Category: Just a Thought

How does the thief on the cross fit into your theology?

October 6, 2023

No baptism, no communion, no confirmation, no speaking in tongues, no mission trip, no volunteerism, no financial gifts, and no church clothes. He couldn’t even bend his knees to pray. He didn’t say the sinner’s prayer and among other things, he was a thief. Jesus didn’t take way his pain, heal his body, or smite his scoffers. Yet, it was a thief who walked into paradise the same hour as Jesus simply by BELIEVING.

He had nothing more to offer other than his belief that Jesus was who He said He was. No spin from brilliant theologians. No ego or arrogance. No shiny lights, skinny jeans, or crafty words. No fog machine, donuts, or coffee in the lobby. Just a naked dying man on a cross unable to even fold his hands to pray. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever BELIEVES in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) That is the good news of the Gospel!

(- from a FaceBook post with no credits)

I have news-fatigue…

April 15, 2023

I must sit out on the back porch, listen to the birds chirping, and watch as the white fluffy clouds are slowly floating in the blue sky.
I’m longing for a simpler life. Maybe it would be better not to know about wars, the cruelty of people, the suffering of so many, and the selfish, evil, mass-manipulative plans, and secret deal-makings of the few. Maybe it would be better not to see the methodological misguiding, and confusion of the innocent, and not to see through the blatant lies misleading the masses. It would be so much easier not to know about all this. … But then who would try to do something?
… I look back up to the slow-moving clouds and ask God to lift my spirit. To help me remember that however badly we screw everything up down here, He is in control and can and will bring GOOD out of it all.
…. “Be still and know that I am God.” …
So, I go back and continue to do the little I can to increase good and decrease evil, no matter how tiny and insignificant it might seem to be.

God’s Word Never Returns Empty

November 4, 2021

I was reading Ezekiel 4-5-6 today and to be honest, I wished I was somewhere, ANYWHERE in the New Testament instead. But I kept reading on about God’s wrath and horrible punishment of the people of Israel and Judah, and all the things He required Ezekiel to do. In the meantime, I SO needed the Lord to speak to me, to give me some thoughts that I could apply to my life, my situation, the problems, and the challenges I was facing! I just somehow couldn’t imagine how I could get that from Ezekiel 4-5-6??? But I just kept reading and kept fighting my frustration and wished that I didn’t feel like I wanted to be DONE with it already.

… Then I was done. … And the Lord spoke to me through EVERYTHING I read.

– I was getting a glimpse, a frightening but also an awe-filled glimpse of understanding His power, His ABSOLUTE POWER over EVERYTHING in the Universe, and every tiny human being. I felt how truly and amazingly blessed I was that because of Jesus, I never have to face His wrath, although I am not one iota better than those Israelites whom He destroyed in His anger.

– I then got filled with overwhelming gratitude for Christ and His love for me… ME ???????

– Finally, He filled my heart with His love and His all-surpassing peace, and I knew that whatever happens, He is in control and ultimately IT WILL BE GOOD.

… So, I got His message for me today: No matter which verses we are reading, His word never returns empty. He can speak to our heart we just need to be obedient and listen.

No One Is Too Far…

October 31, 2021

As “gone” as they might look, nobody is too far gone for God’s love and reach. Gang leaders turning into pastors, addicts becoming clean for life, headstrong atheists seeing the Light, … and all of us making a 180 turn away from who we were and become filled with His Spirit that is stronger than anything in the world.

“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

We just supplied a street evangelism team in Hungary with ten thousand tracts. They engage people by performing short skits, then telling them the Gospel, giving them the tracts, and answering their questions. These teams distribute Gospel tracts in parks, in front of universities, events, anywhere they can. They are the ones who spoke with these two guys also. You can see the tract in the hand of one of them. Sometimes street evangelism is not easy. But we are called to tell EVERYONE about Christ.

The Times we Live in…

December 15, 2020

When looking back at history, just like today, several times it seemed like the situation fit the description. I don’t know when the Rapture will happen, now or in 20 years, or in 200, but it is sure that we have never been closer to it than today. And once again the world surely looks like it is ready for it. If my heart wasn’t in agony when I think of our loved ones who don’t want Christ in their lives, I would pray for it to happen at this very hour. But I know what awaits them and it hurts my heart more than I can express. What scares me the most is what is written about those who are left behind.

