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

He Did Most of my childhood memories are pleasant. I wasn’t abused, my parents provided for all my needs, in fact, I have to say, I was loved. I’m not saying my family wasn’t dysfunctional, in some respects all families have their moments, but we were as close to functional as I’ve seen. I went to school, had chores to do when I got home, worked or played all day on Saturday and attended church every Sunday. Yes, my Mom even baked cookies for us to eat when we got home. In short, I grew up in a Norman Rockwell painting. My father was the pastor and my mother was very active teaching and working in the Women’s ministries of the church. Like my brothers before me, the time came when the constant contact with the gospel rubbed off on me and I came to faith in Christ. I was very young when it happened and I have to admit that my understanding was, well, very childish. I thought of the forces of good and evil as opposite teams, you know, like a pick-up baseball game. I asked myself who...

Rev. Sharpton’s Mother Put To Rest In Alabama Today | The Yolanda Adams Morning Show

Day of Atonement: Yom Kippur - Day of Discovery

Hector I can’t talk about it without getting misty-eyed; even though a decade has passed since it happened, I still get choked up every time I talk about it. It was the first day I ever gave something to missions that really cost me. “Hector” (not his real name) was my pastor. No, I didn’t attend his church, I was a pastor myself, but even pastors need pastors and I was lucky to have Hector. His church was about 90 miles from mine, but we talked on the phone a lot and we rode together to Executive Board meetings in Fresno. Hector has a great sense of humor, I still chuckle when I think of some of the things he’s said over the years. He was a coin collector and I was a baseball card collector, so almost every trip we made together we’d find some out of the way collector’s shop and browse through the merchandise. We always had a great time together and he was always there for me if I needed someone to talk to. Always, that is, until he answered a call to become a missionary to a part...

March 30 NOW THE DAY IS OVER Sabine Baring-Gould, 1834–1924 I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8) Upon God’s care I lay me down, as a child upon its mother’s breast; No silken couch, nor softest bed could ever give me such deep rest. —Unknown Trusting God throughout the day allows us to rest peacefully at night. Fear and anxiety are the chief causes of the tension that leads to disturbed rest. And sound rest is an absolute necessity for the renewing of our bodies, minds, and emotions. Only a peaceful relationship with God and with others allows us this total renewal at the close of each day. We must learn to relax and release our cares and burdens to the Lord and then claim His promised rest. ’Tis sweet to keep my hand in His, while all is dim— To close my weary, aching eyes, and trust in Him! —Unknown Whenever there are those occasional times when sleep eludes us, it is important to center our thoughts on God, the S...

Hearing Steve had a Catholic background and really didn’t want to go to the Baptist Church with his new bride, but it was the family’s church and he felt obligated to keep their Sunday tradition. He merely tolerated their religious talk, but sincerely enjoyed the Sunday dinners with his in-laws. Week after week, he sat on the pew, listening to the preacher talk. He didn’t know it, but when he did, his in-laws were praying for his Salvation. One week it happened, the gospel broke through his obligation and changed his heart. Today he isn’t just sitting on that pew, he is active in the church’s evangelism ministry, bringing other people to Christ. “Gail” didn’t think the gospel applied to her at all, and didn’t think she needed to listen to it. Because of her Scientology background she didn’t believe in hell, and since she didn’t believe in hell, she didn’t feel a personal need for salvation. But she did enjoy attending the prayer meeting for Spiritual Awakening held every Tuesday nig...

March 29 WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN Eliza E. Hewitt, 1851–1920 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:17, 18) For the child of God, the end of this earthly pilgrimage is just the beginning of a glorious new life. This glorious hope revives our courage for the way, When each in expectation lives and longs to see the day When from sorrow, toil, pain and sin, we shall be free, And perfect love and joy shall reign throughout all eternity. —John Fawcett Our services of worship even now should be a foretaste of that day of rejoicing when those from every tribe, language, people, and nation see our Lord and together “we’ll sing and shout the victory.” The author of this hymn text, Eliza Hewitt, a school teacher in Philadelphia, was another Christian lay worker deeply devoted to the Sunday school ...

