DAILY, WEEKEND, AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY

Prayer Father, I thank you for your grace and mercy awakening me to see another day and another Thanksgiving Holiday. Lord, thank you for my health, family, enemies, a roof over my head, a job or retired and food on my table. Bless those Father that are homeless, sleeping on cardboard under houses and bridges, and homeless camp sites in woody areas.  May we give to the needy: Food, clothing, money if you can afford it, jobs. But most of all, lead them to the Lord that they may come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior through faith and genuine repentance   and be saved. Let us daily give thanksgiving to God in prayer.  In Jesus name. Amen.

Power at Pentecost Excerpt This event on Pentecost 7 begins in a house where the disciples were “all together”  (v.  1 ). 8 It is not made clear whether this is the same location as the “upper room” where the Last Supper was eaten, or where the disciples were staying (cf.  1:13 ). There is some interesting evidence of the validity of the tradition that the place on Mount Zion now known as the Cenacle was the location where the earliest Christians met and that it quickly became a holy  site, a place for ongoing Christian worship.9 Somewhere along the line, the event migrates to the temple precincts, the only place such a crowd could or would likely be congregated, but Luke does not explain the sequence, only the events.  More Witherington, Ben, III.  The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary . Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998. Print.

The Archangel Michael Excerpt The archangel Michael  was sent to bury Moses’ body, but according to Jewish tradition (the pseudepigraphical book, The Assumption of Moses),  the devil  argued with the angel about  the body,  apparently claiming the right to dispose of it. But Michael, though powerful and authoritative,  did not dare  dispute with Satan, so he left the matter in God’s hands, saying,  The Lord  rebuke you!  The false teachers Jude spoke of had no respect for authority or for angels. The apostates’ slandering of celestial beings (v.  8 ) stands in arrogant contrast to the chief angelic being, Michael, who would not dare slander Satan, chief of the fallen angels.  More Pentecost, Edward C. “Jude.”  The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures . Ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Vol. 2. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 921. Print.

Create a Pure Heart Excerpt The Heb. word “create” does not mean to make something from nothing. Instead, it means to originate and is frequently used when an O.T. writer wishes to affirm that God alone is the source of a certain thing. Thus God created the heavens and the earth, an act far beyond human capacity to duplicate. And it is God who, in extending forgiveness, transforms the inner personality of the believer. We are born in sin, but we are reborn with a pure heart.  More Richards, Lawrence O.  The Bible Reader’s Companion . electronic ed. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1991. Print.

The Lord is Righteous Excerpt God never did, and never can do wrong to any. The promises are faithfully performed by Him that made them. Zeal against sin should constrain us to do what we can against it, at least to do more in religion ourselves. Our love to the word of God is evidence of our love to God because it is designed to make us partake his holiness. Men’s real excellency always makes them low in their own eyes. When we are small and despised, we have the more need to remember God’s precepts, that we may have them to support us. The law of God is the truth, the standard of holiness, the rule of happiness; but the obedience of Christ alone justifies the believer. Sorrows are often of saints in this vale of tears; they are in heaviness through manifold temptations. There are delights in the word of God, which the saints often most sweetly enjoy when in trouble and anguish. This is life eternal, to know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent,  John  17:3 . May...

November 17: When in Need 2 Kings 1:1–2:5; Mark 13:24–14:21; Proverbs 6:1–5 When we encounter trouble, we tend to look wherever we can for help: We turn in whatever direction seems most promising at the moment. In doing so, we may unwittingly walk away from Yahweh. Should practicality or convenience stand between God and us? When King Ahaziah falls through a lattice and is injured, he seeks help from a foreign god rather than Yahweh—likely because it seems natural or right. He thinks the god of Ekron, Baal-Zebub, can provide the healing he needs. But what Ahaziah sees as a desperate situation is actually an opportunity for Yahweh to act; Yahweh plans to use this situation for His glory. When Ahaziah sends messengers to Ekron, Yahweh intercedes. Elijah approaches them bearing a word from Yahweh that had been spoken to him by an angel: “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?” ( 2 Kgs 1:3 ). When we experience ph...

