – (Luke 21:25)
“All these are the beginning of sorrows.” – (Matthew 24:8)
The picture above is of the Mantoloking Road Bridge, which connects the mainland in Brick Township with Lavallette, one of the barrier islands that was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. The house I grew up in is about 5 miles west of this location. While hurricane Sandy was pounding on the east coat, there was also a large earthquake on the west coast, just offshore of Brittish Columbia.
Is it just me, or does it seem that these natural disasters seem to be coming more and more frequently these days. Al Gore will tell you that it is due to global warming. I am not sure whether the earth is warming up or not, but I do know that the Bible says that as we approach the time of Christ’s return there will be an increase in these catastrophic, natural events. And the Bible says that these are just the beginning of sorrows. I believe that we are very close to the time when Christ will come and take away His Bride from the earth via what we Christians refer to as the “rapture of the Church”; and when He does that things will get even scarier here on the earth than they are now. As bad as things may seem now with all of the earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, famines; not to mention the political and economic unrest; this is nothing compared to what will come during the Tribulation Period, after the rapture.
As I reflect on all of these scary events, I am very relieved to know that God is with me, and He will never leave me nor forsake me. No matter how hard the wind may blow outside, I know that God’s everlasting arms are wrapped securely around me; and someday, maybe very soon, He will take me home to Heaven. I hope you have that same assurance too.
Click here for more imformation on how you too can have “the peace, which passeth all understanding”, even when the storms of this life surround you.
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We’ve Created A Monster – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning? Remember: “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)
I’ve determined to rejoice and be glad no matter what this Tuesday may bring. It’s hard though, to watch your country – a country founded on God’s Word – be flushed down the tubes by those who embrace godless socialism and hate America.
God gave these words to Solomon to record for us. The first four verses of Proverbs 3 read: “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”
And we became a great nation, one blessed by God and loved by man. What happened? In 1962, the Supreme Court removed public prayer from our schools. In 1973, the Supreme Court legalized abortion. Just a short twelve years ago, copies of the Ten Commandments were ordered removed from courthouses and other government buildings. The godless socialists want you to forget about God. They want you to rely on Big Brother to supply your every need, not God. As individuals we need to do what we need to do: if you’re not registered to vote, get registered. Follow verses 5 through 10 of Proverbs 3: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
Jesus said, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:44-45)
Is it raining?
Peace. (Proverbs 3:6)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Soul Winning
Today’s Passages – Luke 14 – 16; (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 1 – 5; Proverbs 1
Memory passage for the month of November – Psalm 95
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
All three of the chapters that we have read this morning contain a soul winning illustration. I understand that the proper interpretations of theses passages does not primarily involve the church and winning people to Christ, but I think you will be able to see the practical application.
1 In chapter 14 I see the Compelling of the soul winner.
“And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23)
I have noticed that we have gotten to the point in our soul winning presentations that we are almost apologizing for bothering people. If you got word that there was an explosive device about to detonate in your neighbors house, would you apologize for bothering them? No, you would compel them to leave the house immediately. We need to take our soul winning presentations up another notch: we need to go beyond mere bidding (inviting) and start compelling people to trust Christ. I think our problem is that we deep down inside really don’t believe it all, or we really don’t believe time is running out.
2 In Chapter 15, I see the Compassion of the soul winner.
“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)
The father had the right attitude. He was longing for the return of the son. He was ready to receive him whenever he “came to himself”. The older brother, on the other hand, had the wrong attitude. He was not too excited about the reconciling of the younger brother to the father. He was perfectly content keeping the situation as it was. After all, the younger brother didn’t deserve another chance. He made his bed, and now he should have to sleep in it. Is that your attitude toward the lost soul that desperately needs Christ, or the wandering saint that needs to come back. We need to have compassion on people. We need to love them as Jesus loves them.
3 In chapter 16, I see the Consequences of not soul winning.
“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.” – (Luke 16:27-28)
Now I cannot to be sure that the rich man had no man in his lifetime that attempted to reach him, but let’s assume that he did not. What a shame that not only this man, but also his five brothers will spend eternity in Hell because of a lack of soul winning. Let me remind you, they are without excuse. God’s law was written in their hearts; they could see God in creation; and there were synagogues on every corner just as there are churches on every corner today. But how much better were his chances for salvation had somebody had compassion on him and attempted to compel him to be saved.
Posted in Thoughts from Luke by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Soulwinning
Today’s Passages – Luke 14 – 16;
Second Milers also read – Psalm 1 – 5; Proverbs 1
Memory passage for the month of November –
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
All three of the chapters that we have read this morning, there is a soul winning illustration. I understand that the proper interpretations of theses passages does not primarily involve the church and winning people to Christ, but I think you will be able to see the practical application.
