HOW I DEVELOPED A SOFT SPOT IN MY HEART FOR THE CHURCH OF GOD (CLEVELAND, TN)

      Hello again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
      The title of my post today is “HOW I DEVELOPED A SOFT SPOT IN MY HEART FOR THE CHURCH OF GOD" whose headquarters is in Cleveland, Tennessee. It’s about my journey as a Christian since 1977—and where I am now.
      I grew up in a Mennonite household. Mom grew up Mennonite and Dad grew up Amish. So when Dad left the Amish church and married Mom, we ended up going to a church in the Mennonite denomination where she was raised. We were sporadic attenders at best, especially Dad. I wasn’t saved as a result of attending the Mennonite Church, although it likely laid some groundwork for my later salvation.
      I was saved later, the day I attended my Amish Grandpa’s funeral in 1977 at the age of 23. I didn’t understand any part of the three sermons preached by Amish preachers that day. But I believe the Spirit of the Living God was present. After Grandpa was buried in the Amish cemetery, I drove around East Holmes County for over an hour, distraught over my life. I finally stopped the car and called out to God, and he met me in my car. Right there, alongside the road near Benton, Ohio.
      After becoming saved, I began attending the Mennonite Church again, as I had stopped attending the Church some time before. I then entered Mennonite Voluntary Service in the early 1980s in Richmond, Virginia, after Dad died in 1980, to enrich my faith. It was there that Satan attacked my faith with a bout of depression as I had never experienced before, nor since. I won’t get into the details of the cause of the depression at this time.
      I came back to Holmes County and got a job in a factory for a couple of years. I also worked on two carpenter crews, installed kitchen cabinets for a year, worked in a group home with people with developmental disabilities, and worked part-time in a clock shop.
      You can see by my moving around that I was unsettled. I also left the Mennonite church twice to attend two non-denominational churches for very short periods of time, but I ended up going back each time to Mom’s Mennonite church. Again, I felt I was missing something and was trying desperately to find it.
      In about 1986, I was living with Mom in Berlin, Ohio, and I felt a tug to attend college, and I lined up a young person to do the chores around the house for her, like mowing the lawn. My Mennonite pastor at the time encouraged me to attend one of three Mennonite colleges. I felt drawn, however, to North Central Technical College in Mansfield, which was closer to home and had the Human Services (Social Work) program that I wanted.
      I lived with what I call a “cat lady” for my first three months in Mansfield. I call her that because she had some big cats that she actually fed on her countertop, where we also prepared food. I visited a Youth for Christ office to ask about good area churches, and the lady there recommended that I attend Grace Fellowship Church. It was a well-known hippie/commune type Jesus gathering in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the rolling hills south of Mansfield. By the time I attended there in 1987, however, they had changed their name from Grace Haven Farm to Grace Fellowship Church, I think, to try to be seen by the community as a legitimate church instead of a commune-type setting. There were still families that lived nearby, some within walking distance of the church. Well, I always was what I joke with my wife about—'a hippie-wannabe’, so that type of church attracted me.
      The Nichols, a family that lived within about ¾ miles from the church in a big farmhouse, put out a flyer in the church bulletin for a boarder. I jumped at the chance of living with a family with small children, as opposed to living with a lady with large cats. I lived with the Nichols for three years until after Mom died of breast cancer and I graduated from college in 1990. I enjoyed the family atmosphere of living with the Nichols, and will cherish it forever.
      After graduating and much searching, I landed a job in Ashland, about 16 miles away, as a community mental health center case manager, where I ended up working almost 29 years. With the blessing of the Grace Fellowship pastor, I sought out a church closer to my new Ashland home and work. It was my first taste of attending what was known as a Pentecostal church, the Ashland Assembly of God. They even practiced speaking in tongues, if you can believe it.
      I wasn’t totally lost on the Pentecostal experience. I had visited a former Mennonite Voluntary Service friend in Archbold, Ohio, in the mid-1980s, and had my first experience speaking in tongues after attending his church. I was, however, a baby in Pentecostalism.
      I met Dee, my future wife, her husband Jim, and Joseph, their little boy, at the Ashland Assembly of God. Jim was obviously very ill with cancer at the time, and he died several months later. Several months after his death, I asked Dee out, and after one time turning me down, the next time she said “yes”. She actually said "yes" twice--once to going out with me, and the second time to marrying me—“and the rest is history”, as some people say.
      Living near Mansfield, we wanted to attend a church closer to home, so we gravitated to a small Nazarene church near our home. The Nazarene denomination has a Pentecostal history, but they no longer practiced Pentecostalism. We made many wonderful friends there. The church, however, ran into some sin trouble with two of their pastors, so we felt compelled to leave.
      I tried out several churches after that, and I won’t go into detail about the outcome of those churches, only that we felt led by God that they weren’t what God planned for us.
      Now let’s go back a little. Dee, her family, and her late husband Jim, and his family, had a strong history of attending Church of God denomination churches. The denomination headquarters is located in Cleveland, Tennessee, as is also Lee University, a Church of God college. Dee attended and graduated from Lee University. Her late husband Jim’s family also has a long history attending the Ashland Church of God, and Grandma Brown, in her late 80s, still attends there. Church of God churches are well known for their 140-year-rich history and Pentecostal roots, including a strong belief in the supernatural movement of the Holy Spirit.
      I’m also drawn to the fact that ‘everyone knows everyone’, if you will. It reminds me of my Mennonite and Amish roots. My wife will spend time with me expressing that she knows ‘so and so’ from her past time in the Church of God churches, or from Lee University.
      I visited the Mansfield Church of God, just ½ mile from our home, several times. But I never felt a strong connection there, and quite frankly, I didn’t think the pastor there at that time was very friendly. But in 2019, Dee told me of an older pastor who came out of retirement to become the ongoing pastor there. She said that he was well educated and even had authored some books. Dee is an author also, and I was looking for a well-educated, established pastor to grow close to. The retired pastor and his wife that were there at the time fit the bill to a T.
      Some people think that to believe in Pentecostalism is a little extreme, and believers in Pentecostalism are even strange. I beg to differ. I’m a very conservative, concrete thinker. I like things that are black and white. And the Church of God denomination has offered me what I have been looking for for so many years.
      There will always be doctrinal differences that come up from leaders and members in the Church of God churches, but I firmly believe that the powerful Spirit of the Living God and the rich history of the Church of God will trump any of these.
      Because of the soft spot I have developed for the Church of God, I'm praying, at the age of 72, that I can be in a Church of God church, Lord willing, for the long haul, however long that may be for me.
      See you next time.

