“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in
Christ Jesus will be persecuted…”
(2 Tim 3:12)
Hi Men:
I pray this week you have taken some time to reflect on who you are “in Christ” and know that we are partakers of His righteousness. God no longer sees our imperfections …… “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more” (Heb 8:12) This is very good news!
I’ve been thinking about The Chosen. What does it do for me?
Other than being an amazing witnessing tool for my friends, high school and college buddies, neighbors and others I meet as I’m out and about……….. it has also impacted me. How so? …….. Several days back as I was sitting in my backyard late at night, I started thinking about The Chosen series. In particular I was reflecting on the Person of Jesus Christ. We all know that the Incarnate Christ is fully man. Jesus possesses two distinct yet inseparable natures: one divine and one human. I’ve never doubted that for a moment, but to see Jesus as fully man impacted me from the standpoint of the men he chose, His Apostles. I starting thinking about how much He loved these men…… yet He knew exactly how they would suffer and die for His sake. Because Jesus is fully human, this fact had to be extremely difficult and emotional for Him. Yet, Jesus knew something way better was coming.
Rather, as it is written: “ No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Cor 2:9
So when persecution comes, and it will, are we going to have a temporal mindset or an eternal mindset? Difficult as it may be, we need to be thinking about these things. May I suggest you refresh your memory on what Richard Wurmbrand commented on. Scroll down until you see “Preparing for the Underground Church” E² Vegas.org/Friday-Mens-Group-6-17-22
Radius International understands persecution. If you would like to know more, below is a link to a profound article by Matt Rhodes, Persecution and Kingdom Expansion.
Let’s Commit to Finish Well,
Dan
(Gal 2:20)
Please Pray for the following:
- SECOND SATURDAY – This Saturday 7pm – 9pm
Contact: Kyle Brennan (702) 785-2526
secondsaturdaylasvegas@gmail.com - North Texas Men’s Conference – Next Week Jan 20-22
TexasE2.org/
Men:
For this week I’m moving out of the Red Book and inserting January 11th from the Blue Book. Why? Because in light of what’s going on in the world right now, we need crystal clear understanding that God is 100% in control (sovereign) and He is good………… Like Walt states, “Without these pillars firmly embedded in your convictions, you will find it difficult to survive the storms of life.” Take some time to meditate on Day 11. Pray that God would give you solid understanding of this particular devotion.
There were many times over the years that before I gave the Blue Book to a man, we would both read Day 11. After we read it, I would ask, “Do you still want this devotional?” You find out quickly if a man is serious about his faith.
The Twin Pillars of Faith – Day 11 Blue Book
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
If God is Not Sovereign, God is Not God!
Men: I love where R.C. Sproul is discussing God’s sovereignty with the seminary students and mentions the fact that if God is not sovereign then it is “an abandonment not only of Christianity, but of theism itself if we believe that anything lies outside of God’s ultimate control.” In other words, you’re an Atheist!
“If there is one maverick molecule in the universe, one molecule running loose outside the scope of God’s sovereign ordination, then ladies and gentlemen, there is not the slightest confidence that you can have that any promise that God has ever made about the future will come to pass.”
No Maverick Molecule (YouTube 6 minutes)
No Maverick Molecule (Podcast 6 minutes)
I thought I would throw this in for good measure:
“God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds don’t burst with the weight…… The foundations of heaven tremble; they shudder at his rebuke…… These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?……Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders. Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?” (Job 26 & 37)
Persecution and Kingdom Expansion
By Matt Rhodes 12/16/22
Men: This is a comment you seldom hear. The author is spot on!
“People who are confident in a reward that far outweighs the suffering along the way can endure the cross for the joy set before them. So, if we want to prepare new churches to endure persecution, we need to teach a robust theology of reward.”
Click Here for Matt Rhodes article:
For those of your that don’t know, RADIUS International is a solid ministry that understands the stress on the mission field. People that speak at their conferences include John MacArthur, Paul Washer, Alistair Begg, Kevin DeYoung, Ian Hamilton to name a few. This year’s conference will be at Grace Community Church. To know more: Click Here
Final Words on Death Row
My son John found this and said:
I thought you all would find this interesting. Texas publishes the last words of people on death row before their execution.
There are a lot of people giving God the glory. I would imagine the more desperate you are, the more you turn to God. Who is more desperate than giving their last words before execution?
You might not be aware of John MacArthur’s “Only Hope Prison Ministries.” It was hard to get my mind around 22,000 being incarcerated in the LA County EVERY DAY!
Many of you have seen this photo of a precious India woman carrying Water Buffalo dung on her head. Of course we know that people in many countries use dried dung for cooking, etc.
My wife and I recently saw a movie made in the country of Bhutan. It’s not a Christian movie, but shows the difficult yet rewarding life of people living in northern Bhutan. I learned how they ignite dried Yak dung 😊
Movie: Lunana: A YAK in the Classroom
(Netflix 1h 49m)
Please keep Daniel Baker in your prayers….. He leaves this Saturday for Africa and then India. He will be meeting up with Daniel Janagam.
A Great Reminder
Sufferings
