Several of us who were baptized in that first week after the Spirit came upon the church were remembering things we had heard Jesus say before we believed and understood. We were still having some difficulty understanding. Dorcus suggested that we ask some of the apostles to explain these things. That made sense to the rest of us, and we began searching the temple area for apostles. We found several of them praying in Solomon’s colonnade. Thomas, Phillip, Bartholomew, and Mary were there along with several others that we had seen but did not really know.

Several of us were not comfortable with a woman speaking for us, but somehow Dorcus’s boldness seemed right. She stood before the praying group until they noticed us. They turned to us with holy smiles. 

“What can we do for you?” Thomas asked.

Dorcus looked around at the rest of us and began. “Before His crucifixion Jesus told us ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up.’ And even then we were pretty sure He was speaking about the way He was going to die. But the rabbis had always taught that when the Messiah came he would remain forever. Of course we did not understand how He could die, if He was indeed the Christ. Jesus did not tell us how this would be. He simply said we needed to walk in His light lest darkness overtake us. We understand a little more of this now, but we need you to explain about the light.”

Phillip, one of the apostles in the prayer meeting said, “I didn’t really understand at that time either. But on that same day Jesus said, ‘The words that I say came from my Father. He gave the commands of what to say and what to speak.’ Walking in the light is living by what His Father says to us through Jesus.” 

Thomas said, “That is true even when there are some things we cannot understand.”

Martha, one of the women in the prayer meeting said, “You probably know that Jesus called my brother to come out of the tomb and raised him from death. We had sent for Jesus when we knew Lazarus was about to die. We were heartbroken when He did not come to heal him. When Jesus did come, He told me my brother would rise again. I still did not understand, but Jesus knew what He was going to do. It was hard in those days to believe Jesus still loved us, but of course, He did.”

“That is right,” Thomas said. “When we heard that Lazarus was sick, Jesus told us, ‘This illness will not end in death but in the glory of God so that the Son of God might be glorified. So we stayed where we were. After a few days Jesus said, ‘We are now going back to Judea.’ We were terrified. We had fled because the people were ready to stone Him to death. We said as much to Jesus. He said, ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day. If anyone walks in the day he will not stumble. We must do the works of Him who sent me while it is day.’ Then Jesus explained that Lazarus was already dead. He knew that because He prayed and listened to His Father all the time.”

We never understand everything our Lord is doing in our lives. But it seems that He has always shown us something that is His will, so we can walk in His light. One of the things the Spirit does in us and in the whole church is give us the light to follow Him. This is a continuing miracle that we experience. We are all learning to sense the Father’s will and walk in His light.

This story rose from words and events recorded in John 11 and 12.

Father, open our eyes to the light of Jesus in our daily lives.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

Amazon Author's Page

https://www.amazon.com/David-Young/e/B008C7VLAQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Albrecht Durer   Praying Hands 

What a day of crushing trouble! What a day of confusion and terror
the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, has brought upon the Valley of Vision!
ISAIAH 22:5  NLT
 

In overwhelming discouragement, I am your Inspired Enthusiasm.
In bone-tired weariness, I am your Welcome Rest.
In paralyzing fear, I am your Liberating Faith.
In dark despair, I am your Bright Hope.
In horrifying terror, I am your Quiet Peace.
In heartbreaking sadness, I am your Heavenly Joy.
In baffling perplexity, I am your Uncommon Wisdom.
In irritating frustration, I am your Supernatural Patience.
In egocentric arrogance, I am your Authentic Humility.
In dull apathy, I am your Passionate Purpose.
In loud tumult, I am your Silent Tranquility.
In midnight crying, I am your Praise Song.
In heartless self-absorption, I am your Compassionate Kindness.
In recurring sin, I am your Sustaining Grace.
In mournful death, I am your Eternal Life.
In lonely darkness, I am your Night Light.
In sincere repentance, I am your Total Forgiveness.
In penitent brokenness, I am your Absolute Healing.
In authentic humility, I am your True Honor.
In spiritual poverty, I am your Lavish Riches.
In intense difficulty, I am your Persevering Endurance.
In desperate situations, I am your Divine Help.
In excruciating moaning, I am your Relieving Morning.
In heavy tasks, I am your Enabling Poise.
In crazy pandemonium, I am your Incomprehensible Calm.
In relational clashes, I am your Understanding Smile.
In hesitant dilemmas, I am your Energizing Courage.
In deepest gloom, I am your Highest Glory.
In emotional valleys, I am your Ultimate Vision.