I'M A BIG SUCKER FOR HAPPY ENDINGS!

      Hello again. I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.

The title of my short post today is “I’M A BIG SUCKER FOR HAPPY ENDINGS!” I’ve talked before about how I cry at almost any happy ending of a TV show, movie, or play, even if the ‘happy ending’ is in an action or a western movie. I’m not going to shy away from saying it, because it’s how God wired me.
      Last week we went to a Fourth of July/birthday family gathering. I engaged several young family members who were very honest about their disappointment that the “church” was not meeting their needs; therefore, they no longer attend church services, or if they do, it is very sporadic.
      One young family member said he wants to get married and have a family, but there is no venue for him to meet young single women. He said, especially, he has had little luck in the churches he has attended. He, in essence, wants a ‘happy ending’ like the ones you see in Hallmark movies, but doesn’t know how to make it happen. I gave him my example of trying to follow God closely and trusting that God would eventually meet my need for companionship, if that was His will. I don’t think it comforted him when I said I was much older (42) when I met and married Dee. I feebly said that I would pray for him.
      So, the next day, I felt moved by God to pray for these beloved family members and others who are desperate for ‘happy endings’ in their lives. I even went forward in church to ask the pastor and others to pray for them.
      Then I thought of the greatest ‘happy ending’ ever. I thought of the question singer Keith Green asked at a live concert during the “Easter Song”. He asked, 

"Do you know what the greatest healing is?” He then answered his own question “It’s the healing of the sin-sick soul. God wants to heal your depression and your heavy-laden soul right now.”

      In Luke 15:10, Jesus confirmed the greatest ‘happy ending’ that Keith Green was talking about. He said, 

“Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost! I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”

      When I see my family members get saved one by one, I’m going to unabashedly act like the biggest sucker you ever saw and weep with joy like a baby.
      See you next time.

AND HE WALKS WITH ME, AND HE TALKS WITH ME!

      If you’re watching this video, you just saw my first attempt at an AI video snippet. In the Filmora video editing program, I added a picture created in Microsoft Publisher of a garden with a walkway. I then added to the garden picture another picture of Jesus standing with a man. I then added the lyrics to the first stanza and chorus of the 1912 song “In the Garden,” written by C. Austin Miles. Filmora, amazingly, added movement of Jesus walking with and talking to the man in the garden. Then I added a small portion of the piano accompaniment from Hymnary.org, along with the lyrics. I’m not a big fan of AI videos overall, but this venture encouraged me about the value they might provide in certain circumstances.
      With that said, I’ll say hello again. I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
      The title of my short post today is “AND HE WALKS WITH ME, AND HE TALKS WITH ME!" It’s about when we’re feeling down and misunderstood and need a good friend; then Jesus is right here by our side, offering us His arm on our shoulders, and His wonderful encouragement.

The “In the Garden” song says it all:

First Verse:
I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

Chorus:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

      See you next time.

TO BOLDLY GO WHERE WE HAVE NEVER GONE BEFORE!

 

      

      Hello again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.

      I have a brother and a sister-in-law who are “Trekkies”, meaning they are Star Trek television show fans. I watched the show from time to time, but was not as much of a fan as they were. The famous Star Trek Mission Statement was “To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before”. The title of my post today is a take-off on that mission statement: It’s “TO BOLDLY GO WHERE WE HAVE NEVER GONE BEFORE!” We are, instead of being ‘Star Trek Adventurers', we are on what I call ‘Gospel Trek Adventurers'. You might also call us "Gospel Trekkies”.
      I was reading Jeremiah the other day, and I was a little startled by how direct or bold he was in his conversations with God. I think I would be a little frightened to be so bold. Here’s an example where, in Jeremiah 14:21, Jeremiah said the following to God:

“For your name’s sake, don’t despise us. Don’t disdain your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us; do not break it.”

