Archive for the ‘Baptism In Jesus Name’ Category
“I’m Going To Run Away From Home!”
“I’m Going To Run Away From Home!”
That’s what I told my mom. I looked at her face and she didn’t seem to be overly shaken by the news, which
Me, Daddy (Carl) & Mama (Content) Ballestero 1951
was a good thing for me. So I relaxed a bit. I had already handled the hardest part. I’d made my big announcement. She smiled understandingly at me, as she touched my shoulder.
“Would you like me to help you pack your suitcase?” She asked, still smiling pleasantly.
My seven-year old brain didn’t pick up on the fact that she wasn’t overly shaken or alarmed by my desire to go, and was asking to help me pack.
I quickly accepted her assistance, because I had never packed a suitcase before. Mama was good at packing and always making sure I had everything I needed for trips.
I watched as she put my clothes in the little suitcase. There were enough changes to maybe get me through a whole week, which was good. She made sure my little Bible and toothbrush were also packed in the suitcase. There wasn’t any room left for my brown teddy bear. I felt a major twinge about that. I hadn’t planned on being that alone.
Mama and I took a final look around my room looking for anything else I might need to take with me. Finding nothing, she closed the lid and handed me the small suitcase.
I stood there a little uncertain about how my goodbye should be handled. Our family was a kissy and huggy kind of family.
Should I kiss and hug her good-bye, or should I just say, “Bye” and leave? I was unsure. Before I had time to figure it out, mama made the decision for me.
“Honey, put down your suitcase right there, because I would like to take you on a tour of the house before you go.”
I sat the suitcase down and followed behind mama as she walked down the hall toward her bedroom. She stopped in the doorway as I joined her, and we both looked into her modestly furnished room.
“Since you are never going to get to see this room again, I thought you might want to see for the last time, where your mommy and daddy sleep at night. This is where you came every night to say your bedtime prayers and get your good night kisses.
“It’s also where you came every morning to get hugs and kisses from mommy and daddy. But, since you’re leaving you’ve probably outgrown all that now, so you won’t have to come back here any more, but I wanted you to see it.”
I took a big gulp. I didn’t want to cry now. I hadn’t expected a tour of any kind. I’d just wanted to runaway.
She then took my hand and guided me to my sister’s bedroom.
“This is where Beverly and your little sister Carlene sleep, take a good look, you’ll never get to see your sisters again. (Beverly was almost six and Carlene was two.)
Mama then guided me by my bedroom and I looked at my teddy bear proudly sitting on my bed. I felt a big twinge.
The tour continued into the kitchen. Mama took great pains to explain to me that this was where she fixed my favorite meals. She also pointed out where I used to stand and talk to her, as she cooked.
“Here is where I made your pancakes, and cooked your favorite meals. In here is where I baked you cookies, pies, cakes and your favorite orange crusted biscuits!” She said as she pointed at the oven.
“You probably won’t be having any biscuits, cookies or pancakes where you’re going. You don’t know how to make those, and you don’t even have anything to make them with, if you did. So take a good look around.”
I hadn’t thought about never having biscuits, cookies or pancakes again. There were some things about running away I evidently hadn’t thought out completely. I got very serious.
We then walked into the dining room and stopped at the foot of the table where I always sat.
“Here is your place at the table, son. It’s going to look awful empty without you in it!”
She let that sink in a moment before we moved on. She pointed at the chairs.
“Here is where your daddy always sits, and here is where Beverly sits, and Carlene sits here, and I always sit over there. Take a good look, Honey, because you won’t ever get to see this table, or eat with us any more.”
I began to feel more alone than I had planned. Mama walked toward the living room, and I joined her looking at the couch and easy chairs.
“Over here is your daddy’s chair. That’s where he always sits during family devotions when he reads us a chapter from the Bible or reads from The Bible Story Book.
“Here is where I always sit, and there is where Beverly and Carlene sit, and over there is where you always sit.
Mama placed her arm around me as we stood side by side looking the room over.
“Well honey, I think that about concludes the tour of our home. I know you won’t ever get to see it again, because you won’t be coming back. But I want you to know and I want you to always remember how much you mommy and daddy love you.
Never forget how much your little sisters love you too. We are going to miss you every day. You will always be welcome here, because we will always love you.”
Then without a lengthy delay she continued her goodbyes.
“Oh, one more thing, I know I’ve shown you all through the house for the last time, but why don’t you kneel down with mama where we always pray for our family devotions and tell Jesus goodbye.
“You probably won’t be talking to Him anymore either.”
Tell Jesus goodbye? That thought shocked me childish mind. I hadn’t planned on telling Jesus goodbye. All I thought I wanted to do was runaway from home.