(c)  Pastor Johnny R. Almond
Day 267,  Gentle Whispers from Eternity 

We celebrated the Lord’s Supper at church Sunday. We had not been at church in person for more than a year, and we rejoiced to be there. The pastor began by saying, “Communion is a serious celebration.” I immediately thought of the words, “solemn joy.”

We do not often use those two words together. But they describe a greater intensity of joy than candles on a birthday cake. The closest picture I can think of for this is weeping for joy, although tears do not cover the entire range of solemn joy. When a mother gives birth to a baby she may weep for joy. A family may weep when their son or daughter returns from battle alive and well. Our nation wept for joy on the first V.E. Day. The war in Europe was over, and our troops were returning from that terrible conflict.

The Lord’s Supper is such an experience. We sense an intensity of joy over the price paid by Jesus on the cross that changes everything in our lives. We joined in that celebration Sunday with thankful hearts. In The Lord's Supper we participate in the trembling joy of our Lord’s presence in our lives. That is the heart of Christian fellowship. We join in the communion deeper than a smile or a hug. This was a serious celebration.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

Amazon Author's Page

David Young

The Bible will never lead you astray. That is what inerrancy means.  It doesn't mean the Bible is an exact history.

This makes complete Evanlogical sense.

So, why is “inerrancy,” at times, preached arrogantly?

WHAT?!?!  WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?  SOME KIND OF EVANLOGICAL?

Yes, I’m an Evanlogical.  Before you go all “4^th century” on me, let me share about re-imagining.

Charles Spurgeon is a great theologian.  But, he was just a man.  Jesus also was a man, but not for His whole Lifetime.  There is the difference.

No way could anyone re-imagine Jesus.  Men and their teachings, however, can be.  It is not with any dispersions that Spurgeon’s quotation below is re-imagined.  It is just being updated and made stronger for these times.

Thus, Amen, Charles, with one slight adjustment. When the word "religion" appears for the second time, substitute the word "faith."

You were not wrong. Christians, today, see faith in Christ as more important than religion.  It is by faith that we now  say, "It is Done."

I walked around in a joyous daze after Jesus raised my brother from the grave. But Jesus knew there was danger there for Him, for all of us. Many people who came to comfort my sister and me after our brother’s death believed in Jesus when they saw what He did. Others went immediately to tell the Pharisees. Jesus took His closest disciples east into the wilderness to spend time alone with us. The 12 were with Him and a few others including some of the ladies who followed Him from Galilee. I was part of that group even though I now live with my sister in Judea. 

At one point in His teaching Jesus singled me out. “Mary, you heard me say  in Jerusalem, ‘No one takes my life from me. I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down. And I have the authority to take it up again. I received this charge from my Father.’ Do you think the people understood what I was saying?”

“No,” I said. I am sure they did not.

“Did you understand me?”

“No, Master. I still don’t fully understand what you meant.”

“Even after you saw your brother stumble out of the tomb?”

“Well, yes, Lord, I guess I see that you have authority even over life and death.”

Jesus looked around at all of us, “Do you remember when some of the Jews surrounded me at the Feast of Dedication demanding that I tell them plainly if I were the Messiah?” Several of us nodded, but no one spoke. “I said I had already told them, and they did not believe. Do you remember me telling them I was the Christ?” We all looked at one another.

Thomas answered, “I don’t think I heard you say that to them in so many words.”

Jesus nodded. “How then did I tell them?” Thomas frowned not wanting to venture an answer. 

Finally, Peter said, “Opening the eyes of a man who had been born blind was a pretty good start.”

Jesus nodded and said, “You heard me say that my Father has given me the authority to lay down my life and the authority to take it up again. But you say you did not understand those words.” He glanced at me. “How did I say it more boldly?”

One of the other disciples answered before I could get the words out. “You showed us when you called Mary’s brother out of that tomb.”

Jesus said, “Earlier I had said ‘I am the Good Shepherd, and my sheep hear my voice’' They did not understand when I opened the eyes of the blind man because they were not part of my flock. You are my flock. I told you that my sheep hear my voice and follow me. They will never perish but will have eternal life.

“Mary, before I raised Lazarus, I told your sister that I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies. How did I say that?”

This time I was ready with the answer. “You showed us by raising Lazarus from the dead.”

“That is right, and I will yet tell you in a more powerful way. You are not ready to understand although you hear me say it. You will soon hear in a way that you will never forget. You need to know that you are my sheep. And others will hear my voice through you. You will face many dangers and difficulties. Many of you will lose your lives for the sake of this good news. My sheep are under my authority and under the authority of my Father. You have this charge from me and from my Father. This will give you great peace and courage in the face of whoever and whatever opposes you.”