November 17   Who is my neighbor         Luke 10:29 “Who is thy neighbor?” It is the sufferer, wherever, whoever, whatsoever he be. Wherever thou hearest the cry of distress, wherever thou seest anyone brought across thy path by the chances and changes of life (that is, by the providence of God), whom it is in thy power to help—he, stranger or enemy though he be—he is thy neighbor. A. P. Stanley Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

Morning, November 17                                                                                   Go To Evening Reading           “To whom be glory for ever. Amen”          —Romans 11:36 “To whom be glory for ever.” This should be the single desire of the Christian. All other wishes must be subservient and tributary to this one. The Christian may wish for prosperity in his business, but only so far as it may help him to promote this— “To him be glory forever.” He may desire to attain more gifts and more graces, but it should only be that “To him may be glory for ever.” You are not acting as you ought to do when you are moved by any other motive than a single eye to your Lord’s glory. As a Christian, you are “of God...

November 17th The external goal By Myself have I sworn, said the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, … that in blessing I will bless thee.… Genesis 22:15–19 . Abraham has reached the place where he is in touch with the very nature of God, he understands now the reality of God. ‘My goal is God Himself … At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.’ ‘At any cost, by any road’ means nothing self-chosen in the way God brings us to the goal. There is no possibility of questioning when God speaks if He speaks to His own nature in me; prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says—“Come,” I simply come; when He says— “Let go,” I let go; when he says— “Trust in God in this matter,” I do trust. The whole working out is the evidence that the nature of God is in me. God’s revelation of Himself to me is determined by my character, not by God’s character. ‘Tis because I am mean, Thy ways so oft look mean to me.’ By the discipline of obedience, I get to the p...

Salvation as Gift Ephesians 2:8–9 Excerpt Paul elaborated,  And this  is  not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.  Much debate has centered around the demonstrative pronoun “this” ( touto ). Though some think it refers back to “grace” and others to “faith,” neither of these suggestions is really valid because the demonstrative pronoun is neuter whereas “grace” and “faith” are feminine. Also, to refer back to either of these words specifically seems to be redundant. Rather the neuter  touto,  as is common, refers to the preceding phrase or clause. (In Eph.  1:15  and  3:1   touto,   “this,” refers back to the preceding section.) Thus it refers back to the  concept  of salvation ( 2:4-8 a ), whose basis is grace and means is faith. This salvation does not have its source in man (it is “not from yourselves” ), but rather, its source is God’s grace for “it is the gift of God.”   Hoehner, Harold W. “...

Praying to his Father Excerpt As Jesus turns to address the Father his speech implies that he is taken up into the eternal presence (cf. Brown 1970:747). He speaks as if his work were already complete (for example, v.  4 ). Indeed, he even says, “I am no longer in this world” (v.  11 , completely obscured in the NIV). But right after that he says,  I say  these things while I am still in the world  (v.  13 ). He is right there with his disciples just before his death, but he is praying from the realm of eternity. Just as the book of Revelation reveals from a heavenly perspective the certainty of God’s unfolding will, so this prayer of Jesus shows that he is completely confident in the outworking of that will.  More Whitacre, Rodney A.  John . Vol. 4. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999. Print. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series.

Love Your Wives Excerpt Present active imperative, “keep on loving.” That is precisely the point.  Be not bitter  ( μη   πικραινεσθε  [ mē pikrainesthe ]). Present middle imperative in prohibition: “Stop being bitter” or “do not have the habit of being bitter.” This is the sin of husbands.  Πικραινω  [ Pikrainō ] is an old verb from  πικρος  [ pikros ] (bitter). In N.T. only here and  Rev. 8:11 ;  10:9 f . The bitter word rankles in the soul. Robertson, A.T.  Word Pictures in the New Testament . Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933. Print.

In His Name Acts 4:7–18 Excerpt Statements made about God in the OT are now made about Christ in the NT (cf.  He. 1:7–12 ). The most frequent name for God in the OT , Yahweh ( LXX   Kyrios , “Lord” ), now becomes the Church’s favorite name for Christ. The Church’s earliest confession of faith in Christ was in all likelihood “Jesus is Lord” (cf.  Rom. 10:9 ;  Phil. 2:9–11 ). Hence, all that can be said about the name of Yahweh — that prophets prophesy in that name ( Jer. 20:9 ), the righteous trust in that name ( Isa. 50:10 ), people call upon that name ( Ps. 105:1 ), etc. — can be and is said about the name of Jesus Christ ( Acts 4:17 f;  Jn. 14:1 ;  1 Cor. 1:2 ). Jesus’ disciples prophesied “in his name” ( Mt. 7:22 ), cast out demons “in his name” ( Lk. 10:17 ), performed miracles “in his name” ( Mk. 9:39 ), etc. With the use of this expression, it becomes evident that the disciples spoke and acted like Jesus, in His place, and with His ...

