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

November 30 TO GOD BE THE GLORY Fanny J. Crosby, 1820–1915 So that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:6) The aim and final reason for all music should be nothing else but the glory of God and the refreshment of the spirit. —J. S. Bach To give glory to God should be the greatest desire of every Christian. Not only should this be the supreme goal for our individual lives, but it should also be true whenever we gather in our local churches. “In the presence of the congregation I will sing Your praises” (Hebrews 2:12). We must always be alert in recognizing God’s leading in our midst and in acknowledging His hand of blessing upon our corporate endeavors—the “great things He hath taught us and the great things He hath done.” Without this sensitive awareness and gratitude, churches, like individuals, can easily lose the focus of their mission and develop a false sense of self-worth and sufficiency. This fine gospel hymn firs...

When You Can’t Pray We know that God will answers our prayers when we pray, but what about the times in our life when we are to numb to pray? Does God’s grace penetrate our darkness to answer prayers that would pray if we could? Have you ever hurt so much you couldn’t pray? In his book, When God Interrupts, M. Craig Barnes writes about a time his pain paralyzed his prayer life. After thirty-six hours of hard labor, his wife started hemorrhaging and the fetal monitor alarm went off. Doctors and nurses swarmed into the room and Craig was asked to leave. He resisted, but ultimately, he placed his family in the hands of medical professionals and he walked into a cold, lonely waiting room. Time stood still, and Craig knew he should pray, but he couldn’t. His fear was overwhelming it looked like he was about to lose his wife and his child. But even when he couldn’t pray, his fear turned to calm. Eventually the nurse walked in the room to tell him all was well. In the book, Barnes wrote,...

November 29 JESUS CALLS US Mrs. Cecil F. Alexander, 1818–1895 Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me. (John 12:26) God’s call for discipleship comes to every believer, not just a special few. Whether or not we hear God’s call depends on our spiritual sensitivity. The last Sunday in November is known as St. Andrew’s Day. It has traditionally been an important day in the liturgical worship of the Anglican church. It commemorates the calling of Andrew by Jesus as recorded in Matthew 4:18–20 and Mark 1:16–l8. “At once they [Simon and his brother Andrew] left their nets and followed Him.” Andrew has become the patron saint of Scotland, and the oblique cross on which tradition says he was crucified is part of the Union Jack of the British flag. This is another of the quality hymn texts written by Cecil Frances Alexander, recognized as one of England’s finest women hymn writers. It is one of the few of Mrs. Ale...

The Call Another date with Ted Koppel, Josephine thinks as she listens to her constant companion, the TV. She carries the hot TV dinner through the hallway into the living room and settles into her Victorian chair for another lonely evening at home. As she peels back the foil, steam rises from her dinner, fogging her glasses. The phone rings. Who could that be? She thinks. Josephine takes off her glasses and finds the receiver by the third ring. “Hello … Johnny, so nice to hear from you, it’s been so long … Oh, my, is she all right?… Of course I will … sure … how much do you need?… $500.00?… that’s a lot of money, but I’ll find a way … nice to talk to you too son, come see me some time … yeah, I know you’re busy … I love you.” Where did I put my glasses? Oh, there they are. Her eyes slowly coming into focus. Swiss steak, green peas and potatoes. Again. She bows her head and prays. “Thank you Lord, for Johnny’s call. Please help little Jennifer’s arm heal, I know how difficult we...

November 28 LET US WITH A GLADSOME MIND John Milton, 1608–1674 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love [mercy] endures forever. (Psalm 136:1) A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues. —Cicero A gladsome, joyous mind is the product of a grateful, praising heart. Gratefulness is the opposite of selfishness. The selfish person is boastful of his accomplishments. The grateful Christian, however, realizes that all achievements and blessings come only from God’s bountiful hand. This realization results in a life of praise. Far too often our prayer life consists only of a series of personal requests. God wants our requests, but He also desires to hear our praise for His eternal kindness and love in response to our daily needs. This hymn text of praise was written by John Milton in 1621 when he was only 15 years of age. It was based on verses 1, 2, 7, and 23 of Psalm 136, a psalm that refrains each of its 26 verses with the reminder ...