1 In chapter 14 I see the Compelling of the soul winner.
“And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23)
I have noticed that we have gotten to the point in our soul winning presentations that we are almost apologizing for bothering people. If you got word that there was an explosive device about to detonate in your neighbors house, would you apologize for bothering them? No, you would compel them to leave the house immediately. We need to take our soul winning presentations up another notch: we need to go beyond mere bidding (inviting) and start compelling people to trust Christ. I think our problem is that we deep down inside really don’t believe it all, or we really don’t believe time is running out.
2 In Chapter 15, I see the Compassion of the soul winner.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)
The father had the right attitude. He was longing for the return of the son. He was ready to receive him whenever he “came to himself”. The older brother, on the other hand, had the wrong attitude. He was not too excited about the reconciling of the younger brother to the father. He was perfectly content keeping the situation as it was. After all, the younger brother didn’t deserve another chance. He made his bed, and now he should have to sleep in it. Is that your attitude toward the lost soul that desperately needs Christ, or the wandering saint that needs to come back. We need to have compassion on people. We need to love them as Jesus loves them.
3 In chapter 16, I see the Consequences of not soul winning.
And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house–for I have five brothers–so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ (Luke 16:27 & 28)
Now I cannot to be sure that the rich man had no man in his lifetime that attempted to reach him, but let’s assume that he did not. What a shame that not only this man, but also his five brothers will spend eternity in Hell because of a lack of soul winning. Let me remind you, they are without excuse. God’s law was written in their hearts; they could see God in creation; and there were synagogues on every corner just as there are churches on every corner today. But how much better were his chances for salvation had somebody had compassion on him and attempted to compel him to be saved.
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Your Heart Will Follow Your Treasure
Today’s Passages – Luke 12 – 13; (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 146 – 150; Proverbs 31)
Scripture Memory for October – Matthew 5:1 – 16
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1
Read previous posts from this passage: “Thou Fool”; and “Put Away Your Ax”
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” – (Luke 12:34)
This is one of those passages that is often misunderstood. When we read the phrase, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”, we often think the exact opposite of what it is actually saying. For years, I thought this verse was saying that we will invest in the things that we love. However, the opposite is actually the truth. This verse is plainly teaching that we will love what we invest in. There is a difference. Our hearts will actually follow what we spend our time, toil, talents, and treasure on; but the investment precedes the heart.
I love my wife, children, and my grandson, Jaxon. I must be honest: I love them more than I do other people’s children and grandchildren. I want to be around them, and I want to do things for them. I not only love them, I like them alot. But why is that? It is because I have invested my life into them, and my heart has followed my investment. I love my church. I have given the last 11 years of my life laboring to make it a church that is effective in fulfilling the Great Commission. Again, my heart has followed my investment.
This principle will revolutionize our relationship with God if we will allow it to. Many times, we fail to obey and fulfill the will of God for our lives, because we do not desire to. Our hearts are simply not in it. However, if we understand this principle, we know that if we invest our time and obedience to the will of God today, our hearts (our desire) will be wrapped up in it tomorrow. I remember when I was in Bible College down in Texas. I was given a bus route in Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas. My job was to visit the route on Saturdays, trying to minister to and encourage the riders we already had, and then to invite new riders on to the bus so we could bring them to church the following day. On Sunday, we would leave early in the morning, pick the kids up, bring them to church, and then feed them at our own expense on the way home. We would also bring many of the kids back to church for the Sunday Night service. To be honest, I was not too thrilled with giving up my entire weekend for this ministry. It was a tremendous investment in time, energy, and resources. To be perfectly honest with you, at first, I didn’t even like the kids, let alone love them. But as time went on, I developed a bond with these children, and a love for them. In fact, even when I was offered an easier, more lucrative ministry in my senior year, I turned it down. My heart had followed my investment. I developed a love for the ministry that God had given me. What began as pure obedience developed into real enjoyment.
Maybe God is asking you to do something that your flesh simply does not want to do. May I encourage you to give your life to the will of God, and in time your heart will be right there with you.
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THE STUDY OF WOMEN IN THE BIBLE – BY CAMILLE STAHL
The Woman Who Left Her Water Pot
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? (John 4:28-29)
Back in John 4:7 we are introduced to a unnamed woman who is going about her daily chores serving her family. She was a Samaritan. She was part of a people who had been resettled in the land, moved by the King of Assyria. They had been taught and partially accepted the faith of Israel, but held onto their old pagan religions also. (see II Kings 17:24-41). Traveling from Judea to Galilee, Jesus and His followers pass through Samaria. While there Jesus sat by a well while His disciples went to buy food. When the woman came to the well, Jesus asked her for a drink. She was shocked that a Jewish man talked to her as the Jews wanted no part of the Samaritans. Jesus began to talk to her about eternal life and her state of condition (John 4:13-18). We see in verse 27, that the disciples came back from shopping and in verse 28 the woman left her waterpot to tell the men.