Without waiting for me to give any verbal response, mama knelt down at the old sofa and began to pray as only my mama could pray.
Mama was one of those precious Holy Ghost filled mama’s that prayed them heart-felt and spirit filled prayers. She never prayed very long without everyone around her knowing she had touched something pretty wonderful in the glory world.
She began to pray fervently, crying quickly and speaking in tongues. This was how mama always prayed, but today’s prayer and her crying took on new meaning for me as I knelt there beside her.
I listened to her crying, and I felt sure I had made my mama cry because I was running away. I listened to her pray and speak in tongues and knew she was surely talking to Jesus.
I had only been on my knees less than two or three minutes when I began to cry. I placed my arm around my mama and pulled myself close to her.
“Mama, I am so sorry for wanting to run away. I’m not going to go anywhere. I’m going to stay home with you.
Please forgive me, mama. I love you. I promise, I will never leave you. I won’t even get married, or nothing. I’m just going to stay with you!”
She slipped her arm around me, and hugged me tightly as she gave me a sweet kiss. And then she went back to finish her prayer time with the Lord.
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By chance have you been thinking lately about running away from Home?
- Have you been considering leaving the Father’s House?
- Have you?
Well, before you go, please, please permit me to take you on a tour of the church you’ve been part of for so long.
I want you look with me again at the place where the plan of salvation was first preached to you. I am pointing at the pulpit.
Remember feeling like you had sinned so bad that God would never forgive you? Can you hear your pastor’s voice once again saying that there was no sin you had ever committed that Jesus wouldn’t forgive you of? Remember him trying to give you hope? He was trying to tell you that God loved you no matter what.
I’m sure you remember him saying that you needed to believe in God’s promise, repent of your sins, be baptized in Jesus name, and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost speaking in other tongues. Just like they did on the day of Pentecost.
Please look right over here at the altar where you first knelt down and repented of your sins. Remember how you felt when you felt you repented that night?
Now, I want you to come with me over to the baptistery and look into the place where your sins got washed away in Jesus name! Remember how clean you felt and how wonderful that experience was?
Then, when you came up out of the water you lifted your hands and God filled you with the Holy Ghost. You spoke in a language you’d never spoken in before! Take a look at this place again and ask your self if the world has anything that matches that.
Oh, see that aisle right there? Remember all the times you shouted, and danced for joy down those aisles?
Remember the night you came up to the front and stood right there in a healing line and God healed you instantly of cancer? The world can’t offer you that.
Look over there at the third pew where you’ve sat all these years. Remember that Sunday night you stood and testified about God healing you? Remember that?
Come over here to this door, look in here. This is the prayer room you always went to before service each night. You fought a lot of battles and won a lot of victories kneeling right there.
Please walk with me down this hall. Here is the Pastor’s office. He sure loves you. Think of the many times he’s given you counsel, direction and encouragement.
I know you’ll never forget how he would pray with you, and for you, before you left the room. I hope you can remember what that was like, because you won’t have anything like that anymore.
Now, we need to come back out into the auditorium and look it over real slow. Let the faces of each one come to mind as you look at where they sat during service. They loved you. They rejoiced and shouted the night you got saved. Those dear people will pray for you daily, when they realize you are gone. They will never give up on you.
Never forget how much you are loved here. We are going to miss you everyday. Don’t ever forget that the Lord truly loves you and gave His all for you!
Well, that pretty much concludes our little tour.
Aw, before you go, why don’t you kneel with me right here where you always pray, and then you can tell Jesus good-bye too…
The Day Reading A Text While Driving, Saved A Life!
The Day Reading A Text While Driving, Saved A Life!
Most of us live or travel in states where texting or even reading a text while driving is illegal. Most Insurance Companies panic at the very thought.
Texting while driving is nothing new. It’s more than old hat. I actually happened before any of us were ever born. Reading Text while driving, first happened many centuries ago. Really!
Acts 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
Acts 8:27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
Acts 8:28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
Acts 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
Acts 8:30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
Acts 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
Acts 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
Acts 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Acts 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
Acts 8:39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
Philip helped him understand that Isaiah’s writings were speaking of Jesus. He evidently, explained the whole plan of salvation because the eunuch stopped the chariot when he found water, and asked to be baptized!
See, I told you that a life got saved because of texting while driving!
What Is Your Quality Of Life?
What Is Your Quality Of Life?
According to dictionary.com, the phrase quality of life entered our American language in the early 1940’s. We commonly use this expression to describe the availability of comforts, or the lack thereof.
Auntie Fern
As a seven-year-old boy, I was aware that my Auntie Fern was dying with cancer. She was quite young, but the disease had exhausted her strength. My mind still sees pictures of her sitting in Grandma Gleason’s house at 711 Polk St, Oregon City, Oregon in her special chair.
