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WHERE ARE THE NINE?

5/21/2019

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            Where Are the Nine?                                                                                                
 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.  (Luke 17:11-13)
 
And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.  (Luke 17:14-16)
 
And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.  (Luke 17:17-19)
 
FOR SEVERAL DAYS I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS STORY, and the phrase: “Where are the nine?” I think that question provokes me more to thanksgiving than any other verse in the Bible. It reminds me that of all the things God wants from us, thanksgiving is at the top of the list: New Testament and Old Testament.

THANKSGIVING ALIGNS US IN OUR RIGHTFUL PLACE WITH GOD. In my thirties when my children were small, I used to say from the pulpit: “If you allow your children to receive a stick of gum from someone at church without saying: “Thank you!” You’re teaching your children to be criminals.” People with thankful hearts won’t steal from each other, and gossip about one another.

I LIKE WARREN WIERSBE'S COMMENTS ABOUT THE LEPERS. “At the border of Samaria and Judea, Jesus healed ten lepers at one time, and the fact that the miracle involved a Samaritan made it even more significant (see Luke 10:30-37). Jesus used this event to teach a lesson about gratitude to God.

“THE ACCOUNT BEGINS WITH TEN UNCLEAN MEN (Luke 17:11-13), all of whom were lepers. The Jews and Samaritans would not normally live together, but misery loves company and all ten were outcasts. What difference does birth make if you are experiencing a living death? But these men had hope, for Jesus was there, and they cried out for mercy. The word translated “master” is the same one Peter used (Luke 5:5) and means “chief commander.” They knew that Jesus was totally in command of even disease and death, and they trusted Him to help them.

“THE ACCOUNT CONTINUES BY REFERRING TO NINE UNGRATEFUL MEN (Luke_17:17). Jesus commanded the men to go show themselves to the priest, which in itself was an act of faith, for they had not yet been cured. When they turned to obey, they were completely healed, for their obedience was evidence of their faith (see 2Kings 5:1-14).

“YOU WOULD HAVE EXPECTED ALL TEN MEN TO RUN TO JESUS AND THANK HIM for a new start in life, but only one did so — and he was not even a Jew. How grateful the men should have been for the providence of God that brought Jesus into their area, for the love that caused Him to pay attention to them and their need, and for the grace and power of God that brought about their healing. They should have formed an impromptu men’s chorus and sung Psalm 103:1-22 together!

“OH THAT MEN WOULD PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS GOODNESS, AND FOR HIS wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:8, Psalm 107:15, Psalm 107:21, Psalm 107:31) Too often we are content to enjoy the gift but we forget the Giver. We are quick to pray but slow to praise.

“THE NEXT TIME YOU SING "NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD," try to remember that Martin Rinkhart wrote it during the Thirty Years’ War when his pastoral duties were most difficult. He conducted as many as forty funerals a day, including that of his own wife; yet he wrote those beautiful words as a table grace for his family. In spite of war and plague around him and sorrow within him, he was able to give thanks to the Lord from a grateful heart.

“LUKE'S ACCOUNT CLOSES WITH ONE UNUSUAL MAN (LUKE 17:15-19). The Samaritan shouted “Glory to God!” and fell at Jesus’ feet to praise Him and give thanks. It would have been logical for him to have followed the other men and gone to the temple, but he first came to the Lord Jesus with his sacrifice of praise (Psalm 107:22; Hebrews 13:15). This pleased the Lord more than all the sacrifices the other men offered, even though they were obeying the Law (Psalm 51:15-17). Instead of going to the priest, the Samaritan became a priest, and he built his altar at the feet of Jesus (read Psalm 116:12-19).

“BY COMING TO JESUS, the man received something greater than physical healing: he was also saved from his sins. Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you” (literal translation), the same words He spoke to the repentant woman who anointed His feet (Luke 7:50). The Samaritan’s nine friends were declared clean by the priest, but he was declared saved by the Son of God! While it is wonderful to experience the miracle of physical healing, it is even more wonderful to experience the miracle of eternal salvation.

“EVERY CHILD OF GOD SHOULD CULTIVATE THE GRACE OF GRATITUDE. It not only opens the heart to further blessings but glorifies and pleases the Father. An unthankful heart is fertile soil for all kinds of sins (Romans 1:21).” (Wiersbe)

Read Through the Bible in a Year      
MAY 22, 2019 – WEDNESDAY  
A.M.  1 Chronicles 6-7  P.M. John 8:21-36
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Good Verse to Memorize:
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  (Mark 16:15)
 
Songs for Today:
Now Thank We All Our God (2:38) (Mass Singing-London)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s99dNPKYtHk 

 His Eye Is on the Sparrow (2:18) (Piano Solo – Laura Francis)
https://www.facebook.com/100009410046480/videos/2550519968604980/
 
                                              
            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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to the jew first

5/21/2019

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                     To the Jew First                                                                                                
So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  (Romans 1:15-16)
 
WAS IT FOR FORTY YEARS? Something like that. When Dr. Lee Roberson became pastor of the Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN in 1942, he soon began broadcasting on a local Chattanooga station. He came on every weekday morning about 9:00 o’clock, quoting Romans 1:16 (above). He had looked up the Greek word for “power” (doo’-nam-is) - from which we get our word: dynamite. He believed strongly that the Gospel was the power of God and he had given his life to preaching the gospel.
 
BEFORE GOD CALLED HIM TO PREACH, he sang a good bit on a Louisville, KY radio station. He had been accepted to be trained by one of the best voice coaches in opera. When he turned from a career in opera as a baritone singer, to preach the Gospel, his mother was so disappointed that she never once came to hear him preach. His father came and I saw him, but not his mother.