This story was primarily taken from John 10:7-18

Have you heard His voice? We can trust our lives to the authority of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ.

David’s throne will be established by love. 
From that throne a faithful king will reign, one who always does what is just and right.
ISAIAH 16:5 NLT

Scripture repeatedly records a resounding promise I intend to keep—
     the King of kings will ascend David’s throne in the new Jerusalem.
     He will do what other monarchs have not been able to do—reign fairly.
     When My Son takes control of the world, righteousness will prevail.
     When Christ is sovereign over all, Truth will rule the day.

He came to earth the first time to reign as King of hearts—
     wise men understood it and worshiped Him;
     a Roman governor recognized it but caved in to compromise;
     a criminal on a cross beside Him acknowledged it and repented.

He will come to earth the second time to reign as King of the universe—
     angels will rejoice when He inaugurates His righteous kingdom;
     unsettled nations will unite when He wages holy war against sin;
     the world’s intractable problems will finally be solved when He rules.

In the midst of a dirge, there is a note of gladness and optimism.
     In the darkest night, there is a ray of hope.
     In the most desperate situation, there is inspiration.
     How can this be? Through the Living Lord of glory, the Immortal King.
     Even a prophet of doom and gloom wrote of a brighter time to come.
     Love, faithfulness, and justice will be the Messiah’s standing order.

One day the One whose Name is above all other names will reign supreme.
     The entire universe will acknowledge His right to absolute lordship.
     If you honor and obey the King in time, you will be ecstatic in eternity.
     With Him in charge of your life, you have a bright future indeed!
 

                                        (c) Pastor Johnny R. Almond
                               Day 266,  Gentle Whispers from Eternity 

Humans like to be recognized and rewarded for things they have created.  They had the idea for the book, the story, the new invention, the improvement to an existing object, discovering a procedure, cure or vaccine to treat medical illness, etc.

They refer to these creations as “my innovation” or “my book.”  Others refer to them as “produced by” or “written by.”  Evanlogicals, however, see things differently.

This begins with a word most would spell “i-d-e-a.”  The Evanlogical spelling is “Inspiration.”  The capitalization in that spelling is not an error.  It is reverent.

God Created everything in and on this earth.  Thus, the Evanlogical version of the phrase “there is nothing new under the Son.”

This means everything spoken of above, has always been known to God.  The human “creators” and “their ideas” are nothing more than a revelation by God.  Evanlogicals share things that have been Shared with them.  They transcribe what has been Shared with them indicating that it is merely shared by.

The Gospels are called the Books of Matthew, Luke, Mark and John.  They are also referred to as the Gospels according to Matthew, Luke, Mark and John.  Aren’t they really By God, According to God?  Shouldn’t they, Evanlogically, be titled the Gospels as Shared by Matthew, Luke, Mark and John?

Some may consider Evanlogicals prideful because they claim Inspiration for things produced through them.  We ask those to pray over this:

Which is more humble?

Claiming human creation?

Acknowledging Inspiration by God?

                                        The LORD God is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  
                                                                                      ISAIAH 12:2  NLT 


How can you go on when you feel like giving up?
     How can you face another day when you do not want to get out of bed?
          My power is the answer to your problem of weakness.

You can accomplish everything I ask of you if you rely on My grace.
You can survive harrowing situations if you trust Me.
You can be ready for anything the future holds if you lean hard on Me.
You can be victorious over evil habits if you depend on My Holy Spirit.
You can avoid self-pitying quicksand if you stand on the Rock of Ages.
You can hang in there when you are bone-tired and weary if you pray.
You can persevere until the finish line if you stay focused on the cross.
You can be stronger than you feel achievable—if you let Me carry you.


How can you celebrate when the world is falling apart?
     How can you rejoice even in the midst of discouraging circumstances?
          My peace is the answer to your problem of woe.

You can be optimistic about a bright future if you believe My promises.
You can learn to dance for joy even on cloudy days if you follow My lead.
You can have cascading joy in a sad world if you drink of My Spirit.
You can get over singing the blues if you listen to My toe-tapping jazz.
You can know peace in pandemonium if you keep your mind on Me.
You can be happier than you think possible—if you let Me comfort you.


How can you find real significance in a society playing trivial pursuit?
     How can you make God’s dream for your life come true?
          My purpose is the answer to your problem of wandering.

You can find an exciting reason for living if you honor the King of kings.
You can be resurrected above narcissistic culture if you bury your self.
You can aim for goals death cannot kill if you think vertically.
You can be nobler than you deem attainable—if you let Me control you.