Harmony Paul gives us a key to getting along with others in Romans 12:16. I particularly like the New Living Translation rendering of the verse, “Live in harmony with each other. Don’t try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” Paul didn’t tell us to live in melody with each other. Those singing the melody line of a piece of music follow the primary tune of the composition. Like strands of a cable, their voices blend together to form a strong, uniform sound. They sing the primary notes. The harmony adds depth to the melody. Some harmony is very tight, like a barber shop quartet, other is much looser like the sounds of Jazz. Though a dissonant harmony is difficult to perform, it adds a dimension to the piece that excites the discriminating listener. Paul told us to live in harmony with one another. Harmony is a sound that compliments the melody; it is not the same note, but a complimentary one. It is not a wrong note, just a dif...

March 28 WHEN THE ROLL IS CALLED UP YONDER Words and Music by James M. Black, 1856–1938 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:15) The calm assurance of a future heavenly home is one of the greatest blessings for every Christian. It has been said that only those with an absolute confidence in their hereafter truly know to live victoriously in this life. Having a personal relationship with Christ means that we need have no fear that we will not hear “the trumpet call of God,” whether we are still alive or asleep in Jesus. James M. Black was an active Methodist layman, a music teacher, and a composer and publisher of numerous gospel songs. He related this experience: While a teacher in the Sunday school and president of a young people’s society, I one day met a girl, 14 years old, poorly clad and a child of a drunkard. She accep...

Crucified: Take up Your Cross, Part II - Day of Discovery

Hardships For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. [7] Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. (Job 5:6–7 NIV) I’d like to think that calamity will visit everyone but me, but I know it isn’t true. Calamity will visit your home, and it will visit mine too. Everyone suffers. Why? Well for one thing, random selection will mean that I’ll have my turn. If one out of a thousand people will get a certain disease, then I have one chance out of a thousand that it will be me. Other times, I suffer because of something stupid I’ve done. If I eat too much, I can’t blame anyone but myself that my stomach hurts, or that I gain weight. Sometimes I suffer because Satan is attacking me. Satan is alive and well, and he will do anything he can to keep God’s people from touching lives and changing the world. But sometimes, I suffer at God’s hand. God uses trials to discipline, instruct and build character in me. My first reaction to tr...

March 27 WE’RE MARCHING TO ZION Isaac Watts, 1674–1748 You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. (Hebrews 12:22) Should we sing psalms or hymns in our church services? This was the controversy stirring many congregations during the 17th and 18th centuries. Isaac Watts was the life-long champion of the “humanly composed” hymn while the majority of the English-speaking churches insisted on the traditional psalm settings. Tempers frequently flared, and some churches actually split in the heat of this decidedly inharmonious musical conflict. In some churches a compromise was reached. The psalm setting would be sung in the early part of the service with a hymn used at the close, during which time the parishioners could leave or simply refuse to sing. Isaac Watts’ “Come, We That Love the Lord” was no doubt written in part to refute his critics, who termed his hymns “Watts’ Whims,” as well as to provide some subtle barbs for those who refused to s...

Crucified: Take up Your Cross, Part I - Day of Discovery

Happiness Pop quiz. What kind of happiness do you want? The kind with a quick flash, a loud explosion and a lifetime of regret? The kind that Revelation 18:14 talks about when it says, “Everything you’ve lived for, gone! All delicate and delectable luxury, lost! Not a scrap, not a thread to be found!” (MSG) Sometimes I feel like I spend most of my time talking to people on both sides of that question. I wish I could get both sides in the same room at the same time because I know it would change the outcome of some of their lives. If those ready to ignite their passions could hear the sobs from the broken people whose lives were frittered away in a moment of indiscretion that lapped over into a lifetime of regret, maybe they’d choose a better way. Maybe they’d choose something with some permanence. That’s the great thing about the happiness that Jesus gives, it is forever. John 4:14 says, But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that...