THROUGH HIS DAILY RADIO PROGRAM IN CHATTANOOGA, I heard him say the phrase: “to the Jew first” hundreds of times. Let’s look at “to the Jew first.”

WHY WOULD PAUL BRING UP THE ISSUES of “not being ashamed” and “to the Jew first?” McGee has a word to say about that. “Why did Paul say, "I am not ashamed of the gospel"? As I walked down the streets of Ephesus and looked at the ruins of marble temples, I realized that there was not a church building in Ephesus in the first century.
“In Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the gorgeous temple of Diana (or Artemis), but there was no church building.

I SUPPOSE THERE WERE FOLK IN ROME WHO WERE SAYING, "Well, brother Paul hasn't come to Rome because he is just preaching a message geared for poor people. The message he preaches is without prestige; there are no great temples connected with it. He would be ashamed to bring it to an important place like Rome." So Paul says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel." Now why is Paul not ashamed of the gospel? "It is the power of God"! (McGee)

PAUL IS ABOUT TO GO TO THAT GREAT CITY OF POWER, ROME, and word may get around that Paul has left his upbringing in Jerusalem. Paul is getting too big for his britches. Paul is getting uppity. He had a nice Temple in Jerusalem to relate to, but they don’t want him in Jerusalem. So, when he writes to the Jews in Rome, he throws in this little phrase: “I am not ashamed of the gospel:” and  “to the Jew first,” to let them know that he is not playing the big-shot and catering to the culture and political power of Rome.

SOMETIMES IT'S THE LITTLE WORDS AND PHRASES that give color and meaning to Scripture, like: “Not ashamed of the Gospel;” and “To the Jew first.”
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:  (Romans 2:9-10)
 
BUT, WHY "THE JEW FIRST?" Paul brings up the subject: What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?  (Rom 3:1) Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.  (Romans 3:2)
 
MOSES MADE IT CLEAR TO THE JEWS WHY GOD DEALT WITH THEM IN A SPECIAL WAY: The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;  (Deuteronomy 7:7-9)
 
SUMMARY: God picks out the Jewish people to show the whole world that God is faithful to keep His word and His covenants that He makes. “For His name’s sake.” Have you believed on Christ? Have you committed the keeping of your soul to Him for all eternity? Then, rest assured that God keeps His word. The God who keeps His covenant with the Jew, will also keep His covenant with you.
 
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.  (2Timothy 1:12)
 
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)
 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.  (John 5:24)
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year      
MAY 21, 2019 – TUESDAY  
A.M.  1 Chronicles 3-5  P.M. John 8:1-20
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Good Verse to Memorize:
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  (Mark 16:15)
 
Song for Today:
Just When I Need Him Most (2:46) (Dr. Lee Roberson)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDauEBXfVoU&t=92s
 
 
                                              
            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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every creature...

5/19/2019

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                      Every Creature…                                                                       
 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  (Mark 16:15)
 
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  (Luke 24:47)
 
COMMENTATORS AND GREEK TRANSLATIONS  agree that, “every creature” means “every part of creation.” Its use in the Gospels limits its application to the “people” part of creation. It does not apply to rocks and frogs. It applies to people for whom Christ died and whose standing with God is offensive to His holy nature. Every creature needs to hear the gospel. It is God’s will.

WE HUMAN BEINGS TEND TO FOLLOW IN THE PATH OF SATAN. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.  (Isaiah 14:12-14) Unsaved people want to leave God alone and want Him to leave them alone because He gets in the way of what they want to do.
 
ISAIAH WROTE: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6) Solomon wrote: For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.  (Ecclesiastes  7:20)
 
THE NEW TESTAMENT CONFIRMS THAT WE ARE ALL SINNERS: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  (Romans 3:23) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.  (1John 3:4) Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (James 4:17)
 
BUT GOD LOVES US AND WANTS TO FORGIVE US OF ALL OUR SINS. That’s why the Gospel of Christ is good news! That’s why we need to tell every creature about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ from the dead. So, how do we “go into all the world and tell every creature?” Jesus prayed for His disciples and He prayed for us:
 
I PRAY FOR THEM: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.  (John 17:9) Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;  (John 17:20)
 
WHEN I WAS SAVED AT THE AGE OF NINE, I already knew what God said about “every creature.” My mother carried me to church in her womb. I had heard preaching for nine years. I was one of those creatures. Everyone I meet is one of those creatures. The disciples did not go into all the world. They could not. We cannot go into all the world. But, a little part of the world is around us and we encounter people that Christ died for. We can tell them what Jesus said. When we go into a store, we cannot talk to everyone there. We can possibly talk to one. How do we go about it?
 
I BEGAN WITNESSING TO MY SCHOOL MATES THE DAY AFTER I WAS SAVED at age nine, October 1943. I didn’t have a clue on how to go about it. I did it anyway and learned a few things as I went along. I never did become an expert. I’m still learning. One of the best and simplest booklets on personal witnessing is by Bill Fay: “How to Share Your Faith Without an Argument.” https://discoveryseries.org/courses/how-can-i-share-my-faith-without-an-argument/  Go to this link and download the booklet, free. At the top of the page, on the right, there will be an arrow pointing down. Click on the arrow and your computer will let you select a place to put it. I downloaded it and put it in my “Books” folder. It’s a PDF file and is free.
 
THE FIRST THING I DO IS TO ASK GOD TO SHOW ME WHO TO TALK TO and to lead me in how to go about it. A question is the best way to open a conversation.  “May I ask you something?” (Get permission to talk to the person.) “When you were little, did your mother take you to Sunday School?” Or, “Do you have a Bible in your home?”  Or, “The Bible says It is appointed unto man once to die and after that, the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Do you suppose there’s anything to that?” If the contact must be short, it’s important to have a gospel tract to leave with them. If you don’t have a tract, talk anyway. Ask them if they have a Bible at home. Ask them to read John 3:16. I’ve done this many times and plan to do it many more times as God gives me breath.
 