      Can you imagine it? Jeremiah didn’t ASK God not to break His covenant with Israel; He BOLDLY TOLD Him!
      One of the benefits of online Bible programs is that we, as Christians, can look up the usage, timing, and context of certain words and phrases. We can never fully understand God’s ways, but by reading and seeking to understand them, we can attempt to emulate Him, however feeble our attempts may be.

Let’s look at a few uses of the word 'BOLD', ‘BOLDNESS’, or ‘BOLDLY’:

1. The writer of Hebrews 4:16 wrote:

 “Let us therefore come BOLDLY to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

      The writer encouraged believers to approach God directly and boldly, with the assurance and belief that God would help them.

2. Hebrews 13:5-6 gives an older, retired man like me hope and assurance. Satan loves it when I worry and fret over my circumstances, especially as they relate to having enough resources to live on. But the writer in Hebrews again uses the word "BOLDLY" to minimize my fears. He wrote:

“Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. Therefore, we may BOLDLY say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

      Now, let’s look at some times when we, as Christians, are encouraged to be very bold, and the believers in the Bible WERE very bold in the face of adversity. We’ll do these rapid-fire:

1. The writer of Proverbs 21:29 proclaims the following: “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as BOLD as a lion.” Now, that’s not just a little bold!

2. The writer of Mark 15:43 wrote: “Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin who was himself looking forward to the kingdom of God, came and BOLDLY went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body.” Joseph of Arimathea shed any fear he had of Pilate, who had just authorized Jesus’ crucifixion, and asked ‘boldly’ to bury Jesus appropriately.

3. Jesus, in Luke 11:8-10, encouraged believers with needs to use BOLDNESS in approaching Him in 'asking', 'seeking', and 'knocking' to have their needs met, and He would gladly do so.

4. Acts repeatedly refers to, 11 times, the Apostles either praying for BOLDNESS, or BOLDLY proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to their audience, usually in the face of great opposition.

5. In 2 Corinthians 3:12 and Ephesians 3:12, the writers cite the hope and faith that we have in Christ that gives us great BOLDNESS to share Him with others.

6. Lastly, the writer of Ephesians 6:19 declares the following: “Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with BOLDNESS the mystery of the gospel.” Our journey as Christians is full of great mystery and adventure, and we can also pray, like Paul, to have boldness to make known the mystery of the Gospel.

      The draw for ‘Trekkies’ watching the Star Trek TV show was the many mysteries and adventures the crew encountered, including dangerous events and alien beings.
      People can also be drawn to our ‘Gospel Trekkie’ lives and want to join us in the many mysteries and adventures we encounter. And also “TO BOLDLY GO WHERE WE HAVE NEVER GONE BEFORE!”
      See you next time.

ARE YOU 'A WISE GUY, EH?'

      Hello again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
      I hate to admit it, but as a kid in the 1960s, I frequently watched “The Three Stooges”, a slapstick comedy filmed in the 1930s and 1940s. On The Three Stooges, if anyone was wronged on the show, usually Moe, he almost always said to the wrongdoer, “Oh, a wise guy, eh?” Then he would conk the ‘wise guy’ on the head. So, the title of my post today is a take-off on that saying. It’s entitled, “ARE YOU ‘A WISE GUY, EH?’ ”
      I recently came across a Bible chapter in Proverbs entirely devoted to wisdom. This piqued my interest, and, amazingly, I found the words “wisdom” and “wise” over 400 times in the Christian Standard Bible. At times, they were statements with a negative connotation, such as when Jesus said that some religious leaders were “wise” in their own eyes. But the vast majority had positive connotations, encouraging the use of wisdom in living a Godly life and remembering ‘wise’ patriarchs like Joseph, Moses, and especially Jesus, the Son of the Living God. And everyone has likely heard of the “Three Wise Men” who came from far-eastern lands to witness the cosmic event that was the birth of Jesus!
     So let’s ask ourselves, “When was the ‘birth’ of wisdom?”
Proverbs 8:22-31 explains it: 

“The Lord acquired me at the beginning of his creation, before his works of long ago. I was formed before ancient times, from the beginning, before the earth began. I was born when there were no watery depths and no springs filled with water. Before the mountains were established, prior to the hills, I was given birth—before he made the land, the fields, or the first soil on earth. I was there when he established the heavens, when he laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean, when he placed the skies above, when the fountains of the ocean gushed out, when he set a limit for the sea so that the waters would not violate his command, when he laid out the foundations of the earth. I was a skilled craftsman beside him. I was his delight every day, always rejoicing before him. I was rejoicing in his inhabited world, delighting in the children of Adam."

      So it’s evident that God used His infinite wisdom to birth creation and mankind.
      We already talked about the Patriarchs, Bible heroes, and especially Jesus, who was well known for being by far the wisest person who ever lived on earth. Dee and I often talk about leaders and politicians who blatantly lack wisdom and any fear of God. So let’s talk about men and women who use the Godly wisdom discussed in Proverbs to lead governments, institutions, businesses, churches, and even families. The entire books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes share many benefits of wisdom. For the sake of time, let’s look at only the first four chapters of Proverbs to see what the benefits of being ‘a wise guy’ are.