Brutality How did it come to this? Why this brutal cruelty? What were the events that led to this great travesty of justice? Well, it all began with a conspiracy among religious leaders. (Matt 27:1–2) After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the religious leaders knew their days were numbered if they didn’t do something about Jesus (John 11:45–48). One meeting led to another and now their conspiracy was leading to firm plans—Plans that couldn’t even be stopped by the remorse of Judas. (Matt 27:3–6) Apathetic? Yes, they exercised great apathy to Judas’ remorse and his declaration that Jesus was innocent. But they still cared about their rules. They were willing to pay Judas (Matthew 26:14–15) for murder, but they weren’t willing to take the money back—that, in their view, would just be wrong. Hello? Conspiracy to do wrong led to an apathy toward the truth. Pilate sized this crowd up with a single four-letter word: envy (Matthew 27:17–18) I guess they’d gone to far to turn back no...

In the World This Week with the Word The Sunday School Lesson

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2011 | ADVENT FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT YEAR B Old Testament Isaiah 64:1–9 Psalm Psalm 80:1–7, 17–19 New Testament 1 Corinthians 1:3–9 Gospel Mark 13:24–37 Revised Common Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).

November 27 THANKS TO GOD! August Ludvig Storm, 1862–1914 Translated by Carl E. Backstrom, 1901– Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20) A thankful spirit, both for the good and the difficult, is one of the important indicators of a believer’s spiritual condition. To be able to say— I thank Thee, God, that all our joy is touched with pain, that shadows fall on brightest hours, that thorns remain; So that earth’s bliss may be our guide, and not our chain. I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou has kept the best in store; We have enough, but not too much to long for more—a yearning for a deeper peace, not known before. —Adelaide A. Procter A prayer like this requires a life that knows and practices the intimate presence of Christ in daily living. August Storm, the author of “Thanks to God!”, lived most of his life in Stockholm, Sweden. As a young man he was converted to Christ in a Salvation Army meeting. Soon he join...

Broken I was “rough housing” in the living room with my brother when I knocked over one of my mother’s ornamental coal-oil lamps off of the mantle. I tried to catch it, but couldn’t, and it shattered into a zillion pieces. I cleaned up the mess, but knew I could never replace the broken lamp. I can still see the look of disappointment in my mother’s eyes when she discovered my mischief. A broken lamp is useless, but some things need to be broken before they are useful. A farmer doesn’t plant his crop in cement, rather, he chooses good soil, breaks it up, and then sows the seed. Unbroken soil does not produce abundant crops, but cultivated soil incubates life. A butterfly could never flutter in the spring air without breaking its cocoon, neither could an eaglet emerge without breaking its shell. Jesus could not feed the five thousand, until he broke the bread (Mark 8:1–8). The sinful woman could not pour the costly perfume over Jesus until she broke the alabaster box (Luke 7:37). ...

The True Gospel and Another Gospel Key Verse: Galatians 1:8 I. What is the true gospel? A. The “good news,” euaggélion, is for all (John 1:12; 3:16; 1 Tim. 4:10; 1 John 2:2). B. It is good news because it offers us what we need—grace, undeserved favor—and not what we deserve. Twice the word grace is mentioned in this passage (Gal. 1:3, 6). C. Christ offers this grace, not as a mere man, but as an equal with God. Notice verse three, “Grace be to you, and peace, from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.” He is not presented here as Savior only, but also as Lord. If He is not received as Lord, neither can He be received as Savior. D. It is good news because it gives us peace. When we appropriate the grace which comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus, we experience reconciliation with God and the resulting peace brings abundant harmony. II. The gospel signifies what Christ did for us. A. ...