I would like to focus on verse 28 “then left her waterpot”. Lets look at some reasons why she left her water pot.
Maybe because she felt uncomfortable about the discourse between Jesus and the disciples. Maybe because Jesus’ food was there and she wanted Him to enjoy His dinner. Maybe because she was so excited about what just happened that the water pot would hinder her from getting back to the city to tell others.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)
To be saved we must realize we are sinners, Jesus pointed out the woman’s sins. But as we grow in our Christian life, we learn of the weights that hold us from serving to our full potential. A weight is all inordinate affection and concern for the body, and the present life and world. Inordinate care for the present life, or fondness for it, is a dead weight upon the soul, that pulls it down when it should ascend upwards, and pulls it back when it should press forward; it makes duty and difficulties harder and heavier than they would be. A stumbling block to us, so to speak.
What is your weight? What is holding you back or pulling you down from serving the Lord fully? Finances? Family? Jobs…….? These are not bad things in themselves, but they become weights if they keep up from serving Him. The woman realized the water pot would slow her down from getting back to the city to tell others about Jesus. Her excitement about Jesus was more then the needs of herself and her family. She knew she could come back to get the water, but did not want to waist time to tell others about Jesus. Oh that we all had that zeal. I ask again, what is your weight? Lets band together and pray to ask God to show us our weights. Lets beg God to lead us to a lost “Samaritan”.
Thank You
I John 5:13
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Cast Out First The Beam
Today’s Passage –Luke 6 – 7
(Second Milers also read – Psalms 136 – 140; Proverbs 28
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.” – (Luke 6:41-42)
You can’t see anything in the picture above because there is a huge telephone pole blocking your view. In our passage today, Jesus warns us not to be too critical of what we may think we see in other people’s lives, at least until we get all of our own problems straightened out, which probably won’t be anytime soon. There is something about our human nature which causes it to justify and condone our own sin; but yet we are quick to notice the sins of other people, particularly when they sin against us. Jesus said that we have to be careful about being judgmental. We all have problems, and we are all still sinners with a fallen nature bent on sinning more. Thank God for salvation. Thank God for the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. Thank God for immediate justification and then the lifelong process of sanctification in our lives; but let us never forget what we are still flesh. Paul said that in him “dwelleth no good thing” and it would do us well to recognize the same thing about ourselves.
Having said all of that let me now say a few things about judgement. Jesus did not mean that we should never judge things. In fact 1 Corinthians 6 clearly tells us that we are to be judges at times, and we will even someday judge angels. We can and should be discerning about a lot of things. For instance I can judge whether or not an action is right or wrong based on what the Bible says about that act. However, I can not clearly see the motivation that went into the act; and I also cannot tell whether or not the person who committed the act is a saved person or not. I have seen saved people (including myself) do some pretty sinful things.
God has also put most of us into a position of being a judge in some specific areas. For instance, as a father, God has given me the right to be a judge when it comes to the lives of my children. As a pastor, I have also been given the responsibility to discern or judge certain situations in lives of the people that He has entrusted to me. But I have to be very careful because I am limited as to what I can see; and I cannot see into the hearts of people. I really do not fully know my own heart.
The bottom line is that we need to be careful about our judgement of people. God may put you in a position where you may have to look a little more closely at somebody else’s life; but be careful that you do not develop an attitude of superiority over those people. You are still just as much a sinner as they are. Analyze your own motives. Are you truly just trying to help people with their problems or are you somehow trying to justify yourself?
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Fire – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning! We had a great time last night. Most went on the hayride, a few went through the corn maze, but I was content to sit on a bale of hay with Camille. It was very relaxing. We were just sitting there talking, and watching the fire. It’s really beautiful to look at, the warm glow, and the sparks flying upward into the night. And the fire was nice too. Fire gives us light to see. Fire gives us heat to keep us warm in the cold night air. Do you know what else fire is good for? COOKING! I keep looking in the flea markets for an inexpensive cast-iron pot. I want to try making a batch of chili, cooked in an open fire. Chili cooked in an open fire is supposed to taste very good. Anything cooked by an open fire is good. Toasted marshmallows, hot dogs, and S’mores. There are many good uses for fire. And as with any good uses there are also many bad uses.
Smokers who smoke while they drive. They take their finished cigarette, and flip it out the window. The sparks fly as it bounces to the edge of the road still burning. The next thing you know, millions of acres are destroyed across America.
A cow had knocking over a lantern was blamed for the Great Chicago Fire.
300 people died, and 100,000 were left homeless.