1. Proverbs 1:

• Proverbs 1 declares that wisdom “calls out in the street”, or “cries out above the commotion.”
• Wisdom will bring us: discipline, shrewdness, knowledge, discretion, guidance, secure living, “undisturbed by the dread of danger”. I think the most wonderful outcome of wisdom is the following found in Proverbs 1:23: “If you respond to my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words.”

2. Proverbs 2:

• Proverbs 2 declares that diligently seeking wisdom will lead us to “understand the fear of the Lord” and to “discover the knowledge of God”. 
• Wisdom will bring us: success, protection, understanding of righteousness, justice, integrity, “every good path”, and even land ownership.

3. Proverbs 3:

• Proverbs 3 declares that wisdom will bring us: happiness, pleasantness, peacefulness, safety, many “full of life” days, well-being, favor, healing, and yes, even “riches and honor”. I’m sure, however, that didn’t mean decadent riches. I feel very ‘rich’ even though I live a middle-class lifestyle.

4. Proverbs 4:

• Proverbs 4:23 gives us the warning to use wisdom to “guard your heart above all else”. This means that wisdom should lead us to avoid all forms of sin. It goes on to say in verses 25-27: “Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil.”
• Lastly, I will read one of my all-time favorite Bible passages found in Proverbs 4:18 that declares a wonderful outcome for us who live by God’s wisdom: “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.”

      So, in conclusion, with all the things listed in the Book of Proverbs about the benefits of having wisdom, meaning God’s wisdom, are you and I on the path to becoming A Wise Guy, Eh?

THE GREATEST ‘SUPER’ BOOK OF ALL TIME, REVEALING THE GREATEST ‘SUPER’ HERO OF ALL TIME!

     Hello, again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     The title of my post today is “THE GREATEST ‘SUPER’ BOOK OF ALL TIME, REVEALING THE GREATEST ‘SUPER’ HERO OF ALL TIME!” I Googled the phrase "who was the greatest superhero of all time," and AI disagreed with my assertion in this post. AI indicated that Superman was, in fact, the greatest superhero of all time. Here's why AI made that assertion: AI said, 

"Superman represents the ultimate picture of a good man with ultimate power. Despite being a godlike alien, his upbringing as Clark Kent keeps him grounded, moral, and relentlessly optimistic. He set the standard for the entire superhero genre and remains the definitive symbol of hope."

     As a boy who watched the half-hour Superman show every Saturday, and the boy who, when given the chance, ventured into the Dewitt Drug Store comic book section in Millersburg, Ohio, to read and buy Superman comic books, I would have agreed with AI back then.
     But things are so much different now, now that I know personally the real, greatest ‘super’ hero of all time. And it doesn’t even come close.
     I think John 21:24-25 explains much better than I ever could why Jesus is the greatest ‘super’ hero of all time, and why the Bible is the most ‘super’ book of all time. Here it is:

“This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.” John 21:24-25

     In essence, John was saying that Jesus is the centerpiece, the ‘super’ hero, if you will, of the Bible's narrative, and the reason why the Bible itself is the greatest ‘super’ book of all time.
     As an add-on to the magnitude of what Jesus did in a short three years, when I’ve read the Bible lately, I’ve been struck by what I call the ‘superlative’ words or phrases throughout the entire Bible. I’m only going to focus on what I have listed as “MY TOP SIX BIBLE ‘SUPERLATIVE’ WORDS OR PHRASES” that make the Bible the greatest ‘super’ book of all time. Here they are:

1. UNSEARCHABLE AND UNTRACEABLE WAYS OF GOD,  found in Romans 11:33:

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgements and untraceable his ways!” Romans 11:33

2. INCOMPREHENSIBLE THINGS WE DO NOT KNOW, found in Jeremiah 33:3:

“Call to me, and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

3. VAST THOUGHTS TOWARD US, found in Psalm 139:17-18:

“God, how precious your thoughts are to me; How vast their sum is! If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.” Psalm 139:17-18

4. IMMEASURABLE GREATNESS OF HIS POWER TOWARD US, found in Ephesians 1:18-19:

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.” Ephesians 1:18-19

5. THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS, found in 1 Timothy 3:16:

“And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16

6. GOD OF HOPE. (Note: AI said that Superman “remains the definitive symbol of hope”. The Bible declares otherwise.) Here is Romans 15:13:

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

     So, the conclusion is that Jesus is the ultimate giver of hope, NOT Superman. 
     What do you think? Have I convinced you that Jesus is the greatest ‘super’ hero of all time, and that, by pointing out just a few of the many Bible ‘superlatives’, the Bible is indeed the greatest ‘super’ book of all time?
     See you next time.

TURNS OUT I’M AN ALIEN TOO!

 

     Hello, again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.