Auntie Fern smiled at me a lot as she sat covered in her lap blanket. I have no memory of ever seeing her walk, but before the cancer, she always had. She had a beautiful twelve-year-old daughter Carolyn. Cancer quickly takes away what we may have determined to be, our quality of life.
Beverly
My sister, Beverly Anne, was fourteen months younger than me. Problems at her birth complicated the health conditions she was already born with. She was a very sickly child. She was not strong enough to go to school after the fourth grade. She never got to skip rope a day in her life.
Her hair never grew long, her eyes were weak, her nails wouldn’t grow and her broken bones couldn’t mend. Her body produced no calcium.
She never had a boyfriend, or ever went out on a date. She never got a love letter. The lack of calcium, plus other critical health issues occasionally caused her to go into convulsions during the last two years of her life. She kept a bell by her bed to ring for help when she felt another episode coming on.
In her last years, I carried her in my arms from the parsonage to the church every service, and placed her in a special chair at church. Beverly died at seventeen. But she died talking in tongues.
The case can certainly be made about her not having much in the way of any quality of life. But I guess the measurement depends on the yardstick being used.
Daddy
After nearly eighteen years, I still carry the mental images of my Alzheimer’s stricken, father. His world was even further complicated with the addition of Parkinson’s disease.
His seven-year journey into that alien realm was heart breaking to watch. This was the man whose mind was so sharp, he had preached the 1964 UPCI General Conference in San Antonio, using notes he had scribbled on the back of his hotel cleaner’s receipt. Now, he had to be led everywhere. Now, he had to be fed. Now, he had to be dressed. Now, he had to be cared for as a small child, while the disease held him securely in its grasp.
He did not easily recognize his friends or even all of his family. He soon got to the place where he could no longer carry on any meaningful conversations. Yet, something was still alive in him on the inside.
Some visiting ministers came to see him one time. They talked about the Lord, and about the Oneness of the Godhead. They talked about the Mighty God in Christ. Daddy came out of his mental fog and started quoting ‘One God’ scriptures. Tears flowed as his visitors listened to his words.
When they were ready to leave, they wanted to pray with Daddy. As the prayer started, an invisible switch turned on inside of him. He began to pray with power and anointing. All wept again just listening to him pray. The Holy Ghost filled the room. When the prayer was over, he retreated back into his Alzheimer’s oblivion. On 9/11/1994, we watched as the hands of the Lord led him where no other hand could lead him.
Did he have much in the way of quality of life during his last years? No, not from where you’re standing. No, not from what my eyes or my heart could see either.
Mama
January 13, 2012 my loving sisters and I laid our sainted Mama in the arms of the Lord. Her dementia was different from Daddy’s. Her short-term memory left her a couple of years before she left us. Yet, she still always responded warmly to our affection.
I tried to call her every day, after Daddy died in 1994. The last year, however, it was almost impossible from me to have any meaningful conversation with her on the phone. I tried using Skype video calls, with my sister Nila assisting Mom. Her eyes always lit up when she saw me, she would then tell me that she loved me. When I told her how much I loved her and what a wonderful mother she was, she would smile and say, ” Keep talking, ‘Say some more Honey Baby,’ or ‘Cha La La.”
But… If someone were to start quoting a Psalm, her mind became alert, especially, if Psalms 100 was quoted. She may not even open her eyes, but she would automatically quote the verses with you, or if you paused, she would quote the next verse. She came alive when any Psalm was quoted.
Other than that? Not much, but just sit in her chair all day. No more playing the piano. No more singing. Not eating much either. Just sleeping the day away.
A few days before she died, she had a stroke in the middle of the night. Her fall broke her hip. She was in so much pain. Did she have any quality of life in her last years? Not like you would hope to enjoy.
So, What Does It Mean To Have Quality Of Life?
- Does it mean good health?
- Does it mean wealth?
- Does it mean love?
- Does it mean living in a good neighborhood?
- Does it mean having needed amenities in your house?
- Does it mean living in a nice house?
- Does it mean owning a new car?
- Does it mean eating well?
- Does it mean having nice clothes?
- Does it mean something that money buys?
- What does it mean?
- Does it mean being able to walk?
- Does it mean being able to speak?
- Does it mean being able to hear?
- Does it mean being able to see?
Careful now…
In your mind,
- Does quality of life mean being active?
- Does it mean having the strength to exercise?
- Does it include bike riding?
- Does it include riding motorcycle riding?
- Does it include going fishing or hunting?
- Does it include going shopping?
- Does it include getting out of the house?
Actually, our definition of the term, Quality of Life is quite different from God’s opinion.
Jesus Said That He Was Life!