“They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. For this reason, God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, so that all will be condemned — those who did not believe the truth…” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 CSB)

Father, I know that You who brought the universe into existence you are also the one who writes history. Things in the world seem to be lining up for the tribulation, so the rapture could happen at any time. You also told us that horrible times come after the rapture because nothing will hold back evil on Earth then. Lord, You reached down to us, opened our eyes, and extended Your grace and mercy to us even though we were so wretched. I ask you, please have mercy on our loved ones! Please open their eyes to Your Truth! Please let them see evil for what it is and good for what it is! Please let them see how desperately they need You. Please don’t let them be consumed by the lie! You love them more than we do, and You don’t want them to perish but to have everlasting life with You.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen

All of Jesus for All the World

October 30, 2020

Unprecedented turmoil in our country, protests, riots, anger, distrust over the validity of the upcoming elections, lost jobs, unemployment, isolation, and the lurking of an invisible virus… It is easy to become overwhelmed or at least preoccupied by all that is going on. And that’s exactly what the enemy wants. When we have so much to deal with, we forget that Jesus asked each of us to spread the Gospel. Not everyone is called to be a pastor or a missionary, but every one of us is called by Jesus to take our small part in telling others about the wonderful truth we were given by God’s grace and mercy. It is easy to forget about all the masses of people who live their entire lives in cultures and societies where they have written off Christianity as an old, worthless fable. But with us you CAN reach many of those lost souls with God’s truth, His love, and the message of salvation if you become a part of our team. We need your help! We are just ordinary people who gave up our main career and said yes to the Lord’s call to fully devote our lives to building His kingdom. Please check out our projects and pray to see if the Lord wants you to become a part of reaching the lost with us.

Lost Truth…

July 10, 2020

“In a world where truth is considered to be relative and where the masses are encouraged or even strong-armed into accepting everyone’s “truth” as valid, I often wonder if logic can still be used to persuade people. Personal feelings and ideologies often trump facts in the marketplace of ideas. Many people have become conditioned to accept the nonsensical in the name of pluralism and political correctness.
However, for the sincere truth-seeker, logic still serves its intended purpose. Facts are real and concrete. Truth is not relative, and our God-given ability to think logically is still one of the key things that separates us from the animals. Deep in our gut is a compass that points to true north despite the loud and deceptive voices of culture.”
– Todd Hampson

The Problem of Plenty, and the Problem of None

June 19, 2020

If you are like me and many English speaking Christians, every morning you receive several daily devotionals. Some come as emails, others as notifications from your apps. And those are just the devotionals. If you want to find a Bible study in any topic you can choose from countless apps that give you access to thousands of studies written by the churches you know, the pastors you love, or the ministries you follow. And if you want to deepen your faith you can find literally tens of thousands of books online that will help you do just that. The difficulty we English speaking Christians face when we want to grow closer to Christ is that we have such an extreme abundance of resources that it is quite a task to choose from them. Now imagine that ALL of those resources were – let’s say – in French … NOT in English. If you wanted to hear or read about Christ, all you had was materials in French. … Even if you took some French in high school or college, how much more difficult it would be to discover Jesus, to grow closer to Him, to feed your soul? … THIS IS EXCTLY what people in most European countries face.

When the World Feels Like…

June 18, 2020

When the world feels like a beehive that someone kicked into…
When we see hundreds of thousands dying from a disease…
When we realize that several competing powers are trying to use this to dominate the world…
When the News pushes violence, hatred, destruction in front of our eyes…
When our family becomes a battleground of clashing political views…
When we fall into a deep, dark well of uncertainty and find hopelessness at the bottom…
The one thing we can know for sure is that STILL God is in control!

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

Psalm 40:1-3

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me; he freed me from all my fears. 

Psalm 34:4

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.

Revelation 21:4

But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.

Isaiah 40:31

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – John 14:27

John 14:27

What is Sin?

April 10, 2020

Do you get irritated, or uncomfortable when you hear the word: “sin”? How about it this way then: “Sin disrupts the harmonies God created in this universe and then it resists God restoring those harmonies. It destroys the harmony between us and our creator. It destroys the harmony between us and others, it destroys the harmony between humanity and creation and it destroys the intended harmony within our own souls. …
When we deny sin, it leaves us spiritually tone-deaf. When you can’t recognize the wrong notes in the universe you can’t recognize the right notes in the universe, and the music of God’s truth whistles right through… and you don’t even detect it. “
– Rock Dillaman (www.acac.net)