“We are strangers, we are aliens. We are not of this world.” (excerpted from “Not Of This World” song by Petra)

     This short snippet of the song “Not of This World” by Petra explains the gist of my post today, entitled “TURNS OUT I’M AN ALIEN TOO!” It’s based on a children’s book by Lou Treleaven, “Turns Out I’m An Alien”, which explores the world of a boy named Jasper. Jasper, however, is very different, and the difference is most noticeable in his green hair and eyes. His foster parents know the real secret—that Jasper is an alien from another planet. He then gets pulled into an intergalactic adventure to save planet Earth.
     Do you know that you and I, as Christians and as the Petra song explains, are aliens too? We don’t have green hair and eyes, but we are also very different. It says so in Psalm 39:12, a Psalm of David: 

“For I am here with you as an alien, a temporary resident like all my ancestors."

     Do you also know we are a part of God’s inner-planetary adventure to save the world? Jesus said in John 12:47: 

“For I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”

     Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, before He ascended into heaven, 

 “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

     Then lastly, do you know that we are destined for an intergalactic journey to a wonderful new heaven, earth, and city? John the Revelator said so in Revelation 21:1-7:

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life. The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son." Revelation 21:1-7

     So the bottom line is, TURNS OUT YOU AND I AS CHRISTIANS ARE ALIENS TOO!, ON AN INNER-PLANETARY ADVENTURE TO SAVE THE WORLD, DESTINED FOR AN INTERGALACTIC JOURNEY TO A WONDERFUL NEW HEAVEN, EARTH, AND CITY!
     Remember again the excerpt from the "Not Of This World" song by Petra.

“We are strangers, we are aliens. We are not of this world.”

     See you next time.

A BELOVED TEAMMATE”—JUST LIKE RHYS HOSKINS!

     Hello, again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     The title of my post today is " 'A BELOVED TEAMMATE'—JUST LIKE RHYS HOSKINS!" It’s about recently watching the Cleveland Guardians play the Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia, and the fact that now Rhys Hoskins plays for the Guardians, but he spent the first six years of his career with the Phillies. With an injury to his knee that sidelined him for over a year, the Phillies made a financial decision to go another direction and didn’t re-sign him. He spent some time with the Milwaukee Brewers, but another injury kept them from re-signing him.
     So, the Guardians signed him to a minor league contract this year, but he quickly proved his value and made the major league roster. The TV announcer reported that in Philadelphia, Rhys was “a beloved teammate” and a fan favorite. Rhys Hoskins was never a major star, but when the press interviewed him in his old stomping grounds, many Philadelphia reporters showed up around him, which showed their appreciation for him.
     Tears came to my eyes when the announcer said that Rhys was “a beloved teammate” in Philadelphia. What was it about his statement that touched my heart? I think it’s because I would like to be thought of as 'a beloved teammate' at some point in my life. Maybe the same holds true for you.
     The Bible tells stories of people who might be called ‘beloved teammates’, which shows that desiring to be one is not a bad thing. Here are some examples:

1. David was beloved by Jonathan, and vice versa.
2. John the Apostle was beloved by Jesus. 
3. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were also beloved by Jesus. He showed his love for them by weeping over the death of Lazarus, before He brought Lazarus back to life. It was one of only three times the Bible reported that Jesus wept. 
4. Paul, in a couple of his books, mentioned in his final greetings people that he had grown to love, like in both Ephesians and Colossians, he mentioned Tychicus, a “dearly loved brother”. 
5. Paul called Timothy “my true son in the faith”, a term of endearment.

     I know our value to God doesn’t depend on being ‘beloved’ by others. But I think if we admit it, most of us want to be considered a ‘beloved teammate—just like Rhys Hoskins!'
     See you next time.

CAN ACTS-LIKE ACTS HAPPEN AGAIN IN TODAY’S WORLD?

 

     Hello, again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     The title of my post today is “CAN ACTS-LIKE ACTS HAPPEN AGAIN IN TODAY’S WORLD?” It’s about the actions of Acts in the Bible, and whether some form of those same actions can occur in today’s world.
     I was listening to the audible version of Acts this morning. If you ever get the chance to ‘listen’ to the Bible, I heartily encourage you to do so. I think it will open your eyes, at least a little, and enhance the stories told there.
     I was amazed by how focused the men and women were on God—and on each other in the book of Acts. How did they keep that focus? I think Jesus explained it in John 7:38. He said, “The one who believes in me (Jesus), as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” In that verse, Jesus referenced ‘one’ person who has ‘streams of living water (or God’s Holy Spirit) flow from deep within him’. Just imagine if many people gathered together, with the same streams of living water (or God’s Holy Spirit) flowing collectively from deep within them. It would be inevitable that God would act in an exponential way—just like in the book of Acts.
     So, what can be done in today’s world to bring about the same type of ‘acts’? I think it’s clear that we need the following:

1. We need to be made aware of those same ‘streams of living water flowing from deep within’ each of us. I think that we’re semi-aware of it, but not deeply aware of it.
2. Then we need to be educated about the great amount of power of God’s Holy Spirit flowing within each of us.
3. Then we need to be educated on the exponential greatness of the power of God’s Holy Spirit flowing within a large group of believers who are bonded together.
4. Lastly, we need to pray, sometimes in tongues just like they did in Acts, for God to manifest this power in, through, and around us.