Christians, who would not deny Jesus as their Saviour, were chained to a stake and burned alive by unbelievers.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, tried to burn three Hebrew men in a firey furnace because they would not bow down to the golden idol he had set up. He even made the fire as hot as he could get it. The flames of that furnace were so hot, that it killed the men who were going to throw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the flames. But Jesus was looking out for His 3 children here. Daniel chapter 3 says: “And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.” (Daniel 3:23-27)
Whenever you are around fire, your clothes are going to smell like smoke. The clothes that the 3 Hebrew men were wearing did not smell like smoke. Jesus protected them 100%.
I mentioned earlier, the Great Chicago Fire in which 300 people died. How many of those 300 are still burning today, because they did not have the protection of Jesus? The fire started around 9 PM on Sunday, October 8th, 1871. D. L. Moody had finished preaching for the day. There was one thing he forgot to do at the end of his service. It was something he would always regret, and he would never neglect to do it in any of his future services. What did he not do?
He did not give the people an invitation to receive Jesus as Saviour.
How many of those 300 were at his church service that night and did not hear the Gospel? How many of those 300 died in the flames, only to open their eyes in the flames of hell? We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Our end here on earth could come tonight. Our only hope for protection from the fire is the Lord Jesus Christ.
2000 years ago, He left His home in heaven and came to earth.
2000 years ago, He shed His blood to pay for our sins: the sins of the world.
2000 years ago, He was buried then 3 days later He rose from the dead, proving that He was who He said He was: God the Son.
John the Baptist had introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. It doesn’t matter what you have done, the shed blood of Jesus cleanses us from from all sin. Ever tell a lie? It doesn’t matter if it was a big lie, or a little white lie. If it isn’t the truth, then it’s a lie. Jesus said, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
Twice in Ezekiel chapter 18, God warns: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The Bible also tells us that there is none righteous, no not one, and for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all sinners: we have all done wrong. And the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Just be honest with God. He already knows what sins you have committed yesterday, and today. He also already knows what sins you will commit tomorrow. Be honest with Him, and tell Him you have done wrong. Ask Him to forgive you and He will. The Bible also says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You can survive the fire and come out smelling smoke-free as Sadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did.
Peace! (John 6:37-40)
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Certainty
Today’s Passage –Luke 1 (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 121 – 125; Proverbs 25
Scripture Memory for October – Matthew 5:1 – 16
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51
“That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.” (Luke 1:4)
I have always been fascinated by these first few verses in Luke’s gospel. He is writing to an individual by the name of Theophilus who we know very little about; and he is explaining to him, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, in detail all that he knows about the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is interesting when you think about it that Luke appears to be writing this entire book to one man. Now we know that God had other plans for the book; but on a human level, it seems to be the most comprehensive gospel tract ever written. All for one man, Theophilus. The first thought that hits me is the concern that Luke must of had for this one man in order to go through this arduous task just so that Theophilus could be certain about what he already knew about the Lord. Luke is possibly the most diligent soul winner there ever was.
The second thought I have from this Scripture comes from the word “certainty”. Luke penned the Word of God so that the hearer could be certain about the Lord Jesus Christ. That reminds me of another verse that tells us that …faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Practical application of this principle tells us that the more time we spend in the Word of God, the more we will be certain about the things of God; and the more certain we are in our faith, the greater our life and ministries will be also. We will be able to boldly plow forward through this dark and cold world with the gospel simply because we are sure of what we believe about God.
If you look at the faithless condition of America today, and consider how that Satan has been effective at both distorting the Word of God in most of our churches, and removing the Word of God from schools and many of the other public venues of our society, it is no wonder that the country is rapidly moving away from God. The answer is the Word. We in the church need to get strengthened ourselves through the certainty that comes through time spent in the Book; and then flood our churches, communities, families, neighborhoods, and workplaces with the Word of God. The more they hear the Word, the more they can be certain about the Lord.
Certainty is very important. Being certain about what you believe will get you through the trials of life with your faith intact. Be certain about your calling will keep you at your post until the Lord makes it clear that He wants you to do something else. Certainty comes from the Word of God, and it is strengthened as we continue to walk by faith. I want to demonstrate this certainty in my life as I minister to the people here in Galloway Township. I want them to be able to see that I really believe what I claim to know about the Lord; and I want them to see a consistency in my life and ministry in the years to come that will be the fruit of the certainty that I have received from the Lord.
How about you? Are you certain about what you claim to believe? Being sure about what you believe will dramatically change the way you live. I believe the reason why most of us struggle so much with our testimony is because we really don’t believe deep down what we say that we believe. Our faith needs to be increased. Ask God to bring you in closer, and give you a greater assurance about His Word and His will. As you meditate upon and study the Word of God, He will increase your certainty about the things of God.
Posted in Thoughts from Luke by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.