tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post5419189711031975292..comments2023-10-21T04:32:31.262-05:00Comments on Following Judah's Lion: Man Draws people - God Draws SoulsRick Fruehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05879848568892457571noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-52309005017625206942013-11-18T20:39:05.496-05:002013-11-18T20:39:05.496-05:00Great comments and verses and teaching. Thank you...Great comments and verses and teaching. Thank you everyone.<br /><br />J. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-34123657361105773212013-11-18T19:03:02.029-05:002013-11-18T19:03:02.029-05:00Isaiah 55:8 "For My thoughts are not your th...Isaiah 55:8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. <br />:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.<br /><br />One of my grandpa’s who worked for United States Steel as a Structural Engineer told me about one job that he worked on. As the Mackinac Bridge in Northern Michigan was being built there was a problem because on one day a piece that had been trucked to the job site from the steel mill was turned upside down. The foreman at the job site told the steel workers to cut new holes in this piece to make it fit. The problem with this is the steel beam was forged especially for the position it was to be installed with the holes made in the correct places to be riveted to the whole. This piece was ruined, it could not be used and had to be sent back to the mill. That foreman was fired and replaced because on that beam there were arrows and numbers drawn telling the steel workers how and where to place it.<br /><br />Why is it, then, that God has given us instructions on what to do, what to say and what to pray, that man thinks he can do things differently? I think about the statement Rick put in one of his posts of what a Chinese minister said, “It is truly amazing what the churches in America can accomplish without God!” The only thing they are accomplishing is bringing recognition to themselves. I do not need to list any scripture as to what we all know what God’s thinks about that!<br /><br />2Timothy 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.<br /><br />If the blueprint that was laid out, in the Bible since the foundation of the world, had been followed without question, things might be slightly different today.<br /><br />JoelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-75084339864665910482013-11-18T14:16:26.767-05:002013-11-18T14:16:26.767-05:00
For this is the covenant that I will make with th...<br />For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.<br /><br />Clearly God is still putting his laws into our minds and writing them on our hearts!<br /><br />Blessings<br /><br />JamesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-50803830476395639512013-11-18T13:08:15.998-05:002013-11-18T13:08:15.998-05:00"For we are God's fellow workers, you are..."For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field, you are God's building." I Corinthians 3:9<br /><br />"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." I Corinthians 6:19-20<br /><br />"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking, as newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God as precious, and you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:1-5<br /><br />And for today, and every day of this earthly life, my heart is exceedingly grateful that God, the Holy Spirit, is still moving and drawing people unto Himself, sometimes using unknown people to plant a seed in His field until that final harvest takes place, of which time we do not know.<br /><br />Grateful for another post in which the iron can be sharpened, Pastor Rick. <br /><br />Praise God from whom all Blessings flow. In Jesus' precious Name. Annettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-1210251857557905972013-11-18T12:54:00.810-05:002013-11-18T12:54:00.810-05:00she held a tatered Bible. It looked as though it w...she held a tatered Bible. It looked as though it was a personal Bible as it still had papers and neon colored bookmarks sticking out from its pages. As my eyes filled with glorious tears, I watched this woman share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with this beggar, this man, looking at him as if his very soul was of precious value to our Living God.<br /><br />She did not just give him food for the stomach, she gave the beggar, this Samaritan, the very "Bread of Life."<br /><br />"Then Jesus said to them (the people), "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but My Father gives you true bread from heaven.<br />"For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always." And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." John 6:32-35<br /><br />This stranger, in one brief encounter in time, freely gave this beggar bread for the flesh in one hand, and the Bread of Life, God's Living Word for his spirit, in her other hand. Still watching, I saw this man raise his hand high in the air clutching his new worn Bible, waving a good-bye with empathy in his eyes.<br /><br />To this day, this exchange still moves me to tears of joy in the Spirit.<br /><br />continued.....Annettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-60362628689363351322013-11-18T12:41:58.164-05:002013-11-18T12:41:58.164-05:00"The woman said to Him (Jesus),
"Sir, I..."The woman said to Him (Jesus), <br />"Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."<br />"Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. "You worship what you do not know, we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippiers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." John 4:19-24<br /><br />Then, the LORD willing, I had the privilege of watching the witness of the Holy Spirit testifying to the Glory of our Savior Jesus Christ.<br /><br />I watched a women, get out of her vehicle and walk up to this native man and hand him a baggie of sandwiches. As his eyes softened, he spoke a soft "thank-you." Then in her other hand,<br /><br />continued.....Annettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-51226925491992678602013-11-18T12:30:19.236-05:002013-11-18T12:30:19.236-05:00I apologize for the time delay, there were a few c...I apologize for the time delay, there were a few chores to do. Please allow the continuation, if you may...<br /><br />"Jesus said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." John 4:10<br /><br />Most often, when we encounter the beggar amongst us, whether on the Las Vegas strip, or in an obscure prairie town where you can see the picturesque landscape for seemingly hundreds of miles, we simply ignore their living existance. The Samaritans among us are still present in this day and age.<br /><br />As the people walked past this man, none acknowleged his living presence; not a glance, nor a simple "Hello." He was non-existant to the average genetically engineered human.