     Then, and only then, ‘can acts-like acts happen again in today’s world’.
     See you next time.

ARMINIANISM VS. CALVINISM VS. SIMPLE 'BELIEFISM'

 

     Hello, again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     The title of my post today is "ARMINIANISM VS. CALVINISM VS. SIMPLE BELIEFISM”. It’s about the ‘isms’, and the schisms among Christian believers that ‘isms’ cause.
     Many believers these days hold beliefs that they try to impose on other believers. It often results in hurt feelings, confusion, and schisms among believers who hold different beliefs. They do it in the name of ‘rightness’. They want others to see how right it is to believe the specific ‘ism’ they believe.
     For most of my 48 years as a Christian, I didn’t know of any of the ‘isms’. The only thing that resembled an ‘ism’ I encountered in my early years as a Christian was a group of “King James Only” Christians living in my local community in Berlin, Ohio. At festivals and other events, you might see them standing in groups, praying for the people passing by. My concern was that if they had a convert, they would require that convert to also use only a King James Bible.
     When I married Dee in 1996, I became informed gradually about Arminianism, as she grew up in the Church of God, whose main offices were in Cleveland, Tennessee. Also, Dee attended and graduated from Lee University, a Church of God college. The Church of God held to the doctrine of Arminianism, which I will explain later.
     Then, in about 2008, Dee and I got involved with Mission to Amish People, and I hosted a Bible study in our home for young former Amish men. The leader and another older man, both wonderful brothers, believed in the Baptist doctrine of Calvinism. We discussed our differing beliefs cordially, and we didn’t try to convert each other to our own way of thinking.
     So let’s discuss the two different ‘isms’ that I have become acquainted with:

1. Arminianism: A Protestant theological tradition based on the teachings of 17th-century Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, which asserts that God’s sovereignty and human free will are compatible. It emerged as a reaction against strict Calvinist predestination, emphasizing that salvation is available to all and that individuals have the free will to accept or reject God's grace.
2. Calvinism: A Protestant theology named after the 16th-century reformer John Calvin that emphasizes the absolute sovereignty of God in all things, particularly in salvation. It teaches that humans are totally depraved and unable to save themselves, meaning salvation is entirely God’s work, initiated by His choice and secured by His power.

     So, many disagreements and even verbal harm, hopefully not physical harm, stem from these two ‘isms’. I recently watched two documentaries about William Tyndale, an English Biblical scholar in the 15th century who suffered physical harm when he was strangled and burned at the stake because he translated the Bible for common people. Hopefully, something like this won’t ever occur because of differences in ‘ism’ beliefs.
     So I want to present an exponentially more important ‘ism’ that I came upon today. I call it “Simple Beliefism”. Long before the 16th and 17th centuries, when the doctrines of Arminianism and Calvinism were born, Jesus said the following in John 3:16:

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

     Then He said the following in John 3:36:

“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life . . .” John 3:36

     Jesus didn’t say in verses 16 and 36, “whoever believes in ‘Arminianism and/or Calvinism’ should not perish but have eternal life.” He said, “The one who believes in the Son (meaning Jesus) has eternal life.”
     So, in conclusion, when other people try to force their ‘isms’ on us, let’s remember the ‘Simple Beliefism’ that Jesus taught us.
     See you next time.

THE DAY MY WORLD TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN!

 

     Hello, again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     The title of my post today is, "THE DAY MY WORLD TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN!” It’s about when everything is going along smoothly, without too much chaos or difficulty, then something happens to rock your world, causing it to figuratively turn ‘upside-down’.
     Most of us have a deep set of beliefs and understanding of the Bible that seems to ‘get to the heart of the matter’, as my last post indicated. It gives us comfort to know that God is right there beside us, guiding us every step of the path in our journey.
     We also derive comfort when others walking beside us share the same beliefs and understanding. We’re walking, or perhaps even floating, along in our world in an upright position. Then, a person we trust and love, whom we think shares those same beliefs and understanding, suddenly one day does an about-face on one of them. To put it mildly, that day our world is literally turned upside-down.
     We try to reason with that person, but they won’t listen to our reasons for not wanting to go down the path they are on. They usually double down on their belief that their path is the absolute right path. They even indicate that those who disagree are flawed for not wanting to go.
     What do we do in our upside-down state? If you’re like me, you usually just bail. Getting away from the upside-down world seems the only solution to get some relief. But, as I used to tell my mental health clients, “the grass doesn’t usually end up being greener” by moving away from a location or situation.
     I’m a big fan of Western drama. Recently, I watched a Jimmy Stewart movie called “The Far Country”. A certain town was known for its wonderful people and good morals. But it was a gold town. And what usually happened in gold towns back then was that unsavory people moved in to take advantage of those hard-working people who were finding gold.
     The people in that town looked toward Jimmy Stewart to help them against the people trying to take advantage of others, because he was a strong-minded man who rarely backed away from trouble. At first, he was like me. He told Walter Brennan, his sidekick, that he wanted to bail, just like I usually do. He was his own man, and he didn’t want to interfere in other people’s affairs.
     But then they killed Walter Brennan, his old buddy, even as they were moving on. That was the last straw. He went back to the town, and the rest of the townsfolk rallied around him to drive out the unsavory people.
     I’m not saying my situation is even close to a matter of life and death like what Jimmy Stewart faced, or others really faced in the Old West that wasn’t just a fictional story. But the principle is the same. If someone is turning the world upside-down in a town or area, perhaps it’s better to stay and, at the least, not bail out on the ‘townsfolk’.
     I’m more of a ‘townsfolk’ person, and not a hero, like Jimmy Stewart was. But I want to band together with other townsfolk, if they want me to, to call on Jesus, our real hero, to help us to turn the world right-side up.