November 26 THANK YOU, LORD Words and Music by Seth Sykes, 1892–1950 and Bessie Sykes, 1905– Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15) The gift of salvation—a personal relationship with almighty God—what an indescribable gift! Yet how often do we sincerely thank our Lord for all that He has done in making this possible? Our lack of praise and thanksgiving for His gift of salvation can be likened to the response of the ten lepers after being miraculously healed by Christ (Luke 17:11–19). Only one returned to express gratitude. The interest of the other nine was centered more in what had happened to them personally than in remembering the One who had performed the miracle in their lives. Are we ever guilty of this same carelessness? It is interesting to imagine the life-long remorse that characterized these nine ungrateful lives: I meant to go back, but you may guess I was filled with amazement, I cannot express To think that after those horrible years, th...

The Bride of Christ “What keeps you awake at night?” We’d finished our breakfast and were nursing our coffee when our leader asked the question. My answer was reflex, “That the Bride of Christ isn’t a very good mother.” A couple of other people answered, then our leader pried deeper, “What do you mean that the church isn’t a good mother.” Before answering him, I thought about how restless the previous evening was. I didn’t sleep well because of two answers to a simple question. During casual conversation, “Brenda” mentioned that she’d had a tough year—her house burned to the ground. I didn’t even know if Brenda was involved in a church when I asked the question, “How did your church respond?” I saw it as a ground breaking question that could lead to a witnessing opportunity. “They didn’t do anything. My kid’s boy scout troop did more for us than they did. We’re looking for another church.” Later that afternoon, “Alex” shared with me the details of his painful marriage and inevitab...

November 25 WE GATHER TOGETHER Source Unknown Translation by Edward Kremser, 1838–1914 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2) Thanksgiving is not merely a day to be observed once each year; for the Christian it must be a way of daily living. No Thanksgiving Day gathering would be complete without the singing of this traditional Dutch hymn. Today we sing this hymn as an expression of thanks to God as our defender and guide throughout the past year. The text was originally written by an anonymous author at the end of the 17th century to celebrate the Dutch freedom from the Spanish overlords, who had been driven from their land. Freedom was now theirs, both politically from Spain and religiously from the Catholic church. “We Gather Together” must be understood and appreciated in its historical setting. For many years, Holland had been under the scourge of Spain, and in 1576, Antwerp was captured and sacked by the Spanish armies. Again, in 1585, it w...

Blessings From God Moms, when you’re knee deep in dirty diapers, spilled oatmeal and bedtime stories, I’m sure it is easy to be so overwhelmed by motherhood that there is no time left to think about what you want for your children or from your children when they are grown. But from the time the nurse hands you that messy bundle of joy in the hospital, one thing is for certain—there will be a time when your children will leave home. Our helpless, fragile children grow up to become students, husbands, wives, doctors, mechanics, police officers and military personnel. The day will come when parents grow to depend upon those who once depended on us. That is the cycle of life. Did you know that the first time the word “Mother” is mentioned in the bible it referred to the time when a child leaves home? Genesis 2:24 says, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (NASB) Of course the subject of this text is ...

"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa Never worry if the person(s) that you evangelize to will accept Christ Jesus. Accepting or not accepting is an individuals choice. Remember, your starry crown will be on your fruit and branches, and works for Christ Jesus. Proclaim Christ Jesus whenever you have a chance. - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy

November 24 NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD Martin Rinkart, 1586–1649 English Translation—Catherine Winkworth, 1827–1878 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:35, 37) From some of the severest human sufferings imaginable during the 30 Years’ War of 1618–48—a war that has been described as the most devastating in all history—this great hymn of the church was born. Martin Rinkart was called at the age of 31 to pastor the state Lutheran church in his native city of Eilenberg, Germany. He arrived there just as the dreadful bloodshed of the 30 Years’ War began, and there Rinkart spent the remaining 32 years of his life faithfully ministering to these needy people. Germany, the battleground of this conflict between warring Catholic and Protestant forces from various countries throughout Europe, was reduced to a state...