         
                                         (c) Pastor Johnny R. Almond
                                Day 265,  Gentle Whispers from Eternity 

I was standing near the river remembering some good times we had had in this remote setting. We had been here many times before. We had just come from Jerusalem to this place where John first baptized. This week Jesus barely got away from the Chief Priests and the Pharisees. The crowd had picked up rocks to stone Jesus. I thought they had Him for sure. 

Peter broke into my reverie, “Thomas, people seem to have found out where we are. There are not many here today, but Jesus says more will come. We need to help spread them out so they will not trample each other. And we need to keep the area near the river clear so Jesus can teach the multitudes and we can baptise. I sent James to direct people in here from the road. I need you to meet them here and keep them from camping right on the river.” 

For months Jesus had seemed to be telling us that He would be arrested by the Chief Priests and handed over to the Romans. I wonder if we misunderstood Him when He said those things. At least He got away from them this time. If we had not been so afraid it would have been funny. One man was shouting that he had Him. Another one of them was screaming that the man had hold of him instead of Jesus. They were still scrambling around after Him as we left the city by back roads. He led us down across the Jordan to this place in the wilderness where John first baptized people. And it looked like He was going to be popular again.

“More and more people found their way to us. Directing the people became a big job. After a few days of Jesus teaching we began to baptise people. Most of them had seen miracles in Jerusalem. I was standing out in the water having just baptised a large family when I saw a man and wife with two daughters coming down to the river. He looked to me like a Pharisee. As he came nearer I was pretty sure I recognized him as one of the men who had argued with Jesus in Jerusalem. I suspected he was here to cause trouble. I would need to question him thoroughly before I could baptise this family. I looked around to see if Jesus or even some of the other disciples would help me. Then I realized that the man that I had just baptised with his two grown sons had confronted this Pharisee. They were speaking loudly and close enough to the river bank that I heard every word. 

The father whose name was Jonah demanded, “Aren’t you one of the people who tried to stone Jesus a few days ago in the city?” The man bowed his head in what looked to me like shame and said something I could not hear. Jude, Jonah’s eldest son, stepped up beside his father. Somehow the fact that Jonah and his sons were soaking wet seemed to accentuate their anger. 

“We think you need to explain yourself,” Jude said. “Why are you even here? Who told you where Jesus would be?” He looked around as if someone in the crowd had betrayed Jesus to the Pharisees. “You have to give an answer. And this whole crowd wants to hear, so you had better speak up.” 

The man remained silent for several uncomfortable minutes. Finally he said, “I am afraid I have some shameful things to confess. And I ask that my wife and daughters not be molested if you decide to punish me.”

The man’s humble tone struck them all. Miriam, the wife of Jonah stepped up and said, “We will not harm any of you. Please tell us your names.” I thought knowing their names might help keep this from being another confrontation like we had in Jerusalem. Miriam’s husband and sons seemed to agree.

“My name is Justice,” the man answered. “This is my wife, Deborah. And these are our daughters.” He did not mention the girls’ names. I climbed up onto the riverbank. I was the only one of the 12 disciples who had come near. I learned later that, although I had not seen, Jesus motioned for us to stay back and let the drama play out. Something occurred to me as I came even nearer. When the Pharisees had shown up to confront Jesus in the past they never had their families with them. 

Justice had begun to speak. He said, “I was indeed part of the group, I suppose I was even a leader of those who wanted to arrest the Master.” I was struck by the tone in which he said, ‘Master.’ He continued, “I was one of the men who asked the blind man’s parents how he could see, if he were really born blind. And while I didn’t pick up a stone, I was standing there with them. I have been with others who confronted Jesus, but for some reason I had never really listened to Him. I confess that I did not at all understand what He was saying that day about being the true shepherd. But His words were somehow comforting. One of us said that Jesus had a demon, and we should not listen to Jesus at all. Others said those were not the words of one who had a demon. As we were threatening Him, Jesus asked for which of the good works that His Father had done through Him were we going to stone Him. It seemed obvious to me that Jesus was either demonized or He was the Son of God. I didn't see how there could be any other options. The main way He told us His identity was by doing works only God could do. When Jesus said, ‘Even if you do not believe me, believe the works my Father gave me to do,’ I realized that He was giving us an invitation to believe and understand.

“In the turmoil that followed I was not sure if Jesus had got away. I went home and told my wife all of these things. One of our servants overheard me and said that Jesus might have come to this place on the river. He had already been baptized but he came here with us. My wife and daughters had come to believe before we arrived here. We understood from our servant that being baptized was the way we could say that we believe Jesus is the Messiah.”