March 26 WE ARE CLIMBING JACOB’S LADDER Negro Spiritual He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (Genesis 28:12) This delightful children’s song was inspired by the account of Jacob’s dream at Bethel as recorded in Genesis 28:10–22. In this dream, Jacob saw a stairway or ladder resting on earth with its top reaching to heaven, with God’s angels or messengers ascending and descending on it. From Jacob’s dream we learn that the gap between earth and heaven can be bridged. Although God revealed Himself in times past to various individuals as He did to Jacob, His full self-revelation required a God-Man—the Son of God in all of His deity and the Son of Man in full humanity to span the mighty gulf. Jesus Christ became the “ladder” for man to reach heaven and to enjoy even now a restored fellowship with the heavenly Father. In times past, God used dreams to speak to people, as He...

Dangerous Faith: A Journey Through Deception - Day of Discovery

DAILY, WEEKEND AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/03/21/do-stand-your-ground-laws-encourage-vigilantes/the-law-is-needed-but-not-in-this-case

NICODEMUS LEARNS OF NEW BIRTH DEVOTIONAL READING: Matthew 5:13–16 BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: John 3:1–25; Numbers 21:4–9 KEY VERSE God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.—John 3:16 LESSON OUTLINE Introduction A. Night Visitors B. Lesson Background I. Believers and Unbelievers (JOHN 3:11–17) A. Regarding the Witness (vv. 11–13) B. Regarding the Cross (vv. 14, 15) No More Fear C. Regarding the Son (vv. 16, 17) II. Doers and Haters (JOHN 3:18–21) A. Truth About Darkness (vv. 18–20) Dabbling in Darkness B. Truth About Light (v. 21) Conclusion A. What Is “Eternal Life”? B. Prayer C. Thought to Remember The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2011-2012, ed. Ronald L. Nickelson and Jonathan Underwood (Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2011). ...

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

SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2012 | LENT FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT Old Testament Exodus 3:1–15 Psalm Psalm 45 New Testament Hebrews 9:11–15 Gospel John 8:46–59 Christian Worship One Year Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).

Happiness In Matthew 5, Jesus begins a sentence with the same words, “Blessed are …” eight different times. What does it mean to be blessed? It is a religious sounding word, isn’t it? It is pregnant with virtue—a stained glass sort of a word. The truth is, the Greek word simply means happy. In English, blessed is a word of much higher rank than happy, but that doesn’t seem to be the intent here. This word simply means happy. In other Greek literature, the same word is largely used to denote “outward prosperity.” For some reason, I struggle to translate the word the way I know it is supposed to be translated. It seems almost sacrilegious to use the word happy instead of blessed, doesn’t it? Actually, I checked the modern translations and paraphrases I have and only the Living Bible uses the word happy, and it doesn’t do it all the time, some of the times it uses the word “fortunate.” Why do you think we have a hard time using the common, earthy word “happy” here? Perhaps it is because ...

March 25 WHEN HE COMETH William O. Cushing, 1823–1902 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:4) The scriptural promise of Christ’s second coming is always a thrilling truth for believers to ponder. Beyond that, the thought of the Savior creating a jeweled crown from little children who love Him is a fascinating pictorial concept. William Orcutt Cushing conceived the idea for his “Jewel Song” text from the promise in Malachi 3:17: “And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels.” Pastor Cushing wrote the text for the children in his own Sunday school in 1856. Several years later, William Cushing suffered a period of deep despair in his life. After the death of his wife, he developed a creeping paralysis and the loss of his speech at the age of 47. He was forced to retire from the ministry after 27 years as an active and successful pastor in Disciples of Christ churches. When he pleaded...