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 10:10 I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
What the phrase, quality of life, has come mean to me is simply that there is NO quality of life without Jesus! The good news is that He came to give Life, and give it more abundantly!
How do you obtain this supreme Quality Of Life?
The answer is simple. You must be born again of the water and of the Spirit! On the Day of Pentecost, the multitudes asked Peter how to obtain this experience.
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Quality Of Life really hasn’t much to do with mobility and health, (if we go by the Lord’s standard of judgment.) You may be rich, healthy and wise, and still not enjoy any real Quality of Life… until you’ve met the Giver of Life at an altar of repentance.
- Don’t Die Until You’ve Received The Holy Ghost… Which Is, Christ In You!
- There Is No True Quality Of Life Without Him!
That’s What I’m Talking About!
Repeating, But Not Obeying!
Repeating, But Not Obeying!
There’s a difference between repeating a command, and obeying it. If the drill sergeant gave an order and the soldier simply repeated it back to him, something uncomfortable will surely happen to the soldier to improve his comprehension.
If a parent gave their child a command to ‘Eat your veggies,’ or ‘Pick up your clothes,’ and the child just looked at the parent, smiled and repeated the command back to them and didn’t obey. Things might get ugly.
What if the math teacher said, “Turn to page 73 in you textbook.” And all the students said, “Turn to page 73 in you textbooks.” And then they just sat there and did nothing else?
Imagine the pastor saying, “You may be seated.” And the crowd answered him back, “You may be seated.” And they all just stood there and looked at the preacher and never thought that something might wrong with their response.
- This type of thinking is not really far-fetched all.
- This kind of twisted response happens around the world.
- This lack of understanding is resident in most churches in America.
- Repeating and not obeying, places the souls in jeopardy every day.
Jesus looked at His disciples and gave them instructions for evangelism and baptism. He said:
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
That’s what He said. So, on the day of Pentecost, Peter didn’t repeat the command, he obeyed the command.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Philip obeyed the command. He didn’t just repeat it.
Acts 8:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
At the household of Cornelius, Peter made sure the command was obeyed, not just repeated.
Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Even the Apostle Paul understood the difference between repeating and obeying.
Acts 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
Acts 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
If, when the preacher baptized you he said, “I now baptize you In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,” he did not obey the command. He just repeated it, because he didn’t say what the name was.
To be obedient to the command of Jesus, you must be baptized in the NAME (singular) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. That NAME, is Jesus.
- Only those baptized in Jesus name have obeyed Matthew 28:19.
- All others just repeated the command without obeying it.
What did your preacher do? Did he obey, or did he just repeat? You’ve got make sure!
He Came To A Stable!
He Came To A Stable!
Luke 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Of all the places in the world for the King of kings to make His inaugural appearance to mankind! He chose the lowliest place of all! He chose a Stable. It was a place where filth and stink were all too common.
Imagine a God so holy, that He had to humble Himself to look upon heaven. I can understand Him having to humble Himself to look upon earth, but heaven too? He came to a stable. Man’s mind cannot completely fathom a Divine introduction into such a lowly estate.
It wasn’t like the sanitized nativity setting in a Macy’s Department Store window. The stable where He was born wasn’t used to elegance. It was only familiar with life on the lowest level. Straw, dirt, old boards, rusty nails, spider webs, bird nests, a rough-hewn manger, and smelly animal droppings created the ambience for the birthplace of our Lord.
Animals made this stable their home. They had spent all day eating the finery of the plush fields heaven had provided. At night, these same creatures turned heaven’s best into earth’s worst.
One step inside the stable was convincing enough. The animals had created an atmosphere of nothing but filth and stink. There was an overwhelming odor. There was excrement that had to be removed. That’s the place He chose.
He Came To A Stable!
Garden of Eden
Sin takes heaven’s best and turns it into earth’s worst. That is what happened in the Garden of Eden. It’s still doing that today. God closed down man’s Paradise because of the filth of sin, and evicted Adam and Eve. Yet, in the New Testament, symbolically, he came to the same kind of place. A place of filth.
Mary Magdalene
He was called a friend of sinners. He was a friend of those that lived in filth. Remember the story of Mary and her alabaster box? She had lived her life in filth. But in Jesus, she found cleansing and forgiveness.
Woman At the Well
“I must needs go by Samaria,” Jesus said. What was in Samaria? Samaria was an off-limits place for Jews to even visit. The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. It was as dirty to them as a stable.
“I must needs go by the stable,” was what His statement may have sounded like to the disciples. A stable creature was what He found when He went there. A woman who had been married five times, and was now living with someone else, was the reason He came. She ran back to her village and brought everyone out to meet Jesus.
Peter’s Vision
The Apostle Peter had a difficult time at first. He couldn’t comprehend God’s willingness to deal with the unclean. A vision from God of a sheet being let down with all kinds of unclean animals, was shown to him. A voice said, “Rise Peter, slay and eat.”
