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

Mundy's Quote for the Day Reverend Lynwood F. Mundy Isaiah 43:16 ,  18-19a      16      Thus says the  LORD ,  who  makes a way in the sea     And a path through the mighty waters, 18      Do not remember the former things,     Nor consider the things of old.  19      Behold,  I  will do a new thing,     Now it shall spring forth;     Shall you not know it? The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982. Print.

December 31   Which hope we have as an anchor to the soul         Heb. 6:19 Anchor to the throne of God, and then shorten the rope! Selected Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

December 31 THE LORD IS KING ! Freely adapted from Josiah Condor, 1789–1855   For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. ( Psalm 95:3 ) As we reflect on the joys, failures, and blessings of the past year, we can rejoice in the truth that we are personally related to the Lord Jehovah, who is king of heaven and earth and will reign forever. Some day we shall see Him and begin to enjoy His eternal presence. This vibrant hymn stirs us to praise and gratefulness for all of God’s leading in the past year. We will never “murmur at His wise decrees” if we remember His promises and reflect on how good and great He is. We are also reminded by this triumphant text that we must submit ourselves in humility to God’s will in our lives, trusting “His tender care” for us. Then we are to sing and shout His praise throughout each day! What a victorious life this suggests for us as believers as we approach another new year. The text of this fine hymn is an adapt...

Morning, December 31                                 Go To Evening Reading          “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.”           — John 7:37 Patience had her perfect work in the Lord Jesus, and until the last day of the feast he pleaded with the Jews, even as on this last day of the year he pleads with us, and waits to be gracious to us. Admirable indeed is the long-suffering of the Saviour in bearing with some of us year after year, notwithstanding our provocations, rebellions, and resistance of his Holy Spirit. Wonder of wonders that we are still in the land of mercy! Pity expressed herself most plainly, for Jesus cried, which implies not only the loudness of his voice, but the tenderness of his tones. He entreats us to be reconciled. “We pray you...

December 31: From Beginning to End Lamentations 4:1–5:22 ; Romans 16:1–27 ; Proverbs 31:10–31 Endings are always difficult. But when they’re new beginnings, they’re revitalizing. At the end of Paul’s letter to the Romans, we not only see Paul the apostle, but Paul the empathetic and concerned pastor. Paul knows that if dissension or temptation rules over the Roman church, they will fail in their ministry, so he warns them (Rom 16:17–19) and offers them a word of hope: “And in a short time the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Rom 16:20). Here, Paul is echoing God’s words to Adam, Eve, and the serpent after the fall, when, instead of carrying out God’s request to bring order to creation (as He had done in the beginning), humanity turned from Him, defacing His image (Gen 1:1–2, 27–28; 3:14–20). But while Gen 3:15 merely depicts Satan biting the heel of humanity and being struck on the head in return (Gen 3:15), Paul ...

Mundy's Quote for the Day Reverend Lynwood F. Mundy These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.   John 16:33

December 30   Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord         Gen. 6:8 Noah found grace in the same way that Paul obtained mercy ( 1 Tim. 1:16 ) , namely, by mercy’s taking hold of him. Selected Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

December 30 JESUS SHALL REIGN Isaac Watts, 1674–1748   The Mighty One , God , the Lord , speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. ( Psalm 50:1 ) The spread of Christianity has been phenomenal. In spite of cruel persecution of Christ’s followers in the first three centuries A.D. and from time to time through the years since, His kingdom has continued to spread to “realms and people of every tongue.” Periods of attack on believers have served only to increase their fervor and growth. Then in recent years, with the rapid development of technology—radio, television, gospel films, Bible translations and distributions—the preaching of the gospel has been heard by more people than ever before in the history of mankind. When this stirring hymn was written in 1719, however, the evangelical missionary movement that we know in our time had scarcely begun. In 1779 William Carey was one of the first to try to persuade Christians to carry t...

Morning, December 30                               Go To Evening Reading          “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.”             — Ecclesiastes 7:8 Look at David’s Lord and Master; see his beginning. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Would you see the end? He sits at his Father’s right hand, expecting until his enemies be made his footstool. “As he is, so are we also in this world.” You must bear the cross, or you shall never wear the crown; you must wade through the mire, or you shall never walk the golden pavement. Cheer up, then, poor Christian. “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.” See that creeping worm, how contemptible its appearance! It is the beginning of a thing. Mark that insect with gorgeous wings, playing in the sunbeams, sipping at the flow...