Happiness For years I’ve said that God isn’t as concerned with our happiness as He is our character. Though I’m not prepared to take that truism back, I do want to revisit it and think it through a little more. Certainly it wouldn’t be correct to say that God is more concerned with our happiness than our character, but neither is it correct to say that He isn’t concerned about our happiness either. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived wrote, “And I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?” Eccles. 3:22 (NASB) So while I’m not willing to take back my previous statement, I don’t want to give the impression that happiness is a frivolous, unimportant thing in life. If given the choice between happiness and unhappiness, wouldn’t you rather be happy? I don’t know if you can hear the whistling in your ears as you read this, but as I’m writing it, I can hear the tune of “...

March 24 LET THE LOWER LIGHTS BE BURNING Words and Music by Philip P. Bliss, 1838–1876 Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) I do not ask for mighty words to leave the crowd impressed, But grant my life may ring so true my neighbors shall be blessed. I do not ask for influence to sway the multitude; Give me a “word in season” for the soul in solitude. —Unknown The lower lights surrounding a lighthouse guide the boats in the harbor away from the treacherous rocks and into the channel. The interesting analogy in this hymn was suggested to author and composer Philip P. Bliss as he listened to D. L. Moody tell a sermon anecdote about a pilot during a storm. “Brethren,” concluded Mr. Moody, “the Master will take care of the great lighthouse. Let us keep the lower lights burning.” Bliss, as he often did, immediately put this challenging thought into a hymn. He usually worked rapidly, completing both the...

Make it Happen “Above anything else, I hate to lose.” (Jackie Robinson) On April 15, 1947, Robinson made it to the “show.” He became the first black man to wear a Major League uniform, destroying the color barrier in professional sports. In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he hit.297, sent 12 over the fence, and lead the league with 29 steals. He was also the National League Rookie of the year. Two years later they named him the National League’s Most Valuable Player and he won the batting title with a.342 average. 1949 was his first of six appearances in the All-Star game. During his ten years with the Dodgers, he helped them reach the World Series six times. Robinson had a career batting average of.311 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility. Did you also know that Jackie Robinson was court-martialed from the Army and that he dropped out of College? Failure need not be fatal. Great men accomplish great things even when they suffe...

March 23 THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING Daniel W. Whittle, 1840–1901 I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. (Ezekiel 34:26) How disheartening it is to see a once fertile field that has been rendered hardened and useless by a drought. Land that was intended to produce a rich harvest for its owner lies barren and lifeless. As Christians, God desires that our lives bear much fruit for Him. But the soil of our hearts must be right if we want the seeds of righteousness to grow. The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 teaches that it is possible to have four different kinds of soil in our lives: An unconcerned soil, a shallow soil, a polluted soil, and a good soil—one that responds and produces a bountiful harvest. At times many Christians feel as though they are in a spiritual drought. God seems removed. Spiritual activities are just routine business. Prayer and Bible reading become monotonous. Christian friends seem critical and irritating. We feel th...

Helping Hands Early in the morning on October 19, 2002, Gene Jones and his partner Jeremy Wieckhorst were making a routine run, hauling a load of oil when they saw a white van hit a light pole and roll over. By the time they got over to the wreck, Michael Myers, grain truck driver pulled over too. Jones extended his hand to the dark-haired man to see if he could feel a pulse. When he did, he told the man that help was coming and continued to hold his hand. The man gasped for air a couple of times, then he died. When the police arrived, the three truck drivers helped them roll the van off of the man and when they’d done all they could to help, got back into their rigs and headed out. Stella Galindo was grief-stricken, as I’m sure you can only imagine, when the police notified her that Juan, her son had died in a traffic accident. Her grief was multiplied by the thought that he died alone. She was haunted by the thought of her son dying in the cold, alone. A few weeks after his deat...