I was aghast that the others had moved aside and the Pharisee’s family was now coming my way. I nearly fell as I backed into the water. Justice came to me first. I had hardly baptized him when I saw Phillip preparing to baptize his wife. Two others then baptized their daughters. All the crowd began to sing praise to God and to His Son. 

This story was taken from John 10.

Lord, you must be who you showed us you were rather than a demon from hell. We place our faith in you.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

Amazon Author's Page

https://www.amazon.com/David-Young/e/B008C7VLAQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

I was preaching in a church where I knew no one, not even members of the ministerial staff. No one had contacted me prior to the service to inquire as to my subject or scripture. It so happened that I was preaching on “The Fullness of Joy” from Psalm 16:11 - “In Your presence is fullness of joy.” To my shock, just prior to my sermon, a soloist sang, “Come, Ye Disconsolate.” That is a wonderful old hymn, with lyrics by Thomas Moore, with powerful lines like, “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.” It was sung beautifully by the soloist, but the overall message of the song did nothing to prepare the audience for the sermon on “Joy,” nor did the sermon do anything to follow-up the message of the solo. While I was not sure how much joy was felt by the audience, I got a real joy out of the experience. Swiss author Victor Cherbuliez wrote, “Half the joy of life is in little things taken on the run.” So, when things don’t seem to fit together in sync, discover the joyful side.

A Tribute to Featured Contributor Dave Nickeson

My discipling plan is to engage with those in my sphere of influence, telling those who don't know Jesus about Him, living the life of Jesus before those I tell and those disinterested, and meeting with those who want to know more. I currently meet with 8 guys, two of whom are meeting with others and one who has recently met a guy who works within his area who is wanting to know more.

What Matters Most in Disciple-Making?

Our Disciple Making Sphere (DMS) will be a working group. We pray that hearts & heads will join before God as peers to identify key issues, next steps, and strategic partnerships that help develop hundreds of thousands of reproducing disciples across our desperately needy nation. We will work together to "make" disciples who pray, care, and share God's deep love with others through the light of their lives (Matthew 5:16). My MAC-servant role is to coordinate & enable that to happen, by God's grace. Your prayers are welcome.

Key question 1) Since Jesus is our model of and for discipleship and ministry, how does what mainstream Christianity label as discipleship and ministry express what Jesus modeled in regard to discipleship and ministry?</p> <p>Key question 2) Since Jesus is our model of and for discipleship and ministry, what would be a simplistic means of getting back to what Jesus modeled as discipleship and ministry?</p> <p>Key question 3 has two parts) Who is it you are discipling and ministering to that reveals what Jesus modeled as discipleship and ministry? As a member of the Mission America Coalition (MAC) leadership team, what are you doing in regard to discipleship that follows what Jesus modeled so we who are not on the MAC leadership team can "come and see" how discipleship is done?</p> </div> </div> </blockquote>" style="margin: 0px 35px 0.7em 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: inherit; font-size: 1em; text-overflow: ellipsis; overflow: hidden;">

Key question 1) Since Jesus is our model of and for discipleship and ministry, how does what mainstream Christianity label as discipleship and ministry express what Jesus modeled in regard to discipleship and ministry?

Key question 2) Since Jesus is our model of and for discipleship and ministry, what would be a simplistic means of getting back to what Jesus modeled as discipleship and ministry?

Key question 3 has two parts) Who is it you are discipling and ministering to that reveals what Jesus modeled as discipleship and ministry? As a member of the Mission America Coalition (MAC) leadership team, what are you doing in regard to discipleship that follows what Jesus modeled so we who are not on the MAC leadership team can "come and see" how discipleship is done?

The Practice of Discipleship

A Discipleship Practicum Retreat

Recently, 85 men and women from 7 military bases attended a Discipleship Practicum Retreat. There was no main speaker, there was no formal band, and there was no comedian to hype up the crowd before we got started. There was, however, a Testimony Scavenger Hunt, four workshops, a fun night and a close-out session.

Friday night we held a Testimony Scavenger Hunt where we practiced giving our Jesus stories to each other. Everyone was given a sheet of paper with twenty categories, being instructed to find one person for each category, tell them your Jesus Story, and have them tell you theirs.

Saturday we held four workshops, each being facilitated by area Navigator Staff and co-facilitated by someone they were discipling/training. The purpose for this was so the attendees of the retreat would see discipleship in action.

The plan for each workshop was to have a topic presented to, an illustration explained to, and information practiced among workshop attendees. Next, each attendee was paired with one from another workshop to share with each other what had just been passed on. The purpose of this was to have each attendee practice "discipling" another as they shared what had just been learned.

