"If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord."
(Romans 14:8)
Hi Men:
Our safest position is being “in” Christ.
Of course the above verse is only applicable if we remain obedient to His word.
Ask God to help you with verses like this one:
When Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)
And …………. Ask God to show you the gift of suffering:
“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” (Phil 1:29)
And ………… Ask God to show you how to prepare for this amazing blessing………… because persecution is not that far off:
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great……….” (Matthew 5:10-12)
A dear friend reminded me of these verses in 1 Peter 4:1-2:
“Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
Regarding the above verses, he also shared this commentary by Don Carson:
…if you are a genuine Christian, you want to do what is right even when there is much in you that would prefer to go another way. You want to please Christ, you want to identify with him, you want to speak boldly for him, you want to be aligned with him, even if all these choices are costly. You decide to make choices that cost you something. You trust Christ in the midst of illness and disappointment; you resolve to press on with faith and obedience and gratitude even when you watch friends die, when life’s disappointments and hurts pile up. In short, those who have suffered in the flesh have made a break with sin…..
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See if you can tell me what’s main difference with these (2) versions of the Ten Commandments
Hint: Go to Exodus chapter 20. Why are the (2) versions different? Remember, there can only be one true version. This again is another example of abandoning a Biblical Worldview. Next week we will talk more about this………….
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Much Love in Christ,
Dan
“For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
** PRAYER REQUEST **
MINISTRY IN THE MARKETPLACE
Presents
WHO’S JOB IS THE MINISTRY?
Who: Christian Men of Southern Nevada
What: Men that desire a deeper and more significant walk with Jesus Christ
When: Saturday, August 21st 2021 from 7:30am – 12 Noon
Where: Faith Lutheran Performing Arts Center
The Steering Committee for this event is an amazing group of brothers from various “non-related” churches that are totally “like-minded” as we pursue the truth of Ephesians 4:11-12 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.” Relating to our conference, the “saints” are the laymen in the congregations and when they understand that the ministry belongs to them…………this can be life changing. Many will get excited as their God-given purpose is revealed and start to “look up” as they are discipled and see God’s plan for their life.
In the days ahead, I will keep you updated. Currently we have Chris Martin coming in from Pennsylvania to share the “Priesthood of the Believer.” Judge William McCurine, Ret., of San Diego will be speaking and Trevor McDowell of Phoenix will do a wrap-up for the men explaining where they go from here…..
I’m asking you all to please pray for the men God sends to this conference, the speakers and the logistics involved.
Thank you…………..
Why Do the Godly Suffer – Red Book Day 155
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
1 – 2 Kings 16:3
In case you missed it:
Rick Warren of Saddleback Church Ordains 3 Women Pastors…… Defying Southern Baptist Position
Remember last week I gave the latest statistics from George Barna’s CRC Study:
Only one-fifth of those attending evangelical Protestant churches (21%) have a biblical worldview, as compared to one-sixth of those attending charismatic or Pentecostal churches (16%). The study finds even smaller proportions in mainline Protestant (8%) or Catholic (1%) churches.
So it looks like Saddleback Church has joined the 79% of evangelical Protestant churches that NO LONGER have a Biblical Worldview……….. Somewhere along that slippery slope they stopped believing 1 Timothy 2:11-14:
“A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”
If interested, here is a fairly good summary:
God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church (1 Timothy 2:11-14). This is not because men are necessarily better teachers or because women are inferior or less intelligent (which is not the case). It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership—in their lives and through their words. Women are to take a less authoritative role. Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3–5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching children. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching or having spiritual authority over men. This precludes women from serving as pastors to men. This does not make women less important, by any means, but rather gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with God’s plan and His gifting of them.
John MacArthur May Letter – Worth the Read (See attached PDF)
“What we see happening now is God’s judgment………. We see the reprobate mind in full bloom in the government, corporations, education, the media, and the popular culture.” ….. John MacArthur
Just for fun
Star Trail Photography
All of you have seen this type of photography which uses long exposure times to capture the apparent motion of stars in the night sky due to Earth’s rotation.
One of the guys sent me this 1min 19 sec video of:
A Time-lapse Video of the Trippiest Star Trails You’ll Ever See
Here is one more:
Light Painting Under the Night Sky
As I reflect on all this, it continues to create such a sense of awe of the Creator we serve. Let’s continue to run that race…….. Take a moment to revisit these two amazing verses:
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
June Issue……….. Ask God that we would have the faith of this sister in Christ!