BEGIN BY USING JUST ONE OR TWO OPENING QUESTIONS (ABOVE) and getting used to it. Ask fifty people if you need to; just ask one question. You have sowed a seed. And then gradually add another question to your approach. If there is opportunity, work your way toward John 3:16. I have discovered that a good number of people 30 and younger have never heard of John 3:16 (in the Bible belt.)
 
I USE JOHN 3:16 A LOT AS THE TALKING POINT. It’s what Jesus talked to Nicodemus about. This is seed sowing and it can be done very well in most public places where you are meeting people. “Do you know what the best-loved Bible verse has been in the whole world for the past two thousand years? (John 3:16) I have had many interesting short conversations about this question. Quote the verse if possible. If you get started by opening a conversation, in a short time it will be as natural to you as discussing the weather. Double-dog dare you! Ω 
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year      
MAY 20, 2019 – MONDAY  
A.M.  1 Chronicles 1-2  P.M. John 7:32-53
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Good Verse to Memorize:
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  (Mark 16:15)
 
Song for Today:
The Blood of Jesus (4:34) (Collingsworth Family of Six-The Mother is a very fine pianist)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU7DSCkEdY0   
 
 
                                              
            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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god's spirit and his people

5/16/2019

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       God’s Spirit and His People             And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
 
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
 
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.  (Acts 2:1-5)

THE PENTECOST DAY ABOVE is NOT a first. Pentecost, as a special day, had been going on for 1,500 years or so before the book of Acts. Pentecost was the fiftieth day after Passover. It was the time of celebration of grain harvest that had been completed. Leviticus 23 is the chapter that summarizes everything. This “Special Pentecostal Day” of outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred one time and will not be repeated.

IT'S LIKE THE CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST were one-time events. We sing about and long for its power and that is good. But, that day of Pentecost is not scheduled to return. We can have individual fillings of the Holy Spirit or collective outpourings of the Holy Spirit that we call: “Revival.”
 
OUR TEXT TODAY IS ABOUT THE DAY GOD CHOSE TO APPEAR TO HIS PEOPLE who had received His Son as their Savior and Lord. God had previously appeared among His people in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. Pentecost, in the book of Acts, is the official launching day of the Church. As God appeared with fire on the day of the birthing of the Jewish priesthood (Leviticus 9-10) even so, God appears upon the people waiting for Him in Jerusalem. The fire on this occasion was “cloven tongues like as of fire.”

WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE BEGINNING OF HE JEWISH PRIESTHOOD in Leviticus 9-10 and noticed how precise it was in its execution. All the parts of that practice were symbolic and taught a truth about God and the relationship between God and fallen man. God established a priesthood of many dedicated men from the Tribe of Levi to do certain things.

ON THE FIRST DAY OF CEREMONY, AN ANIMAL WAS SLAIN, and its parts were laid on the altar. God set it on fire. The sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, had the duty of burning incense to God by burning incense in censors. They were supposed to have gotten their coals of fire from the fire God had kindled. But, they did not. They obtained fire from another source.

GOD SENT OUT A FIE FROM HIS PRESENCE and burned these two brothers to death. Their fire was called “strange fire.” The warning to all the other priests was to obey God to the letter and don’t substitute your own thinking and your own ideas and ways into the service of God. The message then and now, is that the fire and power of God must be His fire and not of our own invention and making.

GOD ESTABLISHED ANOTHER PRIESTHOOD ON THIS SPECIAL PENTECOST DAY. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  (1Peter 2:5) The purpose of this new priesthood is to offer up spiritual sacrifices.

THESE SACRIFICES DO NOT INCLUDE ANIMAL SACRIFICES. Paul wrote about it: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  (Romans 12:1-2)

INSTEAD OF OFFERING THE BODIES OF ANIMALS, our New Testament sacrifice is to present our bodies to God in holy living. That is a living sacrifice. Much of our sin problem centers around our bodies. When we deny our bodies some of the things it may want to do, we are engaged in a New Testament sacrifice.

JESUS PREACHED TO THE CROWDS THAT FOLLOWED HIM:  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23) They knew what He meant. The Roman army was crucifying Jews all over the place to assert ownership over the Jewish people and to coerce them into obedience to Caesar. Jesus was preaching submission to Him as Savior and Lord. It was  an attitude. Submission is an attitude.

TO CARRY OUT HIS WORK AMONG PEOPLE, God gave of His Spirit to work through the New Testament priesthood to aid and direct them to do the work of God. All of this was about “the glory of God.” In the Old Testament, the idea and design of the priesthood, their clothing, their duties, the tabernacle or temple in which they did their duties, all of this was about the glory of God. The manifestation and dwelling of the Spirit of God among them was the crowning work of the Glory of God. The Holy Spirit was among them but not in them. Important!

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, THE HOLY SPIRIT would at times come upon individuals for a special task. Mostly, though, the Jews knew about the Spirit dwelling in the Tabernacle and later, dwelling in the Temple in Jerusalem where God had chosen to put His name. And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.  (2Kings 21:4) When the Spirit of God came down among them, they could see it and knew that God was among them.

And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.  And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.  (Leviticus 9:23-24)

ON "SEEING GOD'S GLORY," WIERSBE MAKES THIS VALUABLE COMMENT: The glory of the Lord had appeared when Moses finished erecting the tabernacle, (Exodus 40:34-35) and it would appear again at the dedication of the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:1ff). How gracious on God’s part to share His glory with sinful people!