Saturday night was fun night, where skits, music, and testimonies were presented to the group by members of the seven military bases. The testimonies were presented by those of specific categories: a new believer told how they had come to Jesus, a growing believer told how they were being discipled, one who is discipling others told how they came into relationship with the one being discipled, and a mature disciple-maker told how to make disciple-makers.

Sunday morning we talked about the processes of the weekend: seeing disciples being trained, learning information to pass on, and practicing to pass on to another what had been learned. We told the attendees that the intention is not to sit on what they were taught nor to stuff their notes on a bureau drawer, but to ask God for one with whom they can do as they learned during the weekend.

The theme for the weekend was Philemon 1:6"I pray you are active in sharing your faith so that you may have a full understanding of every good things we have in Christ." That is my prayer for each one who came to our weekend Discipleship Practicum Retreat.

Recent Encouragement

I've heard somewhere (and it may have been Professor Howard Hendricks) that success is when your disciple does for someone else what you did for them.

This is not too difficult. Promote Jesus and His discipleship model. First, He went and found a few men (Matt 4:18-19). Next, He invited them to seek Him ("Follow Me."). Then He told them the process and the result ("I will make you fishers of men.").

The model of Jesus is not in the large group context. True, He had the 5000 meeting, the 4000 meeting, the 70 meeting, and He event went to synagogue; but each of these events was designed to train those few He would leave as His witnesses (Acts 1:8). The model of Jesus is find a few and help them to get to know Him.

So, every one of us should be doing just this: staying in the Word and helping others to stay in the Word. Each one should be striving to know Jesus and helping other to do the same. As we do, we will pass on what we are doing to those we find; and they will go and do the same (2Tim 2:2).

I have read many books on discipleship (Lost Art of Disicple Making - Eims, Disciples are Made not Born - Henrichsen, Personal Disciplemaking - Adsit, The Great Ommission - Willard, T4T - Smith and Kai, Discipleshift - Putnam, and others) wanting to learn more about how to make disciples. I've listened to talks by Howard Hendricks, Skip Gray, Gene Warr, etc., (discipleshiplibrary.org) and Ray Vander Laan (followtherabbi.com) wanting to learn more from others as they've practiced discipleship. I've been devouring material on discipleship wanting to know more about how discipleship is accomplished. What I have discovered is that there is no better classroom than to actually disciple.

The materials I use: 1) the Navigators’ Lessons of Assurance/Christian Living, a thirteen lesson book that gets the disciple directly connected with the Bible and Jesus, 2) illustrations that demonstrate a point, 3) the Jesus Story Pattern (an easy pattern for learning/telling a testimony), and 4) a study method I have put together called the “6 Cs of Bible Study” which gets a disciple directly connected with Jesus.

God's people need to learn to fear and hate lies.

We live in days of great deception. Believers need to know how seriously God takes falsehood and deception. We seem to think some little lies are okay. They are not. It no longer seems to be a big deal to post a list of things on social media about a politician or public figure you fear or dislike, some of which you cannot verify. Falsehoods are demonic. In John 8:44-46 Jesus spoke pointedly about this to the religious leaders of His day

 “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Years ago my wife and I went with a group on a mission trip. Some of us arrived in the destination country without our luggage. A man among us was fluent in the language of that country. He went up to the airline counter and spoke to the frustrated person working there. He came back and told us that he told the person a lie to get them to hurry up and find our bags. Later he told about lying to the people of the church where he was working to get them to respond to God. That gave me the creeps. Do you think God approves of that sort of thing? Do you think it would help to bring about God’s will?

The weekend after the attack on the U.S. Capitol a respected Christian leader wrote a blog on how wrong the attack was. Someone replied saying he had heard from a friend who lives in D.C. who said, “Don’t believe what you see on T.V. There was no riot. There was no attack. There was no break in.” To believe that, you have to believe the conspiracy included every news outlet, conservative, liberal, and extremist. It would have to include every person in congress including Trump supporters. It would have to include the families of both police and insurgents who were injured or killed in the break in. It would even have to include insurrectionists who were already posting selfies of themselves in the capitol building.

Many of us are guilty of repeating things we read on social media. If we had stopped to think about many of them we would know they were lies. The Soviets said, truth was whatever they said it was. Are we moving in that direction? In these days believers need to know that we do not determine truth by whether it is spoken by a politician that we support or one we oppose. Our witness to the world is at stake here, not to mention the next generation of Americans. Even more serious is our standing with a holy God. Lies are of the devil and we need to run from them. This does not mean that we should stop opposing or endorsing political views. But we will defeat our purposes and alienate ourselves from God if we condone falsehoods in any form. I have addressed this to Christians. I needed to start somewhere, but I fear the viability of our form of government may depend upon an entire nation committing ourselves to absolute honesty.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

Amazon Author Central page.