December 30: The Proverbs 31 Woman Lamentations 3:1–66 ; Romans 15:22–33 ; Proverbs 31:1–9 A Proverbs 31 woman is hard to find, but it isn’t for lack of effort. She’s been the topic of more than a few Bible studies. She can be recognized by her many positive traits—strong, courageous, and trustworthy. She is hardworking, discerning, giving, dignified, business savvy, wise, and kind. If we’re looking for a vice or an Achilles heel, we’ll have to turn to another passage in the OT (we’re sure to find more failures than achievers within its pages). As we look through the list of qualities, though, it’s hard to check them all off, even for Type-A personalities. But the key to understanding the list of characteristics isn’t found it what we can attain. It’s found in the last verse—the crux of the poem. The crown of the woman’s wisdom isn’t her charm or her beauty or even her ability to “get things done.” It is her fear of Yahweh. This relationship with God guides all of her action...

Mundy's Quote for the Day Reverend Lynwood F. Mundy Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in  God , believe also in me. In my  Father's house  are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  John 14:1-3  KJV

December 29   She [Hannah] … prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore … she, spake in her heart         1 Sam. 1:10 , 1 Sam. 1:13 For real business at the mercy-seat give me a home-made prayer, a prayer that comes out of the depths of my heart, not because I invented it, but because God the Holy Ghost put it there, and gave it such living force that I could not help letting it out. Though your words are broken, and your sentences disconnected, if your desires are earnest, if they are like coals of juniper, burning with a vehement flame, God will not mind how they find expression. If you have no words, perhaps you will pray better without them than with them. There are prayers that break the backs of words; they are too heavy for any human language to carry. Spurgeon Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

December 29 THERE’LL BE NO DARK VALLEY William O. Cushing, 1823–1902   He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. ( Revelation 21:4 )   There is a land of pure delight, where saints immortal reign;   Eternal day excludes the night, and pleasures banish pain. —Isaac Watts In every life there will be some “dark valleys.” Difficult days cannot be avoided. In fact, the lives of some believers seem to be filled with affliction and suffering. But for the child of God, there is glorious relief just ahead … the return of Christ and the promise of a land of endless delight. The prospect of Gods’ tomorrow also means a time of joyous reunion with loved ones who have preceded us. Truly “there’ll be songs of greeting when Jesus comes …” William Orcutt Cushing knew the meaning of “dark valleys” in his life. After more than 20 years of successfully pastoring Disciples...

Morning, December 29                                    Go To Evening Reading          “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.”            — 1 Samuel 7:12 The word “hitherto” seems like a hand pointing in the direction of the past. Twenty years or seventy, and yet, “hitherto the Lord hath helped!” Through poverty, through wealth, through sickness, through health, at home, abroad, on the land, on the sea, in honour, in dishonour, in perplexity, in joy, in trial, in triumph, in prayer, in temptation, “hitherto hath the Lord helped us!” We delight to look down a long avenue of trees. It is delightful to gaze from end to end of the long vista, a sort of verdant temple, with its branching pillars and its arches of leaves; even so look down the long aisles of your years, at the green boughs of mercy overhead, and the strong pillars of lov...

December 29: The Grace of God Shines Through Lamentations 1:1–2:22 ; Romans 15:8–21 ; Proverbs 30:1–33 I was once asked why the Bible is so brutal—why it depicts things like babies being killed and war. It’s true, the Bible has many moments of darkness and violence. But these depictions of the rawness of humanity—in all its ungratefulness and depravity—demonstrate how much people need God. And more than that, through these moments, the Bible shows how much people need a savior. The book of Lamentations is brimming with sorrow and gnashing of teeth. Little hope can be found in this book. The prophet weeps and moans over his fallen nation, over watching Jerusalem crumble. In this poetic work, we see people who don’t follow the God who loves them dearly and so badly yearns to see them return to Him. “How desolate the city sits that was full of people! She has become like a widow, once great among the nations! Like a woman of nobility in the provinces, she has become a forced l...

December 28 Lesson 4 WORSHIP GOD’S SON DEVOTIONAL READING: Mark 9:15–24 BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE : Matthew 14:22–36 MATTHEW 14:22–36 22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the s...