Peter vehemently protested, because to him they were common, and unclean. The voice finally instructed Peter.
Acts 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Because of this, Peter went to the household of Cornelius and opened the door of Salvation unto the Gentiles. The very people Jesus had called dogs. Peter was sent to unlock the door of the stable and let every one out.
He Came To A Stable! He Is Not Afraid Of The Filth In Your Life! He Loves You!
It will be the biggest mistake of your life, if you buy into the thinking that Jesus will not forgive you because you’ve been too bad. That is not true. There is no sin common unto man who He won’t forgive.
1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1 Corinthians 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1. Washed – God specializes in cleaning up lives. Let Him clean yours.
2. Sanctified – He makes you into a pure and holy vessel He can use.
3. Justified – NOW, it’s just as if you’ve never sinned.
- In the name of the Lord Jesus – (The Biblical mode of Baptism)
- By the Spirit of our God – (The in-filling of the Holy Ghost)
He Came To A Stable, He Knows About Filth! He Wants To Make You Clean!
We couldn’t go to where He was, so He came to where we were. He came to a stable. He came to save the drunkard, the drug user, the immoral, the profane, the unbeliever and other sinners. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. God is not afraid of the dirt and filth in your life. He will cleanse you and wash you if you’ll just repent.
Get baptized in Jesus Name, and let Him fill you with His wonderful Spirit, just like the disciples did:
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Only Love, Could Have Made Him Come To A Stable!
The Old Oregon Trail, And The Apostle John
The Old Oregon Trail, And The Apostle John
No, the Apostle John never travelled the Oregon Trail. Yet, there is a common thread here and a simple truth worth sharing, found in their stories.
Ezra Meeker
Ezra Meeker
In the early 1920’s Ezra Meeker, the world-famous wagon train master, walked into my grandfather’s Oregon City Art Studio. My mother’s father, Turner Hubble Gleason, had been commissioned to paint the portrait of one of the most prominent citizens of the state of Oregon. A copy of his portrait remains in our family to this day.
By now, Mr. Meeker was a very old man. His beard was full and long and his hair white. His steps were still steady. His life had been filled with more adventure than most men could ever dream about. He had seen his life’s dreams come true.
“Before his death in 1928, just a few days shy of his 98th birthday, Ezra Meeker had not only walked the Oregon Trail several times, he’d ridden along it in an automobile and aboard a train, and flown over it in an airplane: he’d come a long way, and for many his story symbolized the opportunities that had been available on the frontier.” – http://www.lib.washington.edu/exhibits/frontier/local/case8.html
He had met with Indians. He had become friends with Indian Chiefs and had even driven his ox team to Washington to meet with President Teddy Roosevelt and several congressmen. The President had even walked out of the White House to see Ezra Meeker’s ox team and to talk of his future plans for him.
As the last Wagon Master to lead a train over the Oregon Trail, Mr. Meeker had been called on to verify the trail for the building of a new federal highway.
Unscrupulous men for years had side-tracked the unsuspecting traveler on the trail with their bogus signs. Signs with arrows proclaiming such things as “Custer’s Last Stand.”
In reality, the side trails took the weary and naïve off the true trail. To their dismay, they found that this was just a trading post or curio shop.
There was much confusion for the unsuspecting traveller. Something had to be done to straighten out the true Oregon Trail.
The President commissioned Ezra Meeker to guide surveyors, engineers and project managers to show them the original trail… The Old Oregon Trail.
Regardless of what the current signs said, Meeker ignored them and fully trusted his memory of the trail. He had spent a lifetime climbing every mountain and crossing every river. He knew the trail. That’s why they had chosen him.
Oregon Trail pioneer Ezra Meeker erected this boulder near Pacific Springs on Wyoming's South Pass in 1906.
Meeker, would say things like:
- “We crossed the river right here.
- “We went up the mountain on this side.
- “Over there is where we made camp.
- “Right here is the trail, ignore what that sign over there says.”
He then would remark the trail with his own signs that said. “Old Oregon Trail”
Because of Ezra Meeker’s life experience with the trail, the United States government trusted only him to lay the trail out right.
When the final stake was driven, they began construction of the famous east-west highway. Today, they call it, U.S. Highway 30. It remains as true as possible to the original trail.
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The Apostle John
Mr. John Phillips in his commentary on the Gospel of John, starts his preface with something similar to this…
Matthew, Mark, and Luke were all dead. Peter, the Prince of Apostles had died too. John was the first, and now the last Apostle. He alone of all the Apostles remained alive.
He was approximately 90 years old. Banished on the Island of Patmos, he began to write to his children in the Lord. He wrote as if he was the last defender of the New Testament doctrine.