Rembrandt  Jesus Calming the Storm 

   The LORD said to me in the strongest terms: “Do not think like everyone else does.
Do not be afraid some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you.
        Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty. He alone is the Holy One.            
If you fear him, you need fear nothing else. He will keep you safe.”

ISAIAH 8:11-14a NLT

I am Jehovah—My faithful love for you is as certain as sunrise.
     I am totally consistent in My care for you today, tomorrow, and always.

I am Almighty God—My power is unrivaled in the entire universe.
     I am stronger than any evil force that might strike against you.

Hiding in the Rock of Ages, you can be confident of My protective care.
     Fearing Me, you need have no fear of anything else.

Have NO FEAR of meeting your Savior face to face—look forward to it.
     Stay close so when I return you will be courageous and unashamed.

Have NO FEAR of people—they are just mere mortals.
     Do not get caught up in being a people-pleaser; instead, aim for My smile.

Have NO FEAR of death—My Son died to break Satan’s stranglehold.
     When you close your eyes on earth, you will open them in paradise.

Have NO FEAR of hell—you are in the best of hands, the hands of Jesus.
     He went to hell awhile so you would not have to; He is leading you to heaven.

Have NO FEAR of Satan—he is not as strong as the One living within you.
     He is the god of the world you live in, but I am the God of all worlds.

Have NO FEAR of trouble—whatever happens, I am your Mighty Fortress.
     I am not, as atheists say, a very absent help in times of trouble!

Have NO FEAR of things that go bump in the night—I am your Night Light.
     I protect you around the clock; day and night are the same to Me.

Have NO FEAR of fear—I still hush high seas to sleep, so you can sleep.
     Do not be terrified. Immanuel is with you, so everything will be all right

                                         

                                    (c)  Pastor Johnny R. Almond

                           Day 263,  Gentle Whispers from Eternity 

"#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP...as planting the Gospel"

http://discipleshipnetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginediscipleship-as-planting-the-gospel…

when you @MakeDiscipleswho driven to a

lifestyle.

New comment/quote just added to

"A Rare Prayer for the Church"

on http://Pray.Network:

at https://praynetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-rare-prayer-for-the-church…

There was always great excitement in those early meetings of the church in Jerusalem. The opposition mounted by the leaders of our people and even Roman authorities added to the thrill of gathering in the name of Jesus. Some of us met every day of the week. Our largest gatherings were on Sundays because we did not have to compete with the Sabbath services led by the priests, although many of us still preferred our Sabbath traditions. People began gathering in the outer courts of the temple at daylight. Many slaves and laborers had to work on Sunday and every other day as well. We began the day singing psalms and new hymns that were being written. We worshipped and encouraged one another for hours before the Apostles addressed the entire fellowship. On one particular Sunday, Peter stood as usual, and we all became as quiet as possible to hear what he would say.

He began, “My brothers and sisters, today I want to tell you about something Jesus did here in Jerusalem. We passed a beggar at the edge of a market who had been blind from birth. We asked Jesus, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?’ Jesus said, ‘It was not because this man sinned or because of anything his parents did. This happened so that the work of God might be revealed in his life.’

“I would like you to think about how important that man had to be in the Kingdom of God. Every evil and painful thing he had endured happened so the works of God might be revealed. You also need to see how important you must be in the Kingdom of God. Every bad thing that blind man endured happened so that the works of God might be revealed to you.

“Through the blind man Jesus gave us a parable. ‘While I am in the world,’ He said, ‘I am the light of the world.’ And He spat on the ground and made clay. He took the clay and anointed the man’s eyes, and told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam where his eyes were opened. Jesus was showing us that His presence would open our eyes to the things of God even in the ordinary dirt of this world.

“We have something exciting to share with you today,” Peter said, “That man, who has not lived in the city for a while, has returned to visit his parents who often worship here with us. He came this week to visit an Apostle that he knew well. And he has agreed to speak to you this morning.” Peter then turned and welcomed a man onto the platform. All the people crowded nearer not expecting his voice to be as strong as Peter’s. His voice was not loud, but he had an anointing of the Holy Spirit similar to Peter’s, and the sound of his words carried to the far reaches of the crowd.

“My name is Liscus. Greetings in the blessed name of our Lord Jesus the Christ.” Liscus had said no more than this when the entire church began to sing.

“Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

I will praise the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

When we came to the words,

“The Lord opens the eyes of the blind,” 

some of the ladies sang a high counterpoint to the men’s lower notes. Tears were spilling from the eyes of Liscus as the psalm concluded,

“Our Lord will reign for ever,

His Father to all generations.