March 22 NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD Words and Music by Robert Lowry, 1826–1899 “… without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22) The teaching of the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, is very clear regarding God’s forgiveness of man’s sin. Only a perfect blood sacrifice would satisfy the Father’s requirement of holiness. Throughout the Old Testament much is told about the blood atonements that the priests had to make on behalf of their people (Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 17:11). But the blood of bulls and goats could never satisfy God’s justice for man’s past, present and future sin. Only the shedding of divine blood would do. The Father’s gift of salvation to man required His Son’s life blood. Now when God looks at us, He sees Christ’s shed blood and declares us righteous for Jesus’ sake. Our acceptance with God the Father rests completely upon the merits of the blood of Jesus Christ. Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain Could give the guil...

Great Game Every now and then I still catch a few minutes of the Andy Griffith Show when I’m flipping through the channels looking for a Baseball Game. Andy had to be the best father in the whole world. From the opening frames that show father and son walking with their fishing poles, whistling as they go, to the closing credits, the whole Mayberry, Father/Son lifestyle appeals to me. But it also makes me feel just a little bit inadequate. I’m not sure I was that kind of son or am that kind a father. To be honest with you, the parent/child relationship, in both directions is among the hardest relationships I’ve ever had. I desperately want to be a good son, but don’t think I’ve always been. Just like I want to be a good father, but don’t always feel equipped to do the job. Oh I’ve read tons of books and have spent hours thinking the father/son relationship through, and I’ve tried to do well in both directions, but know I’ve fallen short of the Mayberry standard. But every now and th...

The Greatest Gift Matthew 2:11 NASB “And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Angie Flaute of Celina, Ohio made sure that her children knew the real meaning of Christmas by telling them the Biblical narrative of Jesus’ birth. She explained that after he was born, three wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the infant Jesus. Her six-year daughter thought about what she heard and responded, “a Wise-Woman would have brought diapers.” I think the little girl is right, diapers would have been a far more practical gift, but what they gave was far more worshipful. What is more fitting than gold? A present fit for a King! What about frankincense? Why did they give it to Jesus? Frankincense was the scent used in temple worship by the priests to cover the smell of the sacrifices. Jesus was the king of kings, but h...

Grass “Dad, your grass needs mowing, let me do it for you.” Dan said. Dan just wanted to make his Dad’s life more comfortable in the final days of his life, but he wanted more than that, he wanted his father’s affirmation. “No son, I’ll hire someone to do it, you never did know how to mow a lawn.” Once again, his father’s words cut deep. Dan’s thoughts immediately transported him back to childhood. When he was a small boy, his father took the lawnmower out of the garage and showed him how to check the gas and oil and start the engine. Then the big moment came, he turned the lawnmower over to his son and went into the house to enjoy a glass of Ice Tea. Dan was proud. He was finally big enough to mow the lawn—his Dad trusted him. When he was done, he rolled the mower back into the garage, opened the screen door and flew into the living room to tell his Dad he was finished. “We’ll let’s see what kind of a yard man you are,” his father said as he walked outside with his son. Beaming, Da...

March 21 REDEEMED Fanny J. Crosby, 1820–1915 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this— (Psalm 107:1, 2) All my theology is reduced to this narrow compass—Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. —Archibald Alexander The word redeemed implies the idea of a slave standing on the trader’s auction block being offered to the highest bidder. At last the price is paid by a compassionate new owner, who then gives the slave his unconditional freedom. But the freed slave, out of gratitude to his new owner, offers himself as a loving bond servant for life to his redeemer. Man has been separated from God by sin and has become a slave of Satan. But man has been redeemed. Because Christ paid the ransom we owed to divine justice, we have been freed from the shackles of sin’s bondage and God’s eternal wrath. Out of gratitude for this deliverance, we cling to our new master and lovingly determine to serve Him forever. A rea...

I pray this prayer for God's grace given to me a sinner above all sinners to choose me to the ministry. I have not been the same person since that calling, because Jesus is all in me, around me, underneath me to uphold me as I walk in the pathways of righteousness and above me to shine that divine light to follow. My prayer is to all that are secular to come while the breath and blood is warm in your veins; when you have died been secular, you will open your eyes in hell with an unquenchable fire inflicting such an agony as the Bible describes causing weeping and gnashing of teeth for eternity--no end. This my prayer is also for the saved in Jesus Christ to remember that they were conceived in sin, but by God's grace they were saved through faith, repentance, accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and then the Holy Spirit of God immediately came to dwell in their body [soul]. By this grace, me, you and the Apostle Paul were saved through Jesus Christ. Let us all as the Apost...