Already the church was beginning to drift. They were deviating from the old paths in doctrine and in separation from the world, among other things. Grievous wolves had entered the flock.
His Epistles were the last known attempt to set the record straight. He had traveled the Trail of Truth from the very start. He wasn’t about to let anyone pervert this glorious message.
He drove down verbal markers and stakes, fearlessly proclaiming the message. It was the message that Jesus had given to the Disciples. The only message the Apostles ever preached.
John was prepared to die. But before dying, he was making sure that generations to come would know the Truth. As he made each point and drove it home, he would say: “This is…” He left no room for error.
“This Is Our Message”
- He Began His Gospel and Epistles Saying, This Is The Most Important Revelation.
- That There Is Only One God. His name Is Jesus!
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
He then went on to proclaim in his epistles to the churches, the true Message.
1.) “This is the Promise.”
1John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
2.) “This is the Message.”
1John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
3.) “This is His Commandment.”
1John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
4.) “This is the spirit of the Antichrist.”
1John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
5.) “This is the Love of God.”
1John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
6.) “This is the Victory.”
1John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
7.) “This is He.”
1John 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
8.) “This is the Witness of God.”
1John 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
9.) “This is the Record.”
1John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
8.) “This is the Confidence.”
1John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
9.) “This is the True God.”
1John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
10.) “This is Love.”
2John 6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
11.) “This is a Deceiver and an Antichrist.”
2John 7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
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If you ever plan to drive to the state of Oregon and arrive there safely, one of the men you can thank is Ezra Meeker. He did everything he could to make sure that generations to come would follow the “Old Oregon Trail.”
If you ever plan to go to heaven and see Him who is God manifested in the flesh, one of the men you can thank, is the Apostle John. He did everything he could to keep the New Testament Church following “The Apostolic Message.”
Obey Acts 2:38
Professional Wine Connoisseurs Are In Your Church!
Professional Wine Connoisseurs Are In Your Church!
They’re a snobbish lot. Some, if not most, may consider themselves a marked cut above the general population.
After all, their sensory gifts are able to determine the “great” from the “mundane” or even from the “good.”
Some are so good, that just by tasting they can tell you the name of the wine and the year it was bottled.
They also run in very elite circles and hobnob with the movers and shakers in town. Good wines cost a lot of money. So it they aren’t blessed with the green stuff, they hang out with those that are.
From time to time in the upper-crust circles, wine tastings are hosted. Often, it is even a black tie event.
The Sniff
The connoisseurs know their stuff. They all know that judging the color is the first step in tasting wine.
There are five basic steps in tasting wine I am told: These are sometimes known as the “Five S” steps: see, swirl, sniff, sip, savor.
The Sip
Then comes the scoring of the wine.
1. The appearance of the wine,
2. The nose or smell,
3. The palate or taste, and
4. Overall.
After watching the wine tasters swirl the wine in the goblet, sniff the bouquet, sip it and then hold it momentarily in their mouth… they spit it out. That’s right.
The Spit
There are even websites that boast that they can teach you how to spit wine like a pro.
Expectoration may have been the last thing some would have expected. But the connoisseur, the professional wine taster, chooses not to swallow. He is not here to drink. He has come to judge.
I suppose that in the secular world their logic makes sense. The problem is, that the same thing is being done in God’s House.
Who would have thought it? Of all the places wine tasters could have met, most of them seem to meet in our churches.
“What are they doing in our churches?”
“Why, they are wine tasting of course!”
“During the service?”
“Sure!”
“During the preaching?”
“Why, that’s when they do it the most!”
They sit there listening.
They can’t afford to get inebriated like others around them.
They look at the color as they swish it around in their glass.
They sniff at the thought process of the sermon.
They take a sip of it and hold it in their mouth.
They are so gifted; they can identify in their mind the very vineyard it came from and the year it was bottled.
Umm… that was “Worship 1977.”- I think that was “Holiness 1962.”
- That was “Doctrine AD 34.”
- “New Birth, Day of Pentecost!”
Oh yes. They know it when they hear it.
Then they spit it out.
They hear the Word, but they refuse to apply it to themselves. They feel they are superior in doctrine, and quite possible in intelligence, to almost every one in the church. Including the pastor.
They’ve heard it all before. They know it all forwards and backwards. But if you think they are going to swallow what they hear in church today, “you got another think a coming.”
They’ve been spitting it out for years! They will keep spitting it out too, until they die. To change and start swallowing would draw too much attention. They would lose their place in the church as a ‘deep’ saint of God. they would also lose face.
Actually they are not deep at all. Anyone can spit. That doesn’t require a gift or ability. They are not connoisseurs of the preached Word of God. They are only critics.
