Friday Men’s Group 8/12/22

Hi Men:
I pray you had a great week “in” Christ.  As I was reading the monthly Voice of the Martyrs magazine, I was reminded of this verse:

“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”  (Gal 6:14)

One of the comments in the magazine was the suffering that is currently going on in northern Nigeria.  Yet I was astounded by this statement: 

“Living in an extremely dangerous and violent environment – utterly defenseless in this world – has freed our Christian brothers and sisters to focus on the singular pursuit of eternal objectives. Because of their special courage and inexplicable (and therefore truly supernatural) victory over fear, they are powerful example of faith for us. They have gained this freedom by dying to the desires of this world.  Wow! 

I just think of all the distractions we deal with on a daily basis here in the USA and how difficult it is to focus on the singular pursuit of eternal objectives.  Pray for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria.

THUNDERSTORM

What a sight last night to see and hear all that lightning and thunder.  This verse from Psalm 147 came to mind, “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.” The center of the storm came right over our home.  The personal weather station (PWS) that my son gave me recorded ½ inch of rain (see the readout around 10:30 last night).  That is a huge amount for Las Vegas!  

The lightning bolts were massive.  I was thinking, maybe He will come back tonight 😊

I love some of the of a truly great spiritual words by Paul in 1 Cor 16:

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love. If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. Oh Lord, come! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

Maranatha,
Dan
(Gal 2:20)


 

Men:
How many of you just skim these devotionals? See below what the founder of Whitaker House publishing said about reading a devotional almost 50 years ago!

“The book should be read in a devotional mood if it is to fulfill its purpose of revealing to the reader the spiritual wisdom, insights and convictions of the author.  It must be read slowly. The rush and speed of our modern life does not make it easy for us to go at the devotional pace which is not faster than a walk.   We normally skim over our newspapers and magazines hurriedly, but in devotional reading our whole being (not only our intellect) must be quieted and made open, receptive and expectant.”

Robert E. Whitaker
Founder and President
1973

Now….. let’s try to read these (2) devotionals to reveal their wisdom, insights and convictions.

The Cost of Investing in Others – Parts One & Two – Red Book Day 227-8
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically

Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”

Disciple making is a work of faith
Disciple making is a labor of love
Disciple making involves the patience of hope


 

“Do you know what Bible the wicked and the worldly man reads? He does not read this Bible at all. He reads the Christian.”  Charles Spurgeon

 
“It is the duty of every child of God to so live that he may confirm the witness of Christ.
We should labor to do it in all the common things of daily life:
‘Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’” 

  See the short writing of Charles Spurgeon (attached pdf


 

VIDEO SERIES TO WATCH!

Men:  If you want to watch a well-produced true crime drama based on the murder of Brenda Lafferty and her baby daughter in a suburb of Salt Lake City (1984).  It clearly shows what the foundation of the Mormon Church is based on.  This is a MUST WATCH TV Series.  It’s only on hulu, but you can subscribe to a 1 month free trial.   My wife and took advantage of this free trial (without ads) and watched all 7 episodes.  It was well done!   If you are not familiar with LDS theology, this program will amaze you.  The LDS Church is now doing a “full court press” to insert themselves as another Christian denomination.  You need to watch this!  

 

UNDER THE
BANNER of HEAVEN

Click Here:  hulu.com/Under-the-Banner-of-Heaven

 

 


 

Men:  The following link was a message by Walt on the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  He made five major points from Chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes.  Here is the link to the message and the Five Principles

Audio of the Week
Five principles from Ecclesiastes

1)  Mortality is 100%. Life at best is brief

2)  The work of man’s hand is Vanity

3)  For reasons all of his own, God has declared man to be of worth

4)  Significance is to be found in giving your life in exchange for that which God gave his life in exchange
(Note: if you save your life you will lose it.  Happiness is found in giving your life to people and not things)

5)  For good or for bad, for the Christian and the non-Christian alike, how we perform on earth will appreciably affect how we spend eternity

 


 

Men:  I have followed Joni Eareckson Tada for most of my Christian walk.  She is my age.  This short video is so sweet and touching, it made me cry.  After watching it, I was pretty much speechless.
Please share this with your wife, family and friends……..

Songs of Suffering:  A Short Film Featuring Joni Eareckson Tada

“Suffering will teach you who you are. It’s a textbook that will show you the stuff of which you are made. And sometimes it’s not very pretty. Suffering will squeeze that out of you. We say we know Christ. The next time you suffer hard, find out what comes out of your mouth. That will show you how much you know Jesus. And in that sense, it’s good.”

No one has spoken more personally and insightfully into the intersection of suffering and faith than Joni Eareckson Tada. In this 13-minute documentary, hear more from Joni herself about her story, how she reacted when she learned 55 years ago that she would never walk again, and what she does to find the heartbeat of Christ within her daily struggle with chronic pain and quadriplegia.

Click on photo or Click Here


 

Whoa!

To Wake Up In Hell – R.C. Sproul

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Matthew 7:13-14

This 15 minute message by R.C. Sproul will give you pause!
At minute 4:28 he mentions when he was walking by a mirror and saw a reflection of himself and the thought struck him about the state of his soul —- “What if I am going to hell” ..…. It terrified him!

 Click here to be terrified

 


 

I was visiting with one of our dear brothers yesterday and the quote below was mentioned.  That quote is so true today.  We are seeing literally a “mass” of men leading lives of “quiet desperation.”  Whether it be socio-economic, political, marriage, children, health, financial, or a myriad of other issues, at the end of the day there is only one solution:  Obeying all the Jesus Christ commanded of us!   (Matthew 28:20)