“THE GLORY THAT DWELT IN THE TABERNACLE EVENTUALLY LEFT THE CAMP because of the sins of the people (1 Samuel 4:21).  It returned at the dedication of the temple, but then the prophet Ezekiel watched it depart because the nation had become so sinful (Ezekiel 8:4; 9:3; 10:4,18: 11:22-23). The glory came to earth when Jesus was born (Luke 2:8-9) and tabernacled in Him (John 1:14), but sinful people nailed that glory to a cross.
 
“TODAY, GOD'S GLORY DWELLS IN THE BODIES OF HIS PEOPLE  (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) in each local assembly of His people (3:16-17), and in His church collectively (Ephesians 2:19-22). One day, we shall see that glory lighting the perfect heavenly city that God is preparing for His people (Revelation 21:22-23).” (Wiersbe)
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year      
MAY 17, 2019 – FRIDAY  
A.M.  2 Kings 15-17  P.M. John 6:1-21
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Good Verses to Memorize:
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.  (1Peter 1:15-16)
 
Song for Today:
Leave Your Heavy Burdens (2:34) (Melody Four -Male Quartet)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSMrM4zVyH4
 
                                              
            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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strange fire...(continued)

5/15/2019

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      Strange Fire…(Continued)                                                                                             
 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 
 
And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.  (Leviticus 10:1-3)
 
THE BOOK OF GENESIS IS ABOUT THE BEGINNING of God’s creation. The book of Exodus is about the chosen people, he Jewish people, coming out of Egypt. Leviticus is about these people learning to worship and walk with God. Deuteronomy is the “2nd law,” or Moses’ rehearsal of the Law before he goes to the mountain to die. These five books are called: The Pentateuch, or the five books. (Our Pentagon in Washington is a five-sided building.)
 
GENESIS IS RELATED TO "GENERATOR, GENETICS, GYNECOLOGIST." Exodus is related to our signs over the outside doors of public buildings: “EXIT.”  Leviticus is related to one of the sons of Israel: Levi. The Tribe of Levi was the tribe in charge of the tabernacle and the sacrificial system of blood atonement. Deuteronomy relates to “two, or second.” Two people sing a song and it is called a “duet.” The Jews call these five books: The Torah.
 
GOD HAD BROUGHT THE JEWISH SLAVES OUT OF EGYPT and they were moving through the wilderness, through the Red Sea and toward the land God promised to Abraham, The Promised Land. But this untaught mass of slaves who treaded the mud pits of Egypt for almost 400 years to make bricks for Pharaoh’s building program knew nothing about God and knew nothing about civilization. They had to be taught and regimented into a nation. Not easy.

IT WAS A BURDEN ALMOST TOO HARD FOR MOSES TO BEAR. I have great respect for Moses, the man of God that saw God face-to-face as no other human being.

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.  (Exodus 33:11) The “face to face” phrase above needs some explaining. I quote from the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC):
 
“MOSES WAS INTIMATE WITH GOD IN THE TENT erected outside the camp. There people could go to inquire of the Lord, apparently for spiritual guidance. This tent, though it was not the tabernacle, was also called the tent of meeting.
 
“WHEN MOSES ENTERED HE TENT, the pillar of cloud (cf. Exodus 13:21) hovered at its entrance. The size and contents of this tent are not known, but it reminded the people that their sin was an alienating force in their relationship with God. They could worship God but from a distance (Exodus 33:10); He was outside their community.

“GOD WOULD SPEAK TO MOSES FACE TO FACE, as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11), that is, clearly and openly. Moses’ speaking “face to face” with God does not contradict the fact that he was not allowed to see God’s face (Exodus 33:20) as “face to face” is a figurative expression suggesting openness and friendship (cf. Numbers 12:8; Deuteronomy 34:10; and (comment on this at John 1:18: No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.  (John 1:18)

“JOSHUA STAYED IN THE TENT, perhaps to care for it in some way when Moses would return to the camp. (Bible Knowledge Commentary- Dallas Seminary) (Verse added.)

AND NOW TO OUR TEXT FOR TODAY ABOUT NADAB AND ABIHU. Today’s article is about obedient holiness and disobedient unholiness and the consequences. Moses talked with God. Nadab and Abihu talked to each other and hatched up an unholy plan. It was a sad day for Aaron and his family. Aaron was not permitted to mourn the loss of his two oldest sons.

THIS OCCURRED AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE ORDINATION OR LAUNCHING OF THE JEWISH PRIESTHOOD. It was a big deal. Aaron’s sons were dead but he had to remain at his post and complete his part of the ceremony. Reading Leviticus 10 is important at this point.

WIERSBE HAS AN EXCELLENT COMMENT ABOUT THIS INCIDENT: “It may seem strange to us that God killed Nadab and Abihu instead of merely warning them, but often at the beginning of a new era in salvation history, the Lord brought judgment in order to warn the people. The priestly ministry at the tabernacle was about to begin, and the Lord wanted to be sure the priests understood the seriousness of their work.