The reason they spit it out is because they are truth rejecters. (While I am on the subject, it seems like God mentioned spewing some folks out of His mouth too.)
The greatest danger you can do to yourself is to hear the Word and not apply it to your own life. Receive it and prosper. Receive it and live. Reject it and die.
They didn’t spit it out when Peter preached to them on the Day of Pentecost!
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
The only way to grow in God is to be a doer and not just a hearer.
James 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
James 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
So… What are you going to do the next time you hear preaching?
Spit it out, or receive it?
The Sinners In The Communion Line
The Sinners In The Communion Line
The place where The Apostolic Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma is now located, was originally a restaurant. It had started out as The Western Sizzler Steak House. It stood on a small hill overlooking Historic Highway 66 on the edge of town. Its four lanes of highway were closely paralleled by another four-lane road scarcely 100 yards apart.
Even with all the heavy traffic under it’s nose the old steakhouse struggled to survive and finally closed. It reopened eventually, as a Mexican restaurant. This new enterprise was not was not able to last very long either, and finally closed. The big sign overlooking the highway sadly announced that fact when the letters were removed. The restaurant then sat empty for a time.
Originally, The Apostolic Church had been closer to town and was temporarily housed in a storefront, They dreamed of the day when they would have a place of their very own. They gave sacrificially and saved. They had fundraisers. They prayed and they looked.
A couple of years ago the Lord made way for the empty restaurant to be purchased by the church and they worked hard to remodel their new facility.
Many work nights were needed to make the transition. The normal Thursday midweek service was often cancelled or temporarily changed to “work nights” to accommodate the workers schedules.
In January of 2010 Pastor Jeff Dykes called a three-day fast. He also announced special prayer meetings for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Communion would be served on Wednesday. This service was just for the church family. The pastor explained the sacredness of Communion and asked that no outside visitors be invited, especially… no sinners.
Unknown to anyone in the church, a stranger named Sam drove by the empty restaurant on his way to work everyday. Sam worked at a hospital a little farther west. He immediately noticed the new church name on the old restaurant sign. Something happened to him then when he drove by the church. It caught his attention and made him look toward it every time he passed by. He felt a peace in his heart when he drove by the church. He felt a peace so great he couldn’t get it off of his mind.
Sam was in pain. His memories hurt him. His heart hurt him. His conscience hurt him. He knew he needed church. He wanted to get right with God. He had been around an Apostolic Church before. Somehow, it had never worked out for him to get right with God. But now he was ready.
He drove back that night, but the service night had been changed due to the many needed work nights. Undeterred, Sam tried several more times to get there when there was church. He felt the need to be in service at this church. He felt a drawing from the Lord.
It happened, that on the night of the announced Wednesday Communion service, that Sam and his girlfriend showed up and sat in the back.
The pastor was caught off guard to see these new faces on a Communion service night. He didn’t feel he could serve Communion to those that not didn’t live for God. Almost apologetically, he explained what was getting ready to happen in the service and said that Communion was a type of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. He said it he only served communion to those that had been baptized in Jesus name and filled with the Holy Ghost.
Sam and his girlfriend never budged. The pastor had tried to warn them off in a nice way, but they had stayed anyway. Less determined sinners might have left. This was going to complicate things.
White cloths covered the trays that contained the Lord’s Supper. They sat on a table in front of the pulpit.
After worship and prayer, the pastor read his scriptural passages and explained that he wanted to serve communion to the church, one family at a time. He invited them to stand in line in family groups.
In so doing, he not only served them all, but personally prayed for each one of them as well.
Sam and his girl friend quietly talked. He wanted to go up and take communion. She invited him to go in front of her, thinking that if he got turned down, she wouldn’t have to wait to be turned down. She’d leave… or something.
Every one else in the building had been served except Sam and his girlfriend. Sam had stood at the back of the line. He didn’t know if anyone noticed or not, but tears were rolling down his cheeks. He was crying very hard.
It was like the floodgates of his heart had opened. The tears streamed and heavily stained his dark shirt. The whole front of his shirt was soaking wet with tears when he stood in front of the preacher to receive Communion. When the Pastor saw Sam crying, he laid his hands on his head. Sam immediately began to speak in other tongues. What an experience he got!
The church folks all said it was the best Communion service they’d ever had. Oh yes, Sam and his girlfriend both got the Holy Ghost and got baptized. They got married too.
Here is Bro. Sam beating on the old drum during a praise service a year later. He is a good worshipper.
His precious wife is now one of the praise singers.
Oh, yes… Before the night was over, they received Communion too.
To God be the glory.