Lesson for December 28, 2014 Worship God’s Son Matthew 14:22-36 This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone , former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD . It is published in the December 21 issue of  The Lookout  magazine, and is also available online at  www.lookoutmag.com . ______ By Sam E. Stone  With the feeding of the 5,000 in the third year of Jesus’ ministry, his favor with the crowds grew dramatically. The people enthusiastically ate the food he provided for them, but they were looking for even more—tomorrow’s meals, the sick cured, and a champion to lead the nation in revolt against the Roman authorities. John wrote, “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself” (John 6:15). Our lesson text comes from Matthew’s account of what followed. Dismissal for Solitude Matthew 14:22-23 Jesu s told his disciples to go on to their boat and start ...

SUNDAY , DECEMBER 28, 2014 | CHRISTMAS FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS DAY YEAR B               Old Testament       Isaiah 61:10–62:3              Psalm       Psalm 148 ( UMH 861 )               New Testament       Galatians 4:4–7              Gospel       Luke 2:22–40 Vanderbilt Divinity Library. United Methodist Revised Common Lectionary. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009. Print.

SUNDAY , DECEMBER 28, 2014 | CHRISTMAS FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS YEAR B On the same date: Holy Innocents, Martyrs               Old Testament       Isaiah 61:10–62:3              Psalm       Psalm 111               Epistle       Galatians 4:4–7              Gospel       Luke 2:22–40 Lutheran Service Book Three Year Lectionary. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009. Print.

SUNDAY , DECEMBER 28, 2014 | CHRISTMAS FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS YEARS ABC               Psalm       Psalm 147 or Psalm 147:12–20              First Reading       Isaiah 61:10–62:3              Second Reading       Galatians 3:23–25 , Galatians 4:4–7               Gospel       John 1:1–18 The Episcopal Church. Book of Common Prayer (1979) Sunday Lectionary. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010. Print.

CHRISTMAS DECEMBER 28 YEAR A               Psalm       Psalm 148              First Reading       Isaiah 49:13–23              Second Reading       Matthew 18:1–14 Consultation on Common Texts. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2011. Print.

Pergamum ‎At the turn of the era, Pergamum was the academic and artistic center of the western part of Asia Minor. Parchment is named after this city that produced it, whereby animal skin is stretched, scraped, and dried under tension, creating this especially valuable writing material. The famous Great Altar of Pergamum that today can be visited in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin was regarded as one of the most splendid constructions in antiquity. The picture shows Pergamum’s Hellenistic theater. This theater type had the seating integrated in the landscape, whereas in the Roman theater type, the seating was an independently built part of the construction. ‎2 Tim 4:13; Rev 1:11; 2:12

The Dead Sea ‎The Arabs call this Bahr Lut, the Sea of Lot. It is the most remarkable inland sea in the world. It is situated in the lowest part of the valley which extends from the base of Hermon to the Gulf of Akabah. The Hebrews call it the Salt Sea. The Greeks at an early period called it the Dead Sea. It is forty-seven miles in length and its greatest width is nine and a half miles. Its mean depth is 1080 feet, its level below the level of the Mediterranean is 1293 feet. The water contains from twenty-four to twenty-six per cent of solid substances, seven per cent of which is chloride of sodium (common salt). The salt of the Dead Sea has from the earliest times been collected and brought to the Jerusalem markets and is considered particularly strong. To the Government alone belongs all the salt and bitumen brought into and sold in Syria. During the last of April, when the writer and the artist were here, the weather was so hot that it was necessary for us to leave our hote...

You Shall Not Commit Adultery The seventh commandment ( Deut. 5:18 ) calls for sexual purity and the honoring of marriage as God’s appointed way for the proper use and enjoyment of human sexuality. In ancient Israel, adultery was considered a capital crime ( Deut. 22:22 ), while in today’s society, it’s hardly considered a sin, let alone a crime. God can forgive sexual sins ( 1 Cor. 6:9–11 ) but He doesn’t promise to interfere with the painful consequences ( 2 Sam. 12:13–14 ; Prov. 6:20–35 ; Gal. 6:7–8 ; Heb. 13:4 ). It’s disgusting the way the media glorify sex and turn fornication and adultery into entertainment. Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Equipped. Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999. Print. “Be” Commentary Series.

