Especially His: February 2019

Friday, February 15, 2019

Miss Ohio and Revelation

"And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed.

"And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defence to everyone who asks you to give account for the hope that is in you,

"yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame.

"For it is better if God should will it so that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong." I Peter 3:13-17

I went to church with an unexpected friend when I was in my Junior year in High School. Unexpected because I was sort of a wall-flower, nerd combined. So shy and retiring that few ever noticed I was around.

Somehow Tecca did notice me and surprisingly she asked me to come to church with her one Sunday morning! I'd not been in church-church other than for weddings, funerals and baptisms up to that point and so I was thrilled just to be asked; and Tecca was a cheerleader and a homecoming queen and I was a nothing at all.

The church she went to was called Grace Brethren. The thought of denomination or conservative and Bible-based had not become relevant to me, but what Tecca told me was that there was going to be a lady speaking at our Sunday School (had no idea what that was either) and she was the Miss Ohio winner! I could not imagine anything so wonderful.

She spoke on, of all things, Revelation! I was hooked. I had read through the Bible a couple of times by then, but it was mostly stories and lots of hard-words with very little that made any sense in the real world. (My how the Holy Spirit has struggled to correct my ignorance since I became a Christian).

Miss Ohio, did not disappoint.

She was stunningly beautiful and everything I aspired to be...or just pretty would have been enough. She spoke of tanks and helicopters and television sets and things that I seemed to have never seen in my reading of Revelation.

She spoke of the mystery of the symbolism and how it was important that we always watched for the signs because Jesus had said we should.

I was exhausted from that morning and have no clue what anyone said in the service, only that I was eager to get home and pull out my own Bible and search for helicopters and ....

When I did, well, they really weren't/ aren't in there, but if you read it and turn the pages sideways and hold your mouth a certain way, I suppose you can sort of slip the words into shape, just like one of the ugly sisters in Cinderella worked to make the shoe fit (in the original story).

I purposed I would keep an eye on Revelation and the other eye on world events and have always done this. I've lived long enough to see a few "last day go to the rooftops days' that of course, did not pan out.

God is FAR too clever to be figured out and if He chose not to share the time and date with His Son, Jesus, then you HAVE to know He is not going to give enough hints to real people to figure it out before Jesus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze1Mu-jRQv4

Or search YouTube for

Something Prophetic is Going On!

by Jason A

Today, I was watching the most recent 'Jason A' YouTube video and found myself smiling. I hope you enjoy this.

Do not mistake me. The danger is certainly growing. And if you are a true believer in the gracious gift of salvation from the sacrifice of Jesus, you feel it growing closer daily.

Just remember no one can know the when! But we are responsible to be sounding the warning as we see the events unfolding. We must always be ready to explain the hope that is within us!

Intro Statement of Faith

Why "Especially His"? It comes from a closing statement in the WeakDay Devotions that I have been writing nearly every morning since 1999. Each day I close with this:

"Take care with love, especially His"

Although it is shared with many others around the world now, it seems each day's entry is written specifically for me and for what I am experiencing because I am, as the closing says, "especially His".

Over my lifetime I have been writing and teaching Bible-based studies and wanted a way for these teachings to reach a wider audience -- and hopefully be my legacy to a future generation. We all benefit from fellowship and good teaching and motivation that comes through prayer and reading our Bibles!

On this site you will find a variety of Bible-based and Christ-focused materials. My prayer is that they will help you grow and help you as you help others grow.

Modern-day Evangelism

Something amazing I learned as a young follower of Jesus Christ was that most of the efforts of modern day evangelism have little lasting effect, other than exposing an increasing number of people to God's Word. And as it says in Isaiah 55:11:

"So Shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

Yet, many are not ready, have hard hearts, are surrounded by influencing family or peers and they slink away into the warmth and darkness of unexpected despair.

We Need Ways

I do not minimise the value of canned methods or fancy printed tracts or little gimmicks like colourful beads strung on a leather bracelet or origami-folded coloured cards. We all need to have a way to share our faith in a way we are comfortable using.

I myself, was brought to the Cross through a tract called "Peace With God" published by the Billy Grahame Evangelistic Organisation, and I have trained in most of the methodologies for sharing my faith with another. I even wrote one that focuses on how Jesus evangelised and is based on the four Gospels.

But while being discipled under a wonderful Navigator couple (Don and Elaine Lanier) I also learned a statistic that makes so much sense. It goes like this:

"If each one of us, won one person per year to Christ, and we spent that one year discipling them in the basics, every person in the world would hear the Gospel message of Salvation in just thirty-three years."

Earmarked from the Beginning

Our lives are drawn to deciding to or not to follow Jesus from the moment we are conceived. This journey is as unique as our DNA (yes I do know about identical twins).

The journey after we come to understand the grace of the Father is furthermore unique until we die and begin eternity with our heavenly Father.

Statement of Faith

There is more to come, but want you to know just the core basics of my beliefs.

1. I believe God made man in His image and loves him and desires fellowship with him (Genesis 1:26-27, I John 4:10, John 3:16).

2. I believe there is no other way to Eternal Salvation than through knowing I am helpless against my sin nature and choice of sin. (Romans 5:6-8; 6:23).

3. There is nothing I can do to be acceptable in Heaven (Romans 3:20).

4. The only possibility is to accept the freely-offered gift of Jesus Christ paying the price for my sins by His death and resurrection. (I Corinthians 15:3-6; John 14:6).

5. I believe that the gift of Salvation is just that a gift and it is a gift by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) and because this is a gift of grace, there is nothing I can do to make God love me more than He does once I accepted His salvation and there is nothing I can do to make God love me less.

6. That my salvation is not transitory according to my behaviour and that He holds me firmly in the palm of His hand (John 10:29).

7. That from the moment of Salvation, my life is a personal journey of growth that He has designed just for me (Psalm 139).

8. That the Bible is His Word to help me grow daily. II Timothy 3:16. (The translation I use for all quotes, unless otherwise specified, is The New American Standard Bible, ©The Lockman Foundation.)