Grace It would be presumptuous for me to think I could imagine what was going through Adam and Eve’s minds as they stood over Abel’s grave. After knowing innocence, in a way we’ve never known it, they felt the full weight of this terrible crime. In the same way a bright light is more intense in total darkness, this dark sin had to be more intense against the background of their knowledge of goodness. Certainly they suffered because their son was dead. But I’ve got to believe they also suffered because their other son was so spiritually dead that he could kill his own brother. While they ached for their dead son, they had to long for their fugitive son with equal intensity. As the numbness waned, the harsh reality of their emptied nest had to set in. An empty nest is one thing, an emptied nest another. There was no reason why their home had to be so silent, no reason that is except for Cain’s sin. But was it Cain’s sin they were suffering from? In one sense, yes. Cain, in a jealous r...

March 20 HIGHER GROUND Johnson Oatman Jr., 1856–1922 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14) How sad it is to observe someone who has never lived up to his real potential. It is tragic to watch an individual who has great ability that is never used simply because he or she lacks the incentive to pursue a worthy goal. Similarly, it is disappointing to see a Christian fail to evidence spiritual growth of any kind. Scripture teaches that Christian maturity or Christlikeness is a process in which we advance from one level to the next, step by step. But the secret of such development is to have an intense desire to fulfill the purpose God has for our lives. “Higher Ground” has been a favorite with many Christians since it was first published in 1898. It expresses so well this universal desire for a deeper spiritual life, continuing on a higher plane of fellowship with God than we have ever before experienced....

DAILY, WEEKEND AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY: Prayer, Thought for Today, Teaching My prayer today is for you to learn "What is Faith?" I pray that all will learn what faith means to them in a spiritual realm. Be blessed is my prayer for you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.  - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy   WHAT IS FAITH? We may now fitly approach our second great term, Faith, and ask ourselves, What does it mean? As with Justification, so with Faith, we may best approach the answer by first asking, What does Faith mean in common life and speech? Take such phrases as, to have faith in a policy, faith in a remedy, faith in a political leader, or a military leader, faith in a lawyer, faith in a physician. Here the word Faith is used in a way obviously parallel to that in which, for example,  our Lord uses it when He appeals to the Apostles, in the Gospels, to have faith in Him; as He did in the storm on the Lake. The use is parallel also to its habit...

My prayer today is for you to learn "What is Faith?" I pray that all will learn what faith means to them in a spiritual realm. Be blessed is my prayer for you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy WHAT IS FAITH? We may now fitly approach our second great term, Faith, and ask ourselves, What does it mean? As with Justification, so with Faith, we may best approach the answer by first asking, What does Faith mean in common life and speech? Take such phrases as, to have faith in a policy, faith in a remedy, faith in a political leader, or a military leader, faith in a lawyer, faith in a physician. Here the word Faith is used in a way obviously parallel to that in which, for example, our Lord uses it when He appeals to the Apostles, in the Gospels, to have faith in Him; as He did in the storm on the Lake. The use is parallel also to its habitual use in the epistles; for example, in Romans 4, where St. Paul makes so much of Abraham’s faith, in close connec...

Grace Grace is a part of my everyday life. My credit card companies give me a grace period every month to pay my bill. They don’t charge me any interest during that time because they know it takes time for us to write the check and the postal service to deliver it to them. Not only have I come to expect a grace period from credit card companies, if they don’t offer it to me, I wouldn’t even think about using their card. The same is true with rental cars. Rental car companies usually give one hour “grace period” before they charge another 24-hour fee for a late return. They do this, because they know that drivers can’t always control the traffic on the way to return the car, so they extend grace to us. Publishers send “grace issues” after our subscriptions run out to entice us to resubscribe to their magazine, just in case we forgot to send the check. After eating at a restaurant, most of us give the service staff a tip or otherwise known as a gratuity for good service. The concept ...