A Blessed Life 1 Cor. 15:14 “and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.” In the Christmas Classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey has the opportunity to see what the world would be like if he’d never been born. If he was never born, he wouldn’t have been able to rescue his brother when he fell into the icy pond and his brother would have drowned. And of course, his brother would not have been able to be a war hero and save the lives of other soldiers, like he did. Bailey’s wife would have been an old maid if he hadn’t been born and wouldn’t have had the joy of raising their children. If he hadn’t been born, he wouldn’t have been able to stop the pharmacist from putting poison instead of medicine into a capsule while filling a prescription and the pharmacist would have spent 20 years in jail for murder. If he hadn’t been born, no one would have been there to keep old man Potter from milking every last penny from the people. In gene...

"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." - Michelangelo The greatest danger for all of us when we were born is, sin. Sin came in to the world from all of our father (Adam), and mother (Eve). Sin is the lowest point for secular people because Satan can not forgive sin. Satan is the author of sin, and there is enmity between him and God forever. Too have success no matter the circumstance(s) of life even if you sin, Because we all sin daily, but have a Propitiation (Jesus) to forgive our sin(s). Yes, Christians sin(s) daily, but will be forgiven through repentance through Christ Jesus. When there is a low point in life, turn it over to the Lord. - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy

November 23 COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS Johnson Oatman, Jr., 1856–1922 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) For the Christian, gratitude should be a life attitude. “Count Your Blessings” was written by one of the prolific gospel song writers of the past century, a Methodist lay preacher named Johnson Oatman. In addition to his preaching and the writing of more than 5,000 hymn texts, Oatman was also a successful business man, engaged in a shipping business and in his later years as an administrator for a large insurance company in New Jersey. It is good for each of us periodically to take time to rediscover the simple but profound truths expressed by Mr. Oatman in the four stanzas of this hymn. In the first two verses he develops the thought that counting our blessings serves as an antidote for life’s discouragements and in turn makes for victorious Christian living. The ...

Blessed! Psalm 1:1–6 NASB “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! [2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. [3] And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. [4] The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. [5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. [6] For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.” When I was a young boy, our church required that we memorize this passage of scripture before we could join the boy’s club at the church. It was our rite of passage. I worked hard to memorize it and I’m glad I did, in fact, only two things linger in my memory from that club—the memory of being ter...

"Yesterday's failures are today's seeds that must be diligently planted to be able to abundantly harvest tomorrow's successes." - Author Unknown Don't worry about yesterday, Yesterday is gone, never no more to come back. Give your life to Christ Jesus today while the blood is still running warm in your veins. Today, and all days will have your soul saved forever. That's success for the future eternally! - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy

November 22 COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME Henry Alford, 1810–1871 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most high. (Psalm 92:1 KJV) Our early American leaders wisely realized the importance of having a special day each year in which people could recount their blessings and express gratitude to God for all of His goodness. The first thanksgiving was decreed by Governor Bradford in 1621 to commemorate the Pilgrims’ harvest. Later George Washington proclaimed November 26, 1789, as a national day of thanksgiving, but the holiday was not repeated on a national basis until Abraham Lincoln named it a national Harvest Festival on November 26, 1861. After that time, the holiday was proclaimed annually by the President and the governors of each state. Finally in 1941, Congress passed a bill naming the fourth Thursday of each November as Thanksgiving Day. The first stanza of this harvest hymn is an invitation and an exhortation to give thanks t...

Blessed Belief It was quiet in Elizabeth’s house. There were no sounds of children slamming doors, scuffling or laughing. Elizabeth was barren. Barren—the very word elicits sights of sand blowing across the desert, or the sounds of boots walking on parched earth. It got quieter. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah were getting old and rickety. They were at the time of life when loud noises startled them and their ears didn’t work quite as well as before. Zechariah was tending to his work at the temple with the angel Gabriel suddenly appeared before him with news that Elizabeth was pregnant. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel so God took the ability to speak from him. Getting a preacher not to talk—now that’s a miracle! When she was six-months pregnant, Mary came to visit her. Mary was pregnant, but not married. If you agree that the aged Elizabeth’s pregnancy was a miracle, you will also agree that the virgin Mary’s pregnancy was a super-miracle. Elizabeth, showing great emotional...