GETTING TO THE 'HEART' OF THE MATTER!

     Hello, again, I'm Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     The title of my post today is, "GETTING TO THE 'HEART' OF THE MATTER!" Main Point: Jesus was different from the religious leaders of His day in that He reached straight into the hearts of men and women. Can you and I be like Jesus and reach straight into the hearts of our loved ones, friends, and community members?
     I’ve always been a softie when it comes to crying at movies, TV shows, and other stories. -They seem to have a way of reaching straight into my heart and causing emotion. Also, when my Dad died in 1980, everything was going along normally during the funeral, but then they started reading my now blind brother’s essay about his relationship with Dad. I lost it. I never had that kind of emotion before or after that time. I wasn’t mourning. Something had reached deep down in my 'HEART'.
     I’ve been wondering lately—what causes that emotion in us? I think it’s because our hearts were made by our great creator to see the beauty and wonder in life, which takes us out of ourselves and into the beauty and wonder of God.
     Over the Easter holidays, I watched the movie “Jesus of Nazareth”. In it, there were several references to Jesus reaching into people's ‘hearts’. One was where Joseph of Arimathea spoke in defense of Jesus to the Sanhedrin before Jesus was even arrested. I realize that what he said in the movie isn’t found in scripture.
     But, I believe it correctly portrays why the masses followed Jesus. He said to his fellow members of the Sanhedrin: 

“How can we guide them if we don’t know what’s in their hearts?" I have seen Him, I’ve heard him preach. His words reach into men’s hearts, not like ours.”

     Then Nicodemus got up, also to defend Jesus. He said:  

"Like our brother Joseph, I’ve heard Him preach. I was moved, lifted out of myself, and seemed to see all things in a new and blinding light. I was aware of wonders, signs, that God may be with Him, and through Him with us.” 

     Again, I realize that what they said in the movie isn’t in scripture, even though the movie quoted a lot of scripture. But again, I believe it correctly portrays why the people followed and loved Jesus, even the children. I believe it’s the essence of the Gospel. That men’s hearts need to be reached into, to allow change to come about!

     In Biblical terms, one internet citation defined the ‘heart’ as representing “the center of one's being, encompassing emotions, will, and intellect”.
     There are 685 references to the 'hearts' of mankind in the Christian Standard Bible. I think that vast number alone should tell us something about how important the hearts of men and women are to reach them for Jesus. Let’s look at a few of them:

• Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.”
• Ephesians 1:18: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.”
• Acts 16:14: “The Lord opened Lydia's heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.” 
• Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is near to those with broken hearts and saves the crushed in spirit.” 
• Hebrews 4:12: “The Word of God is active and pierces to the division of soul and spirit, penetrating the heart.” 
• Hebrews 10:16: “This is the covenant that I will make with them, after that time, says the Lord, I will put my laws in their hearts…” 
• Romans 10:9 is the salvation verse: “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 
• And who can ever forget the greatest commandment found in Matthew 22:37? "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."

     I’m not sure, like Jesus did, how we can reach into the hearts of our loved ones, friends, and people in the community. I know we can’t do it with our own power.
     I think with all MY ‘HEART’ that we need to cry out to Jesus and His Holy Spirit to reach into ‘OUR HEARTS’ to give each of us inspiration on how to reach ‘THEIR HEARTS’. I think then, and only then, do we have a chance of "GETTING TO THE ‘HEART’ OF THE MATTER!

SIMEON AND ANNA’S LONG WAIT REWARDED!

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
    The title of my post today is, “SIMEON AND ANNA’S LONG WAIT REWARDED!"
     What’s part of the Christian life? It’s ‘waiting, and waiting, and waiting’. The older I get, the more aware I am of the sometimes long wait for God’s promises, when it seems they will never be fulfilled. 

     I did a devotional for our church Serve Team a couple of weeks ago titled “Waiting, and Waiting, and Waiting For What Seems Impossible!” It was about the almost unbearable wait for what God promises each of us. The devotional, however, emphasized that we are in very, very good company. The Bible is full of heroes like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and many others who had to wait, and wait, and wait for God’s promise that seemed impossible to fulfill. And then all of a sudden, God fulfilled them!
     The last Bible heroes I mentioned in the devotional were found in Luke 2. They were Simeon and Anna, both very elderly servants of God, who spent their lifetimes waiting in the temple for the promised Messiah. What’s impressive is that their wait was preceded by 400 years of spiritual darkness after the time of the prophets.
     How did Simeon and Anna know that God had a plan for them to be rewarded after so many years of waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the promised Messiah? Did one or both of them have a dream? Were they visited by an angel? We’ll never know exactly how they knew the Messiah was about to be born after 400 years of darkness, but we can be amazed at how these two faithful servants waited, and waited, and waited until they were very old for God to reward them for their faithfulness. 