“WHEN ISRAEL ENTERED THE PROMISED LAND, God used Achan’s disobedience as a warning (Joshua 7), and the death of Uzzah was His warning when the ark was brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1-7). (Uzzah touched the ark that was on a cart when the ox stumbled. The ark was not supposed to be carried on a cart. The priests were supposed to carry it. Sometimes it takes a lot for God to get our attention. dc)

“EARLY IN THE CHURCH AGE, THE DEATH OF ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA served as a warning to the saints not to try to lie to God. (Acts 5) It wasn’t enough for the priests merely to teach the people the difference between the holy and the unholy; they also had to practice it in their own lives. This is one of he burdens of the message of Ezekiel the prophet (Ezekiel 22:26; 42:20; 44:23; 48:14-15).  We’ll need to come back here tomorrow. Ω

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhG2CBVQy3w&t=3095s  NOTE: “This link on “Strange Fire” will work on a computer and you can move the time line to the left. If opens on my iPhone but cannot move the timeline. Hope you can watch it on your computer”.
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year      
MAY 16, 2019 – THURSDAY  
A.M.  2 Kings 15-17  P.M. John 6:1-21
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 
Good Verses to Memorize:
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.  (1Peter 1:15-16)
 
Song for Today:
Springs of Living Water (2:14) (Melody Four -Male Quartet)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghm4Jz2afaE
 
                                              
            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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strange fire

5/14/2019

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                   Strange Fire…                    And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
 
And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.  (Leviticus 9:23-24) (This is NOT strange fire.)
 
THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE JEWISH PRIESTHOOD, ordained by the Lord under Moses. There is a parallel between this priesthood and the priesthood of the church in the New Testament, so it is proper, even necessary, to study this solemn beginning of the Jewish priesthood to see our position in God’s plan for us today. “The New Testament is in the Old, contained, and the Old Testament is in the New explained.” In the New Testament we are a holy and royal priesthood. (1 Peter 2:5,9)
 
“EVERY BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST CAN SAY WITH THE APOSTLE JOHN: And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.  (Revelation 1:5-6)
 
IT WAS GOD'S WILL THAT THE ENTIRE NATION OF ISRAEL WOULD, in a very practical way be a nation of priests. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.  (Exodus 19:6) That was not easy to pull off. These people were made with a will of their own that could go with God or please themselves. Much of the time, they chose to please themselves.
 
THE ENTIRE OLD TESTAMENT IS ABOUT GOD'S STRUGGLE with these people and their offspring to make them a holy nation and a kingdom of priests. God ordained from the beginning that His nation of priests would include a larger group of people in the church after the coming of Christ. First things first, getting the Jewish priesthood off the ground.
 
THE JEWISH NATIONAL PRIESTHOOD PROJECT FALTERED because they became “a sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity.” (Isaiah 1:4) Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.  (Isaiah 1:4)
 
THE BIG PROBLEM WITH BUILDING A NATION OF PRIESTS to represent Himself to the rest of the world, was the corruption and weakness of the smaller, temple priesthood. Jeremiah said: A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?  (Jeremiah 5:30-31) (Jeremiah said this before the Babylonians came.)
 
GOD FINALLY HAD TO BRING THE BABYLONIAN ARMY TO JUDAH (the two remaining tribes) and the temple priesthood and carry them off to the woodshed for 70 years to let them think it over. That was a drastic discipline because their temple and their city was laid on the ground and a lot of people died in Jerusalem. This is all about God’s determination to build a Jewish priesthood that would obey Him and rightly represent Him to the rest of the world. And, God hasn’t given up yet. He will persist until He succeeds.
 
IN OUR BEGINNING TEXT AT THE TOP, WE HAVE THE BEGINNING OF THE PRIESTHOOD and the system of animal sacrifices at the tabernacle. (There is no temple yet.) The sacrifices are laid in place, Moses and Aaron come out of the Tabernacle and bless the people and the glory of the Lord appears. Then, fire comes from the presence of the Lord and consumes the sacrifices.
 
BUT, IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, IN LEVITICUS 10, the two oldest sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, each brought a censer that contained live coals of fire and burned incense before the Lord. Several things were wrong with what they did, but it appears that the biggest problem was that they got the burning coals from another source and not from the fire that had come from the presence of the Lord. That fire was made to burn continually since it had come from the presence of the Lord in Leviticus 9. But they ignored that fire and brought their own: “strange fire.” The fire was supposed to have come from God.
 
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.  And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.  (Leviticus 10:1-3)
 
THERE IS MORE TO THIS STORY THAT I WILL CONTINUE TOMORROW. To recap: the beginning of God’s priesthood begins with the Jewish nation and He will complete that in His own time. God has a priesthood going on in the modern church that Jesus bought with His own blood. We are a kingdom of priests, a royal priesthood. As such, we are to carry out God’s purpose of that priesthood and part of our duty is obedience and maintaining holiness unto the Lord as God defines it.
 
WE ARE IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE END OF THE END TIME and Satan is going all out to infuse himself into what is called “Christian” to confuse and deceive the world. One big area of Satan’s deception program is inside Christian churches and Christian organizations.
 
JOHN MacARTHUR AND A PANEL OF FIVE RESPECTED PASTOR/TEACHERS have released a two-part video that every Bible believer should see. I have included a link to Session 1 that is about one hour long. About 852,931 people have viewed it. (I’m one of them.) Please follow this link and view this video. When the video comes up, you will need to slide the red line at the bottom, back to the left as far as it will go. Thank you.  And thank you for sharing Morning Minute with family and friends.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhG2CBVQy3w&t=3095s
 
 Read Through the Bible in a Year     
MAY 15, 2019 – WEDNESDAY  
A.M.  2 Kings 12-14  P.M. John 5:25-47
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 
Good Verses to Memorize:
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  (1Thessalonians 4:16-17)
 
Song for Today:
Some Golden Daybreak+ (3:42) (Male Quartet)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wme2XJ1YvbA
 Let’s listen to these fellows again…love to hear them sing! Love the song!
 
                                              
            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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mark can see now!

5/14/2019

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                              Mark Can See Now!                                                        
 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  
I go to prepare a place for you And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  (John 14:1-3)
 
MARK CAN SEE NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE. His first sight was a view of Heaven. Last month, Mark had his 68th birthday. He and his twin brother, David raced to be the first one born! Mark had some difficulty during his birth and ended up blind. David was there to see him off yesterday. Someone remembered their mother bringing them over to her house in white basinets. Yesterday, Mark’s life was celebrated at Sulphur Springs Baptist Church and at the Smith’s Cemetery. His favorite song was: “Every Day with Jesus.”  I was privileged to play for the congregation to sing that in his honor.