Put on the Full Armor... Ephesians 6:11 Excerpt The form of the Greek imperative  put on  indicates that believers are responsible for putting on God’s (not their) full armor  ( panoplian,  also in v.  13 ; all the armor and weapons together were called the  hapla;  cf. 2 Cor.  6:7 ) with all urgency. The detailed description of the armor (given in Eph.  6:14-17 ) may stem from Paul’s being tied to a Roman soldier while in prison awaiting trial (cf. Acts 28:16 ,  20 ).  Hoehner, Harold W. “ Ephesians .”   The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures . Ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Vol. 2. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 643. Print.

God guided David Excerpt David was up very early that day and heard the morning challenge that Goliath gave to Saul and his army. If the Israelites could provide a champion who was able to defeat Goliath, the Philistines would submit to the Jews and be their servants, but if not, the Israelites must consider themselves defeated and become the servants of the Philistines ( vv.  8–9 ). Unfortunately, nobody in the Jewish army volunteered, including King Saul, who stood head and shoulders above his men. Since Israel had come to a crisis in this confrontation, Saul made a generous offer to the man who would silence Goliath: he would marry one of the king’s daughters, receive great riches from the king, and take his father’s house off the tax rolls. Saul hoped that somebody would be tempted by the offer and try to defeat Goliath.  Wiersbe, Warren W.  Be Successful . Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications, 2001. Print. “Be” Commentary Series.

Human Spirit or Holy Spirit Romans 8:10 Excerpt The last part of this verse (literally but the Spirit [is] life because of "righteousness” ) is also difficult. Paul may be referring to the human spirit (see TEV alternative “your spirit is alive" ) or to the Holy Spirit. The TEV takes the latter alternative,  the Spirit is life for you . Throughout this entire passage (and definitely in verse  11 ) Paul is using the term Spirit  as a reference to God’s Spirit, and so it seems likely that in this verse also he is referring to the Spirit of God. The TEV takes Paul’s term “righteousness” in the same sense in which Paul so frequently uses it:  you have been put right with God .  Newman, Barclay Moon, and Eugene Albert Nida.  A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans . New York: United Bible Societies, 1973. Print. UBS Handbook Series.

The Law is Spiritual Romans 7:14 Excerpt Paul begins this section with a positive statement ( v.  14 )— we know that the law is spiritual. We know  points again to a commonly accepted truth that Paul wants to deepen (see  2:2 ;  3:19 ). The law is not only holy, righteous and good ( v.  12 ) but also spiritual, that is, the work of God’s Spirit. This means that its origin is divine rather than human. In contrast, Paul says,  I am unspiritual  (literally “fleshly” ), the first of six times in this section that   egō  is stressed. Basically, the term refers to his own humanity and is not particularly negative. But here the contrast with  spiritual  means it refers to the carnal nature, that power within that leads one to choose sin. It depicts the individual as belonging to this world and under the power of sin and death. This is shown in Paul’s further description of “fleshly” as  sold as a slave to sin.  Osbo...

One Qualification: Israel of Promise Excerpt Being recipients of the promise involves God’s selective will. The “true” Israel  had received all God’s promises so far. See  9:13  regarding the continual  conflict between the true and false people of God.  Romans 9:6  gives the thesis  of  Romans 9–11 . The promise of  9:8  relates to the Abrahamic covenant (cf.  4:13 ).  The Israel spoken of in the Old Testament promises is not identical with the  natural and physical descendants of Jacob. In  Romans 9:7  Paul quoted  Genesis  21:12  to prove the point of  9:6  that physical descent does not in and of itself  make one a child of God and a recipient of the promise. Both Isaac and Ishmael were physical sons of Abraham, but Isaac was designated Abraham’s  heir. In  Romans 9:9  Paul quoted  Genesis 18:10 , a prophecy of Isaac’s birth. In  Romans 9:12–1...