When The Lady Of The Night Got The Holy Ghost
When The Lady Of The Night Got The Holy Ghost
For many years, I preached annual revivals in a very small West Texas town. The town was so small that after church it was not uncommon for the pastor or saints to drive an hour and a half to Odessa or Midland just to get something to eat.
The pastor was a dear family friend. The church was one that really worshipped and was easy to preach in. They loved the Word and the loved their “Man of God.”
The church had not grown significantly in many years. The little group prayed for revival and worked hard to bring visitors to the revival.
A seventeen-year-old Foster child sought for the Holy Ghost for over an hour every night. He sought fervently and with tears. He had prayed every night of the 4 week Revival.
The last Saturday of the revival, the pastor and I talked about Home Bible Studies. He said, “When I came up in church, we’d never heard of them. I’ve been here for 30 years or so and we’ve never taught any Home Bible Studies. Not only do we not have any material, if we had some, we wouldn’t know how to go about teaching them. Could you teach our people how to teach a Home Bible Study?”
Although I said that I could and would, there wasn’t any material within 100 miles. There also wasn’t any Internet connection to download anything.
I was relieved to find a copy of Bishop Gerald Adam’s ‘Deeper Life’ Home Bible Study in my briefcase. Bro. Adam’s was kind when I called and granted permission for me to make copies of his Bible Study for the occasion.
(The Deeper Life Home Bible Study is now digitized and can be found on the Hopkinsville, KY church website.) http://www.lifetabernaclechurch.org/Life_Tabernacle_Church/Bible_Study.html
I asked the pastor what he thought about me putting a table in front of the pulpit Sunday morning and teaching a Home Bible Study to some one while everyone else watched and followed along with their copy. He agreed and said he would have the table and chairs set up right after the preliminaries.
Standing on the platform Sunday morning I noticed two new visitors. A teenage boy stood on the right side and a 20 something young woman on the left.
For a few minutes after the song service, the church family went around and personally welcomed the visitors and greeted each other.
I noticed the boy seemed very sincere and responsive during the singing, so I went over and welcomed him. The young man smiled warmly when I introduced myself. He told me his name was Billy.
I said, “I’m a visitor here too, Billy. They’ve asked me to teach what they call a ‘Home Bible Study’ this morning. It’s a thing where two people sit at a table and basically just read scriptures from the Bible.
“I really don’t know who to choose to help me out today. But whoever does, doesn’t have to say a word. All they have to do is just act like they are reading the material. Do you think maybe you can help me out today?”
“Sure,” he said.
Later when they introduced me to speak, I explained to the church that I had asked Billy to help me and invited them to make him welcome. They gave him a good round of applause.
Billy and I sat at the small table in front of the pulpit. Each person there was given a copy of the Home Bible Study. I saw the look of sincerity and interest in the young man’s face.
He nodded as I spoke to him. I looked only at him and not at the crowd. We took less than an hour to go through the study.
The organ player began to play softly as we all stood. The table and chairs were removed. I looked to my left where Billy had stood and then I looked down. He was kneeling at the altar. All the others came forward too. Billy received the Holy Ghost in just a few minutes.
I heard shouts go up at the other end of the altar and saw that the young woman was praying and the ladies were rejoicing. She also received the Holy Ghost and excitedly thanked the Lord.
The pastor whispered in my ear, that someone had just told him, this new girl was the town’s hooker. The town’s only hooker. Her name was Sarah.
The saints were ecstatic about what God had done in the service that morning.
Sunday night’s service started. The front doors burst open as the 17-year-old Foster kid entered the church crying and speaking in tongues. He had prayed during the day, and while taking his shower before church had received the Holy Ghost while still in the shower. He was still talking in tongues when he got to church. He couldn’t stop and he was excited. The saints rejoiced. I mean really rejoiced.
Billy and Sarah came back too. The church shouted and ran the aisles. Joy was in the camp.
The front door again opened and an unhappy faced man walked in and sat on the back row. Sarah was too lost in worship to notice that her pimp was there. He watched the worship for a while. Several were uneasy not knowing what would happen.
Testimony service had new life that night. When Sarah got done testifying and thanking the Lord, the guy on the back row got up and walked out shaking his head.
He was officially out of business. Sarah never noticed. She started to dance before the Lord. She had been delivered.
Apostolic Expository Series
Christy Ballestero (My Beautiful DIL)
http://marciaballestero.com/
Pastor Anthony & Kim Ballestero, New Destiny Worship Center, Clearwater, FL (My Son)
Pastor Bryan & Christy Ballestero, Temple Of Pentecost, Raleigh, NC (My Son)
James Groce Blog – "Toward The Mark"
Kenneth Bow Blog
Kingdom Speak Podcast
Philip Harrelson – "The Barnabas Blog"
Verbal Bean Ministries
Holy Ghost Radio
The Ballestero Blog 