Praise the Lord!”

When the congregation became silent again Liscus said “I am always thrilled to praise our Lord for all His wonderful works. One of my first vivid memories is of falling on my knees before Him.

“Our dear brother Peter was right when he said that everything that happened to me came about to reveal God’s works. However, I do not have many clear memories from the years before Jesus opened my eyes. I do remember the pain of occasionally being shoved or falling. And I remember an unnamed fear that often came over me. My clearest memories were of words and sounds that I heard. I remember my father reading the Torah on the Sabbath. I remember my mother singing over me at night. And I remember hearing the Rabbis teach when they didn't know I had snuck into the temple. But no memory is as bright in my mind as everything that has happened after Jesus came along. I remember hearing Him talk about me to His disciples even before He opened my eyes. And I remember his gentle touch as He put His hand on my shoulder and told me he was going to anoint my eyes with clay. 

“When I came back from the pool where he had sent me with my eyes open, those who had seen me begging were stunned. Some of them began to say, ‘Isn’t this the blind man who sat here begging?’ Others said, ‘It can’t be him, but he certainly looks like him.’ But I kept insisting, ‘I am the same man.’

“After I had convinced them, they took me to see the Pharisees in the yeshiva school at the temple. I don’t suppose I need to tell you that was a little frightening. They made me tell them every detail of my healing. The most outspoken of them were aghast that Jesus healed me on a Sabbath as if my healing was not an appropriate expression of worship. They said, ‘This Jesus cannot be from God. He does not keep the Sabbath.’ But others asked how a sinner could give us such signs?’ Some of the Pharisees asked what I thought about him. ‘After all,’ they said, ‘he opened your eyes.’

“‘He is a prophet.’ I answered. I didn’t know what else to call him at that time, but I knew He had to have come from God. Most of the Pharisees did not believe I had been blind until they questioned my parents. Of course, the Pharisees completely intimidated them. They brought them up and they stood them beside me at the front of the hall and demanded, ‘Is this your son whom you say was born blind. How is it that he can now see?’ What could my parents say? I had told them that Jesus healed me. But the Pharisees had made it clear that anyone who confessed that Jesus was the Messiah should be put out of the synagogues. That would have been serious in Galilee or even Alexandria. But if you were cast out of a synagogue away from Jerusalem, you could probably still sneak into the temple on holy days. Being put out here meant you were no longer considered to be an Israelite.

They said, ‘We know that this is our son. And we know he was born blind. But we don’t know how he received his sight or who healed him. Ask him. He is of age. He can speak for himself.’ I had not left the temple when the Pharisees caught up with me again. They said, ‘Give glory to God. We know this man is a sinner.’ I answered, ‘I don’t know what kind of man he is, but I do know I was blind and now see.’

“They asked me to tell them again how Jesus had opened my eyes. I said, ‘I already told you, and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become disciples of Jesus too?’ This enraged them. ‘You are his disciple. We are disciples of Moses. We know God spoke through Moses. We don’t even know where this fellow comes from.’

“By this time I was exasperated. I said, ‘This is amazing! You don’t know where this man comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. It has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. How could he have done that if he were not from God?’ That was too much for them. They said, ‘You were born altogether in sin. And you dare to lecture us!” And they put me out permanently.

“Jesus had evidently heard that they had cast me out. He found me and asked if I believed in the Son of Man. I said, ‘Tell me who he is sir so I can believe in him.’ He said, ‘He is talking to you right now.’ I fell to my knees and worshipped Him. I continue to worship Him to this day.”

As the man stepped down we began to sing again. Before we had sung very long, John, one of the Apostles, stood up and motioned for our attention. When we had quieted down he said, “Jesus said some other things regarding this great sign that I think I should tell you. After Jesus told Liscus who He was, He said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, that those who are blind may see, and that those who see may become blind.’ You need to know that our hearts are blind to the things of God. We can only see as Jesus opens the eyes of our hearts.

“Some of the Pharisees heard Jesus say this. They asked, ‘Are you saying we are blind?’ 

“Jesus said, ‘If you were blind you would not need to be forgiven for not seeing, but since you insist that you can see, your sin remains.’

“Earlier Jesus had said, ‘We must do the works of Him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.’ We join Jesus in doing the works of His Father. He sent Liscus to wash in the pool of Siloam. In Hebrew Siloam means “sent.” We are sent to the ends of the earth with the good news of Jesus. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might me saved through Him. 

This story was conceived from the events recorded in John Chapter 9.

Father, open our eyes that we may see your works and believe with all our hearts in you.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

Amazon Author Central page.