Believe For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) Recently our church went on a journey together through Vodie Baucham’s The Ever Loving Truth. Baucham made a choice to believe in the resurrected Lord of the Bible as an adult. He was not raised in the church, in fact, his mother was a follower of Buddha, not of Jesus Christ. His decision to follow Christ led him down a completely different path than he was on. He walked away from a promising football career to because a preacher of the gospel. Baucham says he believes the bible because “it is a collection of historical documents, written by eyewitnesses during the lifetimes of other eyewitnesses. The bible is divine in origin and it changes people’s lives.” According to Baucham, the reliability of the Bible isn’t even up for debate. He points out that we have more than 5,000 manuscripts or manuscript fragments of the New T...

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." - Robert F. Kennedy When you find that you can not save yourself, Look to Jesus for he is the only man that can save you. His Father will immediately forgive you your sins, And give you a new life in Christ Jesus; You will become an heir, an ambassador, and saved forever. - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy

November 21 GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS Thomas O. Chisholm, 1866–1960 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your Faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22, 23) One of the important lessons the Children of Israel had to learn during their wilderness journey was that God’s provision of manna for them was on a morning by morning basis. They could not survive on old manna nor could it be stored for future use (Exodus 16:19–21). While many enduring hymns are born out of a particular dramatic experience, this was simply the result of the author’s “morning by morning” realization of God’s personal faithfulness in his daily life. Shortly before his death in 1960, Thomas Chisholm wrote: My income has never been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. But I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant keeping God and that He has given ...

In the World This Week with the Word The Sunday School Lesson

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011 | AFTER PENTECOST CHRIST THE KING OR REIGN OF CHRIST PROPER 29 YEAR A Old Testament & Psalm, Option I Old Testament Ezekiel 34:11–16, 20–24 Psalm Psalm 100 or Old Testament & Psalm, Option II Old Testament Ezekiel 34:11–16, 20–24 Psalm Psalm 95:1–7a New Testament Ephesians 1:15–23 Gospel Matthew 25:31–46 Revised Common Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).

November 20 MY REDEEMER Philip P. Bliss, 1838–1876 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:7, 8) The text for “My Redeemer,” though a joyful note of praise, was found in the wreckage of a train accident which had just claimed the life of its author, Philip P. Bliss. Philip Bliss was influential in promoting the growth of early gospel hymnody in this country. In addition to being known as a man with a commanding stature and impressive personality for leading congregational singing, Philip Bliss was highly regarded by his fellow colleagues. George Stebbins, also a noted gospel song writer of this time, once paid Bliss this tribute: “There has been no writer of verse since his time who has shown such a grasp of the fundamental truths of the gospel, or such a gift for putting them into poetic and singable form.” Yet, at the age of 38, at the ...

How Can I Believe? At my little sister’s funeral, people tried to comfort me with statements of faith like, “At least she’s not suffering any more,” or “She’s in a better place.” Though these people were right theologically, their words didn’t touch my pain. My tears were not because of where she was, they flowed because of where she was not—with the family. My own pain was compounded by watching the overwhelming grief of my parents. HOW could we continue to believe? It wasn’t humanly possible I’d like to say that my faith has always been firm and never flickered, but if I did, I’d be lying. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve never flirted with apostasy. I have no substantial disagreement with the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith or the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message. WHAT I believe isn’t the issue, but there have been times I wondered HOW I could believe. I’ve always felt so appreciated and loved while serving at the First Baptist Church of Alameda, but I’ve served elsewhere where I felt nei...

How to Live Victoriously in an Evil World Key Verse: Galatians 1:4 I. The world in which we live today is evil. A. The world was not always evil. 1. The creation narrative many times states that what God made was good (Gen. 1:4, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). 2. The world became evil through man’s disobedience to God (Gen. 3). 3. In Greek the most common word for the world is kósmos, “the sum total of the material universe, including man.” Kósmos is derived from the verb kosméō, “to beautify,” which indicates the original creation and purpose of the world. It was good. But since the fall of man, the good and beauty in the world can best be discerned and enjoyed by those who have God within them. These are the blessed and the meek which are described in the third beatitude (Matt. 5:5). They are the ones who inherit the earth, who enjoy its original purpose. 4. The Greek word, however, in Galatians 1:4 is aiṓ...