AT THE AGE OF SEVEN, Mark gave his heart to God and asked Jesus to be his Savior and Lord. Mark loved to listen to his radio and never butted into conversations or complained. Everybody loved Mark. He was everybody’s favorite. That showed by the good number of people who came to honor him, even on a Monday at mid-day.

I HAVE MET A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE MAD AT GOD, usually because of the death of a child. The prophet, Jonah, was mad at God because He cut down a gourd that was shading Jonah from the sun and because He thought God was going to let Nineveh off the hook and not destroy them.

And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?  (Jonah 4:9-11)

MUCH HAPPENS IN THIS LIFE THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND. We can understand the “what” a lot better than we can understand the “why.” God either causes or permits everything to happen that takes place, or else He would not be omnipotent, all-powerful. The greatest question appears to be: “Why do the righteous and the innocent suffer?” The answer to that question is given by Isaiah: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.  (Isaiah 55:9)

Jesus’ disciples raised that question, one day. And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.  (John 9:1-3)  

THAT WAS A STRANGE QUESTION TO ASK JESUS. However, there was in those days a belief by some that there could be a reincarnation and that the man might have lived in another life, in another body. Jesus’ disciples had a lot of learning to do…. Just like us today. We have a lot of learning to do. Ω
 
 Read Through the Bible in a Year      
MAY 14, 2019 – TUESDAY  
A.M.  2 Kings 9-11  P.M. John 5:1-24
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 
Good Verses to Memorize:
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
 
I go to prepare a place for you And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  (John 14:1-3)
 
Song for Today:
Some Golden Daybreak+ (3:42) (Male Quartet)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wme2XJ1YvbA
 
 
                                              
            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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read, write, pray, preach

5/13/2019

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  Read, Write, Pray and Preach                        
Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  (1Timothy 4:13)
 
And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.  (Habakkuk 2:2)
 
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  (2Chronicles 7:14)
 
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  (2Timothy 4:2)
 
ABOUT 1953, JEWISH EVANGELIST, HYMAN APPLEMAN came to Highland Park Baptist Church and Tennessee Temple Schools in Chattanooga for a week of meetings in January. I was there and was privileged to hear him preach. About mid-week after a service, the Lord met with me in an unmistakable way that I later learned was being filled with the Holy Spirit. I had gone up on the flat roof of the Temple Building to pray and the Lord met with me there. For me, that was a landmark meeting with the Lord, 2nd only to my conversion in October 1943.

DR. APPLEMAN MADE A MONUMENTAL STATEMENT during the meeting as he addressed the “preacher boys” that made up part of the audience. Concerning the preparation for preaching a message, a preacher should do these things: 1. Read yourself full.  2. Write yourself clear.  3. Pray yourself keen.  4. Preach yourself empty. I had just begun preaching and was 18 years old. I knew I had just heard it thunder! Quickly, I wrote it down in my Bible.

THAT WASN'T ORDINARY ADVICE. That was monumental, worthy of engraving on a public monument. I have recalled that advice many times. Like the roof of a house, it covers everything. Read yourself full; Write yourself clear; Pray yourself keen; Preach yourself empty. If you’re going to do any public preaching or teaching, that’s the way to do it. It won’t make you a great preacher or teacher, but it will make you the best preacher/teacher you can possibly be and that’s all that matters.

THIS LETTER GOES TO PEOPLE OF MANY ENDEAVORS, including preachers, missionaries and Sunday school teachers. I hope that quote will be a blessing to you.
 
 AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS LETTER, at Tennessee Temple, January always began with a “Winter Revival” to help the new students get saved if they had missed the call of the Gospel of Christ. I never knew for sure, but I always assumed that plan was patterned after the practice of Charles Finney in New York (1792-1875) who had a school and began his 2nd semester with evangelistic preaching. Dr. Lee Roberson had great respect for Charles Finney.
 
THE LINK FOLLOWING WILL ACCESS FINNEY'S OWN ACCOUNT of his conversion and subsequent experience in learning to walk with the Lord. (Published by Google Books.  https://www.gospeltruth.net/1868Memoirs/mem02.htm
 
 Let’s not try to pattern our life or our Christian experience after Charles Finney but rather to be taught how God has in the past dealt with some of His children. This should enrich our thinking and raise our level of expectancy of what God may do today, if and when revival may come.

HIS UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF CONVERSION AND HIS SERVICE FOR CHRIST were God’s plan for him. But God has a plan for you that’s just as authentic as that of Finney. Our job is to get into the circle of God’s will for us. You may want to read two or three pages a day until you finish his testimony.

FINNEY IS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE WILDFIRE but a true servant of the Lord. I found his testimony to be very helpful and challenging. I read it again just now. If the power of God should fall on us, as we often pray, please remember this: we won’t be in charge to manage it. God will be in charge and He will do as He pleases. I have a big book entitled: Historical Collections of Accounts of Revival by John Gilles and one thing is clear: when the power of God falls, we don’t get to be in charge.
 
 Read Through the Bible in a Year     
MAY 13, 2019 – MONDAY  
A.M.  2 Kings 6-8  P.M. John 4:31-54
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.) 