March 19 BE THOU MY VISION Text—Irish hymn, c. 8th century • Music—Irish Melody Translated by Mary E. Byrne, 1880–1931 Versified by Eleanor H. Hull, 1860–1935 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (Proverbs 29:18) Truly our visionary attitude throughout life is often the difference between success and mediocrity. One is reminded of the classic story of the two shoe salesmen who were sent to a primitive island to determine business potential. The first salesman wired back, “Coming home immediately. No one here wears shoes.” The second man responded, “Send a boatload of shoes immediately. The possibilities for selling shoes here are unlimited.” For the Christian, vision is a true awareness of Christ in all of His fullness and enabling power. This ancient 8th century hymn text from Ireland is still meaningful for us today with its expression of a yearning for the presence and leading of God in our lives. The earnest prayer is enhanced b...

I pray that you will be richly blessed with this prayer and teaching of why you worship on the first day of the week. May this enrich and encourage you to look in religious books to increase your religious knowledge of biblical events, things, person's, places and events. You know your earthly job s.o.p. (standard operating procedure) books, now learn the Lord's Word for whom you serve and worship by picking up your Bible. Christian's celebrate the first day of the week--The Lord's Day, and you do not know why--that is a shame and a disgrace because you follow tradition. I pray that this will be the beginning of your Christian learning and spiritual growth. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. - Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy Here is a short definition and synopsis of the "Lord's Day": Lord’s day—The first day of the week (Sunday) on which most Christians have worshiped since Christ’s resurrection on the first day of the week Kenneth O. Gangel, John, Holman New Te...

LESSON AIMS After participating in this lesson, each student will be able to: 1. List the major points of the account of Jesus’ turning water into wine. 2. Explain the “sign” value of Jesus’ turning water into wine. 3. Tell what it means to believe on Jesus today. LESSON OUTLINE Introduction A. A Wedding to Remember B. Lesson Background I. Hope for a Miracle (JOHN 2:1–6) A. Celebration Begins (vv. 1, 2) B. Disaster Looms (vv. 3–6) Not a Photo Op II. Hope from a Miracle (JOHN 2:7–12) A. Crisis Averted (vv. 7–10) Celebrating or Impressing? B. Disciples Believe (vv. 11, 12) Conclusion A. Signs of the Messiah B. Prayer C. Thought to Remember The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2011-2012, ed. Ronald L. Nickelson and Jonathan Underwood (Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2011). 250.

March 18 Lesson 3 WATER TURNED TO WINE DEVOTIONAL READING: John 17:1–5 BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: John 2:1–12 JOHN 2:1–12 1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew...

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

SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2012 | LENT FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT Old Testament Exodus 16:11–17 Psalm Psalm 145 New Testament Ephesians 3:14–20 Gospel John 6:1–15 Christian Worship One Year Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).

Grace My mother always had to remind me to wash my hands before dinner. It just seemed like such a waste of time to me, I mean, they weren’t that dirty, besides, I used silverware to eat with, well, most of the time I did. She also had to remind me to make my bed and clean up my room. Why make the bed? I thought, I’m just going to have to get back in it tonight.And why pick up the dirty clothes off the floor, they’re dirty anyway—the floor isn’t going to hurt them. Bless my mother’s heart, I’m sure she got tired of trying to make a gentleman out of me. As it turned out, she wasn’t very successful either, I’m still a bit of a slob. When we divided out the household chores, I chose shopping and cooking over cleaning. Maybe it’s just my tendency to accept life with the mess that accompanies it, but I get frustrated at how antiseptic we try to make God’s grace. For some reason, we want to clean it up and try to give it a poetic ring. We define it with words like “unmerited favor,” and w...