November 19 HIS LOVING KINDNESS Samuel Medley, 1738–1799 How priceless is Your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of Your wings. (Psalm 36:7) A Christian should never lose his reason for singing about the Lord and His constant loving kindness. “His praise should continually be in our mouths” (Psalm 34:1). Loving kindness has been described as “love in action.” God’s loving kindness was the act of sending Christ to be our Redeemer “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). Samuel Medley, a Baptist minister, lived a dissipated life in the British Navy until he was severely wounded in a sea fight between the French and English in 1759, off Cape Lagos, Portugal. While convalescing, he read a sermon by Isaac Watts on Isaiah 42:6, 7. These verses ultimately led to Medley’s conversion and later to his becoming a minister of the gospel. “His Loving Kindness” was written as a personal testimony of thanksgiving to God. The text first appeared in published ...

Baptism There are at least three reasons you should be baptized. First, you should be baptized to follow the example of Jesus.”And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him,” Matthew 3:16 We know that Jesus never sinned, why do you think John baptized Him? In His baptism, Jesus showed us that baptism is important to Him, and gave us an example to follow. God was pleased at Jesus’ baptism and He will be pleased during your baptism too. Will you follow Jesus’ example and be baptized? The second reason you should be baptized is to follow the example of New Testament believers.”So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” Acts 2:41–42 On the day of Pentecost, t...

"The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power." - Hugh White The past can be changed with unwavering faith in Jesus Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. His Father through His Son Jesus will CAST AND FORGIVE All of SINS IMMEDIATELY, AND IMMEDIATELY THE SPIRIT OF GOD WILL INDWELL IN YOU. NOW GOD IS YOUR AND ALL BELIEVER'S FATHER! YOUR SOUL'S FUTURE IN NOW SAVED FOREVER! - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy

November 18 WE PLOW THE FIELDS, AND SCATTER Matthias Claudius, 1740–1815 Translated by Jane M. Campbell, 1817–1878 Yet He has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. (Acts 14:17) The Scriptures have many important lessons to teach us about harvests. One of these lessons is that there is always a waiting time between the planting of the seed and the gathering of the fruit or grain. This is true in spiritual matters as well. God often has to give us a waiting period for the full bloom of the Spirit’s fruit to be produced in our lives. The lesson of patience must be learned when sharing God’s love with others. We can also learn from the harvest that a planted seed must first die before it can spring forth in new life. The way to personal spiritual fruitfulness is first death to self-centeredness (Matthew 10:30). Another truth is that a bounti...

Autumn How was your summer? We spent a lot of good family time together, camping, vacationing, and watching baseball. With the chill in the air, I know that the lazy days of summer are over. Aneesa Hussain didn’t have a very good summer. She is lives in a 2 meter long, by 1 meter wide, by 2.3 meters high jail cell in Maldives. Her husband can visit her for 10 minutes a week. What was her great crime? She confesses Jesus as her Lord. One Filipino prisoner of conscience was released from his Saudi Arabia prison cell this summer, after just fourteen days of confinement. He bore the marks of his “interrogation” and was treated for his injuries, including broken bones. Three nuns were killed in late July in Yeman by Muslim extremist. They were on the way to a clinic for the elderly. The police interrogated the gunman and discovered the reason behind their crime—the nuns were preaching Christianity. In Egypt a church was raided by the police and closed because they didn’t have the prope...

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe." - Anatole France In Christian synopsis of Anatole France's thoughts, Christians must have a mind to work or have nothing (Pr. 6:6-11; Pr. 13:4). A Christians visions and dreams must be acted upon through faith and prayer; Through faith and works, your visions and dreams will come true if it be God's will. (Jas. 2:17-18; 26). - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy

November 17 FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835–1917 Whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) One of the delights that we as adults have in being around children is to hear their squeals of pleasure as they observe and discover some ordinary object about them. No doubt our heavenly Father is also pleased when His children take time to observe and appreciate His creation and then to simply express joyous gratitude to Him for His countless blessings. Today’s hymn reminds us of the common blessings of life that many of us often take for granted—the beauties of nature, our parents, family, friends, church. The lyrics then direct our “grateful praise” to God Himself, the giver of every good and perfect gift. Not much is known about Folliott Sandford Pierpoint, author of this lovely text. He was born in the intriguing old town of Bath, England. Eve...