Good Verse to Memorize:
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  (2Timothy 4:2)

Song for Today:
My Hope Is Built (2:31) (Samonte-Mennonite Choir -A Cappello)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bWjb_6MzwY
                                               
            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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the grand canyon

5/10/2019

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                                 The Grand Canyon                                                                                                  
There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.  (1Samuel 2:2)
 
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.  (Psalm 18:2)
 
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. (Psalm 40:2)
 
I LIKE THIS PICTURE THAT PEERS THROUGH A CURTAIN OF TREES into the Grand Canyon, taken by our daughter, Joy Cofield. She and husband, Jim Cofield visited the park last week while they were in Arizona conducting a church-related retreat. I have several pictures of the Grand Canyon on file, which I enjoy studying for the beauty and interesting way God made the vast rock formations.

THE CANYON IS 273 MILES LONG AND UP TO 18 MILES WIDE, 1,902 SQUARE MILES.  Yesterday a TV feature mentioned that there are 750 miles of trails inside the rim of the canyon. Many species of plants and animals live there. Hundreds of helicopters fly over and down into the canyon daily, carrying passengers who want a fast and closer look.

THE GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK PAGE SAYS: “Grand Canyon National Park, in Arizona, is home to much of the immense Grand Canyon, with its layered bands of red rock revealing millions of years of geological history.” The claim that this canyon is millions of years old is why the canyon has become a scientific and theological classroom...and battleground.

THE LATE DR. HENRY MORRIS LED GROUPS OF POST=GRADUATE STUDENTS into the Grand Canyon to study the rock formations. Dr. Morris pointed out the excellent display of layered rock formations that are best explained by the world-wide Noahic Flood in Genesis 6. He denied the claim that the canyon was formed by slow erosion. He believed the canyon was formed by the Noahic Flood when massive amounts of water dropped particles that settled out and formed layers of sedimentary stone. He believed the earth and universe were made by God in six, 24-hour days. When I met him in his home, he was the Chairman of the Hydraulics Department of the University of Virginia.

“HENRY MADISON MORRIS WAS AN AMERICAN YOUNG EARTH CREATIONIST, Christian apologist, and engineer. He was one of the founders of the Creation Research Society and the Institute for Creation Research. He is considered by many to be "the father of modern creation science." Wikipedia

AS WE DRIVE THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES, the “road cuts” through the rock formations in the mountains and foothills have always fascinated me. That is expensive road building. But it also reveals the amazing designs of the hand of God in making mountains and the rock structures in them.

DURING MY JUNIOR-HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL DAYS, my father became friends with Alvin C. York, the World War I soldier, who lived in Jamestown, TN. My father had a hickory mill in Jamestown, and they spent some time together. Sgt. York had engaged in drilling for oil and hit a big well that overflowed into the river and the oil caught fire. Somehow, they put out the fire and began pumping the oil into the tanks to sell. Sgt. York became wealthy from it but didn’t want to keep up with the tax share the government wanted from it. So, the government seized his holdings and Sgt. York died bankrupt.

MEANTIME, MY FATHER LAUNCHED HIS OWN PROJECT OF DRILLING FOR OIL. He visited state-certified geologists and learned about rock formations from them. As a kid, I traveled some with my father and he loved to explain to me the anticline and syncline formations of rock as we traveled through the mountains. Anticline formations are shaped like a bowl, upside down and extend several hundreds of yards. Syncline formations look like a bowl sitting upright.

DRILLING IS ALWAYS DONE IN AN ANTICLINE FORMATION about a third of the way from the bottom of the slope to get the best flow of oil. If drilling is done in the top of the anticline formation, you will get only gas that is trapped in the top of the dome. By drilling 2/3 of the way down the anti-cline formation, the trapped gas will help to push the oil to the hole and maybe out of the hole. He listened carefully to the geologists. There’s a good bit of oil in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Small wells have been producing small amounts of oil for many years.

HE DID STRIKE OIL AND WAS ABLE TO PUMP FIVE BARRELS OF OIL A DAY into a holding tank and sold it to the big truck tanker that picked it up once a week. We never got rich from it, but neither did we go broke. Oil drilling is expensive. We kept a barrel of crude oil in the barn lot to use in starting fires to burn stumps and dead animals. There was always a pocket of gas in the top of the barrel and when I removed the threaded plug, it would almost knock the plug out of my hand when it came loose. I did not intend to get into a wildcat oil drilling tale. It just sort of pushed its way into the story.

THERE'S MORE TO THE STORY BUT I MENTION IT HERE because rock and stone are so important in the Bible. Also, it is used for art, building highways and buildings and there are vast stores of oil and water stored in the underground rock formations. My 9th grade science textbook taught us about the three main types, or classes of rock: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. Google follows about the same wording of my science text book.

“THE DIFFERENCES AMONG THEM HAVE TO DO WITH HOW THEY ARE FORMED. Sedimentary rocks are formed from particles of sand, shells, pebbles, and other fragments of material. Together, all these particles are called sediment.” (Google) The stone formation in the Grand Canyon is sedimentary stone. Would love to visit the Grand Canyon and fly down into it in a chopper and take pictures.

DAVID, SAMUEL, JESUS AND PETER ALL TALKED ABOUT ROCKS OR STONE and pictured the qualities of rock as being desirable for our lives. A stone foundation is necessary for a secure house. Building upon God as the foundation of our lives is essential.

Ye also, as lively stones, (living stones) are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  (1Peter 2:5-6)
 
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.  (Matthew 21:44) The idea here is that the stone is the defining characteristic and we are the pliable ones. If we fall upon God, our will is to broken into the shape and will of God. If we are unwilling to do that, there will come a day when we stand before Him to be judged, we will be forced to submit to Him. This is also portrayed in the idea of bowing the knee in submission to Him.
 
THE GRAND CANYON IS AN AMAZING, MASSIVE STRUCTURE that portrays the hand of God in His beauty and awesome power. It is impressive because it is so big! And then, there is the continuous display of ever-changing shape of the beautiful layers of rock. Our God is an awesome God! Ω

 Read Through the Bible in a Year     
MAY 10, 2019 – FRIDAY  
A.M.  1 Kings 19-20       P.M. John 2
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.) 