Magi in the Ancient World Excerpt Extrabiblical evidence offers various clues that shed light on the place of origin and positions held by the magi of  Matthew 2 . The historian Herodotus mentioned magi as a priestly caste of Media, or Persia, and, as the religion in Persia at the time was Zoroastrinism, Herodotus’s magi were probably Zoroastrian priests. Herodotus, together with Plutarch and Strabo, suggested that magi were partly responsible for ritual and cultic life (supervising sacrifices and prayers) and partly responsible as royal advisers to the courts of the East. Believing the affairs of history were reflected in the movements of the stars and other phenomena, Herodotus said, the rulers of the East commonly utilized the magi’s knowledge of astrology and dream interpretation to determine affairs of state. The magi were, therefore, concerned with what the movement of the stars (as signs and portents) might signify for the future affairs of history. Such an interest c...

November 14   Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations         Ps. 90:1 You cannot detain the eagle in the forest. You may gather around him a chorus of the choicest birds; you may give him a perch on the goodliest pine; you may charge winged messengers to bring him choicest dainties; but he will spurn them all. Spreading his lordly wings, and with his eye on the Alpine cliff, he will soar away to his own ancestral halls amid the munitions of rocks and the wild music of tempest and waterfall. The soul of man, in its eagle soarings, will rest with nothing short of the Rock of Ages. Its ancestral halls are the halls of Heaven. Its munitions of rocks are the attributes of God. The sweep of its majestic flight is Eternity! “Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.” Macduff Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

November 14: Staying the Course 1 Kings 19:1–20:25; Mark 11:1–33; Proverbs 4:18–27 “May your eyes look forward and your gaze be straight before you. May the path of your foot be balanced and all your ways be sure. Do not swerve right or left; remove your foot from evil” ( Prov 4:25–27 ). These verses reflect someone who has an incredible purpose. I imagine an acrobat walking a tightrope—knees bent, one foot carefully placed in front of the other, and nothing but a slender rope keeping him from plummeting to the ground. Such efforts would require incredible calm, effort, and focus—especially focus. The body naturally follows the path of our eyes, which is detrimental if we’re focused on the wrong thing. The idea of staying the course illustrates God’s path and purpose for us. When we act, speak, and follow that path, we are carrying out His will for our lives. But there’s a problem: We can’t. All of our efforts are tainted. Our knees are bound to buckle, we’re s...

November 14th Discovering divine designs I being in the way, the Lord led me.… Genesis 24:27 . We have to be so one with God that we do not continually need to ask for guidance. Sanctification means that we are made the children of God, and the natural life of a child is obedience—until he wishes to be disobedient, then instantly there is the intuitive jar. In the spiritual domain, the intuitive jar is the monition of the Spirit of God. When He gives the check, we have to stop at once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind in order to make out what God’s will is. If we are born again of the Spirit of God, it is the abortion of piety to ask God to guide us here and there. “The Lord led me,” and on looking back we see the presence of an amazing design, which, if we are born of God, we will credit to God. We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the culture of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never allow that the haphazard is anything l...

Morning, November 14                                Go To Evening Reading           “I will cut off them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham.”          — Zephaniah 1:5 Such persons thought themselves safe because they were with both parties: they went with the followers of Jehovah and bowed at the same time to Malcham. But duplicity is abominable with God, and hypocrisy his soul hateth. The idolater who distinctly gives himself to his false god, has one sin less than he who brings his polluted and detestable sacrifice unto the temple of the Lord, while his heart is with the world and the sins thereof. To hold with the hare and run with the hounds, is a dastard’s policy. In the ordinary matters of daily life, a double-minded man is despised, but in religion, he is loathsome to the last degree. The penalty pron...

Lesson for November 13, 2016 New Jerusalem Revelation 21:9-27 Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson . Scott teaches  preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri . This lesson treatment is published in the November 6 issue of  The Lookout  magazine and is also available online at  www.lookoutmag.com . ______ By Mark Scott  Jerusalem is a stunning city. When the sun hits this city of stone, it sparkles. But the New Jerusalem that John saw in his vision sparkled even more. John utilized vivid language to describe what he saw. Much of this may be literally what John saw. But because John had never seen anything like this, some of it may be the best he can do with figures of speech. Metaphors and symbols are embraced when normal language just does not cut it. The Wife City |  Revelation 21:9-14 John was mesmerized by this holy city that came down out of Heaven. He obe...