God’s Autograph in the Sky Have you ever watched children build a “castle” out of Lego blocks? They don’t develop architectural drawings or do structural analysis, instead, they just start sticking blocks together. On rare occasions, they cooperate, usually the play time ends when one child gets frustrated and knocks the blocks over. That is exactly what happened last week with Garry Kasparov in his chess competition with Deep Blue, IBM’s super computer. Mr. Kasparov is the World’s reigning world champion, and perhaps the best chess player ever, but he cracked under the pressure of the match and resigned while in a drawn position. He wasn’t beaten—he didn’t need to resign, but he did. God got so frustrated with man that He decided to would destroy the world. He told Noah to build an ark to provide safety for a remnant while he destroyed everything else. Noah spent 120 years building the ark, then God opened heaven’s windows and poured his wrath down on mankind. Flooding and devast...

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas Edison Life's failures are part of life. You can endure life's failures with the Lord. There's only one way to know God, and that is through Faith, repentance and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then no matter what life's circumstances, You rely on God through His Son Jesus in prayer For complete resolution through prayer. - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy

November 16 COME, THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING Robert Robinson, 1735–1790 O Lord, You are my God: I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. (Isaiah 25:1) It would be enlightening if the people in the pew could stand on the platform and observe the congregational singing during an average church service. One would soon concur that there are many who appear to have attended church without the express purpose of having a personal encounter with God. Comparatively few people reveal evidence of losing themselves in worship and praise or of appropriating the great truths about which they sing. How different would be our times of corporate praise if each of us would heed the apostle Paul’s teaching of “singing with the Spirit and with the understanding also” (1 Corinthians 14:15). Not all of us are able to sing tunefully, but everyone in whom the Spirit of God dwells can and should respond with joyful praise...

Atonement Evite, the self-described “world’s leading FREE online invitation service,” made Business 2.0‘s (www.business2.com) top ten list in their fourth annual, “101 Dumbest Moments in Business,” for calling Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, a “reason to party.” http://accounting.smartpros.com/x42419.xml The Day of Atonement, as instituted in Leviticus 16, certainly didn’t have a party atmosphere. It was a somber, sacred day. Easton described it as “the great annual day of humiliation and expiation for the sins of the nation.” The nation of Israel followed specific instructions on this day. It was observed on the tenth day of Tisri, just five days before the Feast of the Tabernacles and lasted for 24-hours, from sunset to sunset. The highlight of the day came when the High Priest, dressed in his priestly garb would take two goats to sacrifice for the sins of the people. The goats constituted one sin offering, though only one of the goats would actually die. The priest wou...

"All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you" - Wayne Dyer Blaming others is a waste of your time. Finding fault in others as a Christian is wrong; look in the mirror at yourself and see all of the imperfections in yourself, then you will do the Christian thing: Not to judge others. see: Matthew 7:1-6; Mark 4:24; Luke 6:38. - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy

November 15 DOXOLOGY Thomas Ken, 1637–1711 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. (Psalm 86:12) The lines of the “Doxology” have been the most frequently sung words of any known song for more than 300 years. Even today nearly every English-speaking Protestant congregation unites at least once each Sunday in this noble overture of praise. It has been said that the “Doxology” has done more to teach the doctrine of the Trinity than all the theology books ever written. Instead of being merely a perfunctory hymn that is sung each week, the “Doxology” should be regarded by Christians as an offering or sacrifice of praise to God for all of His blessings in the past week (Hebrews 13:15). True worship always involves an offering. In the Old Testament period, Levitical priests offered blood sacrifices to God on behalf of their people. In this New Testament era, God wants our sacrifice of praise. Other sacrifices desired by God of New Testament ...