Uz The homeland of Job ( Job 1:1 ). Two traditions exist concerning the location of Uz: Edom in the southeast and Syria in the northeast. Neither tradition is completely persuasive, and the evidence concerning the location cannot be reconciled. Among the arguments for the Edomite location, the personal name Uz appears in Edomite genealogies ( Gen. 36:28 = 1 Chr. 1:42 ), and personal names in the book of Job probably are Edomite in origin ( cf . Job 2:11 ). The personal name Uz is linked with Buz ( Gen. 22:21 ), which also appears as a place name associated with Edom ( Jer. 25:23 ). The LXX appendix to Job describes Uz as bordering on Idumea and Arabia ( Jer. 42:17b ). Also, Uz is poetically parallel to “daughter Edom” at Lam. 4:21 . Other arguments place Uz in Aram (Syria), near Damascus or S of Damascus in the Hauran. The person Uz is a descendant of Aram ( Gen. 10:23 ; 1 Chr. 1:17 ) and the oldest son of Abraham’s Aramean brother, Nahor ( Gen. 22:21 ). According to Josep...

Bronze stands ‎Altogether ten bronze stands (water carts) were positioned in the temple area. They were about 2.5 m high and had a large bowl inserted on the top where water could be stored. The function of these equipment is not clear at all. Perhaps palm branches were put in the water bowl in order to symbolically illustrate the fertility of the land. In Cyprus, similar stands were found in tomb chambers, but they were only 40 cm high. ‎ 1 Kings 7:23–26 ; 2 Kings 16:17

The Golden City in Revelation ‎The new Jerusalem in Revelation 21:9–27 is a square 12,000 stadia (approximately 1,380 miles) on each side.

No Vain Repetition Excerpt Used of stammerers who repeat the words, then mere babbling or chattering, empty repetition. The etymology is uncertain, but it is probably onomatopoetic like “babble.” The worshippers of Baal on Mount Carmel ( I Kings  8:26 ) and of Diana in the amphitheatre at Ephesus who yelled for two hours ( Acts  19:34 ) are examples. The Mohammedans may also be cited who seem to think that they “will be heard for their much speaking” ( ἐν   τῃ   πολυλογιᾳ  [ en tēi polulogiāi ]). Vincent adds “and the Romanists with their  paternosters  and  avast .” The Syriac Sinaitic has it: “Do not be saying idle things.” Certainly Jesus does not mean to condemn all repetition in prayer since he himself prayed three times in Gethsemane “saying the same words again” ( Matt.  26:44 ). “As the Gentiles do,” says Jesus. “The Pagans thought that by endless repetitions and many words they would inform their gods as to their needs and we...

Jerusalem ‎The fortress-like structure of the King David Hotel dominates Jerusalem’s skyline when photographed from the western wall of the Old City. Another hotel bearing the name of a great king, Solomon, looks from here like a block of stone piercing the sky. The Yemin Moshe neighborhood with its red tiled roofs tumbles down the hillside, engulfed in green.

You Will Not Die Genesis 3:4 Excerpt You  is second person plural in Hebrew, referring to the woman and the man. The construction of this phrase is literally “dying you [plural] will not die,” which may be translated in English “It is not really so that you will die,” or “Certainly, you won’t die,” or “Of course not; you won’t die.” See  2.16–17  for a similar construction. In this case again it will be natural in some languages to begin the speech with the word “No!” Two examples of this are, “No! You-two will not die,” and “No! That’s not true. You-two won’t ….” In one rendering the snake’s denial of the truth of what God has said is expressed as “God is telling a lie. You won’t die.”  More Reyburn, William David, and Euan McG. Fry.  A Handbook on Genesis . New York: United Bible Societies, 1998. Print. UBS Handbook Series.

Water Isaiah 55:1 Excerpt In the East, water is a precious ingredient; and an abundance of water is a special blessing ( 41:17 ;  44:3 ). Wine, milk, and bread were staples of their diet. The people were living on substitutes that did not nourish them. They needed “the real thing,” which only the Lord could give. In Scripture, both water and wine are pictures of the Holy Spirit ( John  7:37–39 ;  Eph. 5:18 ). Jesus is the “bread of life” ( John  6:32–35 ), and His living Word is like milk ( 1 Peter  2:2 ). Our Lord probably had  Isaiah 55:2  in mind when He said, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” ( John  6:27 , NKJV).  More Wiersbe, Warren W.  Be Comforted . Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996. Print. “Be” Commentary Series.