<br /><br />continued.....Annettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-54412738136606839682013-11-18T11:25:01.553-05:002013-11-18T11:25:01.553-05:00Here's a couple perspectives on that score. On...<br />Here's a couple perspectives on that score. One from the newly freed peoples, the twelve tribes of Israel and the other the New nuanced approach of people finding a firm foundation brought about by the same GOD.<br /><br />The "Old" way:<br /><br />“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven. (Deuteronomy 10:12-22 ESV)<br /><br />The "New" way:<br /><br />Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:17-21 ESV)<br /><br /><br />And<br /><br />But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:6-13 ESV)<br /><br />While we see this ugly side of the Church in the United States and in other countries I'm still a firm believer God still is in control and His plan for the redemption of His people is in full swing!<br /><br />Let us focus our eyes on Jesus trusting Him and the power He has to subject all things to Himself as He by the sanctification work of the Holy Spirit continues to draw people to the Kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel!michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01744678277860175675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-1960334750490520892013-11-18T11:19:03.977-05:002013-11-18T11:19:03.977-05:00Well I remember a national revival of sorts by fre...Well I remember a national revival of sorts by frequenting the Philippines starting in 1979. The emotional experiences I witnessed makes me see more clearly why this "vote" phenomenon exists. I also saw this same emotional experience with the nation of Albania.<br /><br />Both countries lived under repressive regimes. One was under President Marcos and the other under President Aliya. I visited President Aliya at his "oval" office in Tirana. I never met President Marcos but crossed paths with his wife later after his death. The Philippines was more a democratic dictatorship while Albania was communist in repression. Both had a sudden "experience" of freedom allowing both country's people to be free thinking peoples free to pursue economic and social endeavors or whatever they wanted. Both countries stalled the first years of freedom and it looked like people were not going to make the transition from dictatorship head tyrant rule to a choice and vote so you could have who you want to rule rule! You could sense some emotional instability as these two peoples learned how to live in a free open society without having the fear of a regime looking over your shoulders treating you harshly for violating the government's rules. It was an amazing thing to experience as these countries moved forward into becoming as other free democratic countries now looking to the "Western" mindset for help to establish a free based market economy. <br /><br />Did people become happy and content with life now that freedom and democracy began to change their collective national life? NO!<br /><br />Religions stayed the same just more freedom to openly practice them. But there was and still is a spiritual warfare in these two nations. Crime continues and rebellion against God and His authority as well as against the institutions of government. There has been a growth in policing to deal with crimes against humanity. Courts and judges have increased across the countries. The bureaucracy is just different.<br /><br />What's left if neither a communist state or a free state cannot change hearts and minds toward God? GOD!<br /><br />Continued<br />michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01744678277860175675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-26595526747502976632013-11-18T10:43:55.128-05:002013-11-18T10:43:55.128-05:00LORD Jesus Christ, I humbly Praise You and Thank-... <br /> LORD Jesus Christ, I humbly Praise You and Thank-YOU for....<br /><br /> The Priviledge of the Watch<br /><br />Driving the roads less traveled by most can often lend itself to the Testimony of our LORD Jesus Christ in miraculous ways. This particular journey led us on cracked highways through an Indian Reservation, where Tribal Governments rule within the constructs of our national government. We travel curiously and cautiously, appreciating the signts and minding our own business, with no stops allowed. <br /><br />However, on this particular trip, there was an urgent need to stop at the local gas station, much to the wariness of the displeased driver. As we sat and waited, I noticed a man leaning against the backdrop of the convenience store, his long black hair in two braids wearing a farmer's cap. His jeans were faded and the plaid flannel insulated jacket kept him warm in the coolness of the morning. It was a busy station, bustling with activity.<br /><br />I asked myself, "Why is this man just standing there?" I could only make assumptions concerning his problems of living as he was a stranger to me. Was he hung over from Saturday eve's festivities, was he thrown out of his home, did he even have a home, where did this man come from? <br /><br />As people passed by him, he begged for either food or money.<br />He seemed polite, not offensive nor obtrusive as some, but a beggar none-the-less. <br /><br />"A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."<br />John 4:7-9<br /><br />continued......Annettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-63704229439279916402013-11-18T10:09:33.363-05:002013-11-18T10:09:33.363-05:00"Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, an..."Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to <br />those who sold the doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise! Then the disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" <br /><br />"Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."<br /><br />"Then the Jews said,"It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"<br /><br />"But He was speaking of the temple of His body."<br /><br />"Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said to them."<br /><br />John 2:13-22 <br />continued.....Annettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27942026.post-43218091909444827792013-11-18T09:08:39.031-05:002013-11-18T09:08:39.031-05:00Thinking of those things that are
done in our fles...Thinking of those things that are<br />done in our flesh will not pass through the fire but will be burned up and those things done by The Lord will pass through the fire. <br />1 Corinthians 3:11-15<br />For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.<br /><br />I am reminded of Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, Leviticus 10:1,2. The best of intentions was sin before the Lord God.<br />Again, in 2 Samuel 6:7, we note that Uzzah's good intentions got him killed.<br /><br /><br />Even now as you stated that many are interested in numbers, as great numbers are a means of success but in all actuality it is the few that are on the narrow path that have received the faith of Him. <br />Matthew 7:13,14 “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.Shannonnoreply@blogger.com