Ask Me “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matthew 7:7 In this verse, humility meets ingenuity and determination to create a winning formula for prayer. Asking takes great humility because when we ask, we are admitting that we need help. It is a confession that without God, our lives are incomplete and that we are incapable of managing on our own. The prideful will never be able to take a knee and ask God for anything. They will do it on their own, even if it kills them. But humility, as good a virtue as it is, is not enough. Jesus didn’t say, ask and then sit around doing nothing, instead, He instructs us to “seek.” When I was a college student, I went to nursing homes twice a week to preach and visit with the residents. As is often the case, those I attempted to minister to also ministered to me. At the end of my visits, I’d always have a brief word of prayer with the residents. One lady always said the same words at t...

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." - Winston Churchill Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice where your soul goes after death; It is not a thing to be waited for, but a decision of oneself. Through Grace by the death and resurrection of Jesus, your choice of a rebirth is achieved for life. - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy

November 14 REJOICE, YE PURE IN HEART Edward H. Plumptre, 1821–1891 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him. (Psalm 33:1) The hallmark of the Christian life is a joyous spirit. The Bible teaches that “a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). And singing has an important part in the life of joy. It can be the mind’s greatest solace and can express its noblest inspiration. For the person who learns to enjoy it, singing has therapeutic value. A joyous, singing spirit should not be limited to a Sunday worship experience. Every day is the time to rejoice. Let us never forget that “to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever” should be the ultimate goal of all human existence. Edward H. Plumptre, the author of this hymn, was a graduate of Oxford University and a minister in the Anglican state church. He was recognized as a brilliant scholar and was appointed to be a member of the Old Testament ...

Comfortable Apathy When you get people’s attention, they usually show genuine care and concern. The problem is breaking through their comfortable apathy to get their attention. Immediately following Princess Di’s fatal accident, the legitimate press asked “why don’t we do something about these pesky photographers who were swarming her car?” The princess joined other celebrities in complaining about the rudeness of these freelance photographers for years, but no one listened. It is not that people didn’t care, it is just that she didn’t have their attention yet. She does now. Too bad that it took her death to destroy people’s comfortable apathy. Breaking through apathy is like getting your husband’s attention while he’s reading the paper. “The house is on fire!” She says. “That’s nice, could you please pour me another cup of coffee.” Everybody wants our attention. Billboards are plastered all over the side of the freeway. The car in front of us has 10 bumper stickers, and the rad...

DAILY, WEEKEND AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY In serving God today, start with Sunday School because this is where you learn the Word since some will not come to Bible Study. Next, stay for Morning Service and Evening Service if your church has it.

In the World This Week with the Word The Sunday School Lesson n

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2011 | AFTER PENTECOST PROPER 28 YEAR A Old Testament & Psalm, Option I Old Testament Judges 4:1–7 Psalm Psalm 123 or Old Testament & Psalm, Option II Old Testament Zephaniah 1:7, 12–18 Psalm Psalm 90:1–8 (9–11) 12 New Testament 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 Gospel Matthew 25:14–30 Revised Common Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).

New Creatures Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17 I. What is the natural man like? A. The natural man does not perceive God (Rom. 8:7). B. Consequently, he cannot please God (Rom. 8:8). II. It is Christ who makes the difference. A. Christ must actually indwell us (John 17:23, 26; Rom. 8:10; Gal. 2:20; Col. 1:27). B. It is only when Christ is in us that we become acceptable to God (Rom. 8:1; 1 Cor. 1:30). C. In this state, nothing can separate us from God’s love (Rom. 8:38, 39). III. Christ enters us because of our faith in Him. A. Christ and the prophets before Him proclaimed that He was the way to salvation (Is. 53:11; Matt. 3:11; John 5:24; 10:9; 11:25; 14:6). B. The apostles also preached salvation through faith in Christ alone (Rom. 10:8–11; Eph. 2:8). IV. Those in Christ are changed people. A. Paul used the Greek word kainḗ, which m...