Friday Men’s Group 10/14/22

1st Place Winner of the Nikon Small World Photomicrography
Take a guess what it is?

They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying
God; and they were filled with fear,
saying,
“We have seen remarkable things today.”

 Luke 5:26

Hi Men:

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its evil desires.”  (Romans 13:14)
I pray you have “put on” Christ this week.
This coming Tuesday will be the 6th funeral I have attended in less than 4 weeks.  Many thoughts have rolled around in my mind and I hope to sort them out in the weeks ahead and share a few with all of you.  Read below what my wife Jane shared with the hay delivery guy…….

What Is It?  (Photo Above)

It’s the embryonic hand of a Madagascar giant day gecko.  It is only 0.12 inch in length.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think the researchers, Grigorii Timin and Michel Milinkovitch from the University of Geneva exclaimed a similar statement like the above verse from Luke 5:26.  After all they both work in the Department of Genetics and Evolution in Geneva, Switzerland.
The article went on to state:  The final result gives a glimpse into the hidden beauty and complexity of the gecko, highlighting the nerves in a cyan color and the bones, tendons, ligaments, skin and blood cells in a range of warmer colors. “This particular image is beautiful and informative, as an overview and also when you magnify it in a certain region, shedding light on how the structures are organized on a cellular level,” said Timin.

Years ago I read Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe.  He had a term called, “Irreducible Complexity” as he examined the human cell.  The same is true for the hand of the Madagascar gecko.  Some biological systems are so complex and so dependent upon multiple complex parts, that they could not have evolved by chance…….

IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD

I know, I have been slacking off getting you updates.  Over the past several months there have been more opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.  Our A/C went out over the weekend, so on Monday while the guy was repairing it, I climbed up his ladder with Steps To Peace With God and the Million Dollar Gospel of JohnThe guy was close to my age and when I asked if he had a relationship with God, he nodded his head and I could tell he didn’t want to pursue this line of discussion.  I could be wrong, but I think he was a Mormon. So I gave him the (2) items with a nice tip in it and he thanked me and finished the repair.

On Wednesday, my wife Jane had a load of hay delivered for the horses.  The guys that unload these bales of hay are strong, lean cowboy types.  On Wednesday it was Jane’s regular delivery guy, Willy, and he was solo   Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of Jane talking to him, but afterwards I asked Jane if she could write up what she said to Willy and I would grab a photo of her by the hay shed.

Here was her conversation with Willie:

Jane: Hi Willy! How are you?
Willy: I’m good, how are you?
Jane: Well, I’m fine, but we’ve spent a lot of time in the last couple weeks attending funerals!
Willy: Oh no! That’s terrible!
Jane: Yes, it really makes you stop and think. Some of these people weren’t even as old as we are! So, how much time do we have left?
Willy: I actually think about that a lot. This job is kind of dangerous! I could get killed!
Jane: Yes it is!!! And although I am a Christian, I don’t usually talk about it much. But, with all these funerals, I realized I need to! None of us knows when our turn will come!!! And, when we die, the Bible says we will have to stand before the Lord and be judged!
Willy: Oh no….
Jane: Yes, and we have all fallen short! Have you ever told a lie? I know I  have! have you ever stolen something? Yes, I have! So, the Bible says if you have broken even one law one time, you are a guilty sinner!!! So, you and me, we are guilty sinners!  So what can we do?
Willy: (looks puzzled)…I don’t know….

Jane: We put our faith in Jesus! He is our savior, who lived the perfect life that we are not able to do. So, if we put our faith in him to stand for us, the Bible says that God will accept his righteousness as ours!!! It’s really amazing.

Willy: Wow!

Jane: Here is a little booklet that explains it. It also has the Book of John, in case you haven’t read it lately.  

Willy: I haven’t. Thank you!!!

Jane: You’re welcome. Take care, Willy! 

Jane also gave Willy a handsome tip inserted in the Book of John…. Who knew there would be (2) treasurers in that book 😊  So you don’t have to squint, you can see what Jane gave to Willy…

Men, the opportunities are all around us these days.
You have workers and delivery people coming to your home.  And if you take a walk around the neighborhood, you will find guys working on all kinds of projects.  I still have to get back to a young gal at Home Depot.  I gave her Steps to Peace and the Million Dollar Book of John, but she would love a Study Bible.  She has a bible her grandmother gave her and when I asked what type, she said it’s called the “Book of Mormon.”  I kid you not!!  She doesn’t know the difference.

By now you should have this one memorized:
For who regards you as superior?  What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (1 Cor 4:7)  Everything we have is from the Lord.  Let’s take Jim Elliot’s words at face value:

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose…..

Grateful Slave to Christ……..  [Remember:  What do slaves own?  You’re Right……. NOTHING!]
Dan


Men:  The message below came through the Ministry in the Marketplace website this week: 

Counting on Tomorrow
(by Walt Henrichsen)

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth,”  Proverbs 27:1

Few things in life are as silly as people saying what they will do in the future.  Both Testaments call attention to such foolishness, James warns “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain’; whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”1 When you assume you control your future you endeavor to remove God from His own world.

When sharing the gospel with people they will often say they are not ready; they will invite Christ into their lives when they are ready.  It reminds me of Felix’s response to the Apostle Paul; “Go thy way for this time; and when I have convenient season, I will call thee unto me.”2 People do not come to God when are ready; they only come when He moves in their hearts to come to Him.  Those who think otherwise run the risk of slipping into eternity without knowing Him.  As Jesus said, “And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry,’  But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose they will be?’”3

You are never more secure than when you realize you do not control the future and you trust in the Lord for His Providential care – when you acknowledge, “Christ is my life.”4
____________________________________
James 4:13-14
Acts 24:25
Luke 12:19-20
Colossians 3:4


Zion Boot Camp 2022

Join up with other Christian soldiers!
For there is definitely a war raging

I flashed on the old Boy Scout Songbook of 50 years ago when the boys sang this chorus:

Onward Christian soldiers, Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.

Sad that hymns like this were removed many years ago……


 

“If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved — even though only as one escaping through the flames.” 
1 Corinthians 3:14-15

God’s Builders

Men:  These are great questions asked in this devotional:

What is your life going to count for? Every one of us is investing his life in something. You cannot live without making an investment. What is it in? Will it stand the test?

Click Here: RayStedman.org/Gods-Builders

 


 

How Should We Wait for Jesus?

By D. A. Carson  4/30/2009

It’s been years since I included the attached article by D.A. Carson.  Take a moment and re-read this impacting message from Matthew 25.  It was first published in Decision Magazine.  You can also download the PDF from this link.


 

What do Americans believe about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible? Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research partnered to find out. Every two years, we take the theological temperature of the United States to help Christians better understand today’s culture and to equip the church with better insights for discipleship. Read some of our key findings from 2022 below and explore the data for yourself.
Click Here

True or False:
God accepts the worship of all religions,
including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam

56% of all evangelicals agree Yikes!

I guess Jesus changed his mind regarding:  John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

 


 

The Valley of Vision – Longings After God

Men: 
Longings After God  Powerful!
(YouTube 2 mins)

The Puritans had it right!