March 18 I MUST TELL JESUS Words and Music by Elisha A. Hoffman 1839–1929 The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength … (2 Timothy 4:17) Oh, help me, Lord, to take the time To set all else aside, That in the secret place of prayer I may with you abide. —Unknown One of the loneliest feelings we can have comes when we face a time of need without having a loving friend to talk to about it. Everyone needs at least one trusted friend in whom to confide. Pastor Elisha A. Hoffman, author and composer of more than 2,000 gospel songs, gives the following account of the writing of this well-loved hymn: During a pastorate in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, there was a woman to whom God permitted many visitations of sorrow and affliction. Coming to her home one day, I found her much discouraged. She unburdened her heart, concluding with the question, “Brother Hoffman, what shall I do? What shall I do?” I quoted from the Word, then added, “You cannot do better than to take all of your sorro...

Accustomed to His Grace You can buy it in a grocery store, a drug store, the mall, from a street vendor, at a baseball game and in a school cafeteria. It comes in red, pink, brown, white, white with black specks, green, green with black specks, and orange. It is very cold, but sometimes people put hot stuff on top of it. It will make you fat if you eat too much, it can give you a headache if you eat it too fast, it will hurt your teeth if you have any cavities, it can clog your arteries of the old and promote blemishes on the young. You can get it by the gallon, quart, pint or cup. Some people use a cone to hold it, others put it on top of a banana, others melt it with milk and drink it through a straw. What is it? Ice Cream of course. I scream, you scream, we all scream for … we’ll you know the rest I’m sure. Words cannot adequately describe the taste, texture and feelings that correspond to eating an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Some things are best left to experience. G...

March 17 TRUST AND OBEY John H. Sammis, 1846–1919 But Samuel replied, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22) Life can often be a restless, disrupted existence until we give ourselves wholeheartedly to something beyond ourselves and follow and obey it supremely. Such implicit trust in God’s great love and wisdom with a sincere desire to follow His leading should be every Christian’s goal. Our willingness to trust and obey is always the first step toward God’s blessing in our lives. In 1886 Daniel B. Towner, director of the music department at Moody Bible Institute, was leading the music for evangelist D. L. Moody’s series of meetings in Brockton, Massachusetts. A young man rose to give a testimony, saying, “I am not quite sure—but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.” Mr. Towner jotted down this statement and sent it t...

faith is made void and the promise is Ro 4:14 For this reason it is by faith, Ro 4:16 those who are of the faith of Abraham, Ro 4:16 in faith he contemplated his own body, Ro 4:19 in unbelief but grew strong in faith, Ro 4:20 having been justified by faith, Ro 5:1 our introduction by faith into this grace Ro 5:2 the righteousness which is by faith; Ro 9:30 they did not pursue it by faith, Ro 9:32 based on faith speaks as Ro 10:6 word of faith which we are preaching, Ro 10:8 So faith comes from hearing, and Ro 10:17 unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Ro 11:20 allotted to each a measure of faith. Ro 12:3 to the proportion of his faith; Ro 12:6 accept the one who is weak in faith, Ro 14:1 has faith that he may eat all things, Ro 14:2 The faith which you have, have as your ...

Amazing Grace My favorite year of school was the 5th grade. Mrs. Walls, my teacher, was in total control of her classroom. If a child misbehaved, she took him out into the hall, scolded him and applied the board of education to the seat of learning. Yes, corporal punishment was still legal in those days. I made that trip to the hallway with her on at least one occasion. Most of the time, I didn’t need her scolding or paddling, her love for teaching and for me kept me in line. Her classroom was very structured. Every week, we would change seats. The person whose chair was in the front row would move it to the back, and everyone else would move forward one place. Though today, I have a preference for the back row, in those days, I liked the front row. If you excelled on an assignment, or was exceptionally well-behaved, she would let you be the black board monitor or the leader for the march to the lunch room. We learned, in her structured classroom, that the “good children” received ...