Good Verses to Memorize:
Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.  (Psalm 30:4-5)

Song for Today:
My Hope Is Built (2:31) (Samonte-Mennonite Choir -A Cappello)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bWjb_6MzwY
                                    Very good!
            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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warren wiersbe-home!

5/8/2019

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 Warren Wiersbe – At Home          
 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.  (Psalm 116:15)
​
 https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/may/warren-wiersbe-died-bible-teacher-commentator-be.html

“BIBLE TEACHER, PASTOR, AND PREACHER Warren Wiersbe died Thursday at age 89, leaving an impressive legacy of teaching, preaching, and mentoring countless pastors. Through his lessons, broadcasted sermons, and over 150 books, he resourced the church to better read and explain the Bible.” (Christianity Today)

WHILE I WAS A STUDENT AT TENNESSEE TEMPLE COLLEGE in Chattanooga, TN, the school always had a week of “Bible Conference” in the spring with two or three outstanding speakers. Warren Wiersbe was always the favorite because he “filled your bucket.” One morning after a feast-worthy Bible presentation, Dr. Fred Brown (evangelist) turned in the row in front of me and said: “That was out of the top drawer!” I agreed, remembering that well-placed metaphor to this day.

HIS WISDOM AND TEACHING HAVE LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK on countless pastors and Christian leaders. I think his own statement of himself explains who he really was and what God used his life to accomplish. “Writing to me is a ministry. I’m not an athlete, I’m not a mechanic. I can’t do so many of the things that successful men can do. But I can read and study and think and teach.

HE CONTINUES: “This is a beautiful, wonderful gift from God. All I’m doing is using what He’s given to me to teach people, and to give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.”  The link above is well-written and those who knew him or knew of him, will enjoy the article.

I HAVE HIS COMMENTARY ON THE OLD TESTAMENT AND ON THE NEW TESTAMENT in book form and N.T. on my computer. Dr. Wiersbe reminds me of Matthew Henry (1692-1714), the genius Bible teacher and commentary writer who could read the Bible clearly at age three and was writing before he was ten. He is known for his six-volume commentary of the Bible. I have his commentary on my computer and refer to it occasionally. Henry wrote profusely. That’s why his commentary required six big volumes.

DR WIERSBE DOES NOT GO TO EXCESS IN WRITING PROFUSELY but writes more profusely than any other commentary writers with which I am familiar. He was so full of Scripture and its intricate web of meaning that the Bible just poured out of him. That made his commentary longer than most. My wife, Barbara likes Wiersbe when she is writing because he is rich in developing Bible ideas and is rich in his inclusion of so many other Bible passages when developing his themes. At the same time, she does not like his commentary when we are having our devotions together because he is too long.  

HE WROTE A LITTLE POCKET TRACT: “How to Get More Out of Your Bible” published by Youth for Christ in 1957. I had kept my copy of the tract from about that time. I found it one day while going through some booklets. I pulled it out and read it again. I wrote my friend and college roommate: Dr. Bill Compton, who knew Dr. Wiersbe and asked him to contact Dr. Wiersbe and get his permission to reprint it. Bill did and he quickly said “Yes.”

I SHORTENED IT A BIT AND POSTED IT AT http://www.biblewalking.com/how-to-get-more-out-of-your-bible---wiersbe.html   Dr. Wiersbe was more friendly with other Bible versions than I am, so I used King James in my version of it. There are many Bible references in the text and these references are hyperlinked to BibleGateway.com and are set to open and use King James text.

I DIDN'T PERSONALLY KNOW WARREN WIERSBE, BUT I'M GOING TO MISS HIM. I feel like I know him because I’ve spent so much time reading his stuff. My roommate, Bill Compton, who was five years older than me and whose birthday was three days before mine…is also gone, and joined his wife, Jessie in Heaven. We talked on the phone quite often and he always had something positive to say and some witty nonsense that guaranteed a chuckle. He was full of the Bible and I saved the hard things for him. In my head, I know exactly what’s happening. We are aging out and moving out as God designed it to happen.

BUT, WITH MY HEART,...my heart is slower to understand. More and more people I know, won’t be there to answer the phone. Pastor Grant Nelson in Maryland checked out a few weeks ago. We spent a summer together preaching in Jamaica. I used to call Dr. Lee Roberson and Evangelist Lester Roloff occasionally and visited Paul Ferguson; they don’t answer the phone anymore.
 
IT'S OK IF YOUR THROAT CHOKES UP AND YOUR LIPS TREMBLE. Some of you have lost heavily and your steps have slowed. That’s ok. “There waits for us a glad tomorrow.” We’ll get the N’ Harmony a cappella men to sing it again. I feel like hearing it again.
 
HOW'S THIS? For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.  (Romans 15:4)
 
 Read Through the Bible in a Year      
MAY 9, 2019 – THURSDAY  
A.M.  1 Kings 19-20       P.M. John 2
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Good Verses to Memorize:
Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.  (Psalm 30:4-5)

Song for Today:
On Zion’s Hill  (3:29) (N’ Harmony-A Cappella)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwOSWwJptAM
 
            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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    Author

    Dan Carr is a "retired" pastor, writer, teacher and continues to write at this website. This blog and other articles are e-mailed free to anyone who wants them. Go to: 
    http://www.biblewalking.com/
    contact-us.html.  

    Dan and Barbara live 
    at Flat Rock, AL between Chattanooga, TN and Huntsville, AL. on Sand Mtn.
    We enjoy gardening, reading, church, family and friends.

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