     Can you and I be so faithful in our wait for what God has promised us?

A BIBLICAL ‘EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE’: TO DECLARE GOD AND HIS ATTRIBUTES TO THE NEXT GENERATION!

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     The title of my post today is, “A BIBLICAL ‘EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE’: TO DECLARE GOD AND HIS ATTRIBUTES TO THE NEXT GENERATION!"
     I just turned 72, and I'm having trouble deciding which direction, or directions, to take as a senior citizen. For 35 years of my life, I worked in fields that required a lot of continuity and predictability. My job as a Supported Employment Coordinator in a community mental health center required me and my workers to use ‘evidence-based practices’.
     Then, for 6 years after I retired as the supported employment coordinator, my job in writing grants for Mission to Amish People (MAP) was also very ‘evidence-based’. I had to be very specific in my wording of the grants and in answering all the detailed questions the foundations had about MAP, and how we would use their money effectively for a specific project.
     Evidence-based practices are defined as the following: “A systematic approach to decision-making that integrates the best available research evidence, expertise, and values and preferences to guide professional practice to improve outcomes.”
     I’m a very concrete thinker, so ‘evidence-based practices’ fit me and my personality very well. But now that I’m ‘totally’ retired, I’m struggling to find my niche in this world related to this strength and to my role as a Christian senior citizen. About two weeks ago, however, I came upon several verses that gave me great hope, even amid my struggles. They’re found in Psalm 92:12-15. Here they are:

“The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, to declare, “The Lord is just; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

     So, I think I’ve found a tried-and-true ‘evidence-based practice’ in Psalm 92 for older believers like me.

• The evidence-based practice is, “To declare God and His attributes to the next generation.”
• The improved outcome is: “Bearing fruit, healthy and green, in old age.”
• What that means is: “Loved ones, friends, and others will give their hearts to Jesus as a result of our declarations about the attributes of God.”

         See you next time.

WHY DO ‘SMART’ PEOPLE NOT SEE WHAT SEEMS OBVIOUS?

     

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.

     The title of today’s post is, “WHY DO ‘SMART’ PEOPLE NOT SEE WHAT SEEMS OBVIOUS?”
     I worked 29 years in community mental health with many master's and PhD-level workers. They were obviously very smart and accomplished persons. I was taken aback a couple of times, however, when a master’s-level counselor whom I knew for years would email me and address me as “Arlene” instead of “Arlen”. I had a good relationship with that counselor, and I think she didn’t even realize that she made a mistake, and I didn’t point it out to her.
     Which brings me to the point of this short post. It amazes me that world leaders, inventors, scientists, heads of corporations, and even very smart and accomplished family members have never explored the deep mysteries of the Bible—the obvious, if you will. What seems plain to me, they deem a complete waste of time to even consider. They don’t look beyond the here and now. They don’t delve into the unknown, although the Bible reveals many known mysteries of the universe. 

     For example, Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things which you do not know.” So, in other words, if we call out to God, He will answer us and tell us ‘incomprehensible’ things we don’t know. What is the meaning of ‘incomprehensible’? It means that God will reveal to those who ask Him things that are seemingly impossible to understand with human intellect alone. These things go way beyond what ‘smart’ people can grasp without God’s help.
     I’m praying that God, by His wonderful Holy Spirit, that many people start calling out to God, and that He opens the eyes and hearts of many ‘smart’ people, especially my family members, so that they ‘see what seems obvious’!

“ARE YOU WITH ME—OR AGAINST ME?”

     

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     The title of today’s post is, “ARE YOU WITH ME—OR AGAINST ME?” It’s based on a Bible verse I read recently that startled me. It’s found in Luke 11:23, where Jesus speaks to a crowd of people. Here it is:

“Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.”

     I’ve heard sports coaches yell the line, “Are you with me?” to rally the team to heed his advice or encouragement to work hard to win the game—or at least give it their best shot. If a teammate has a bad attitude, it’s evidence that the player is not 'with' the coach and is indeed 'against' the coach. That player is usually a detriment to team success and is often sidelined or even asked to leave the team. They, in a sense, are not ‘gathering’ the team together, but have a ‘scattering’ influence away from the coach’s advice or encouragement.
     The startling thing to me about what Jesus said to the crowd was how stark His statement was about people who might even just be on the fence about Him. Or those who have never heard, or heard very little, about Him. You would think that God, in His great mercy, would give them a pass.
     But, to the contrary, Jesus indicated in strong words how serious the matter of following Him is, no matter what point a person is at in the spiritual spectrum. He wants on His team of believers, those who are ‘with’ Him, not ‘against’ Him. He knows they will then ‘gather’ other people toward Him, and not ‘scatter’ people away from Him.
     See you next time.

THE HOLY SPIRIT GETS US 'COMING AND GOING'!

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     The title of today’s post is, “THE HOLY SPIRIT GETS US 'COMING AND GOING'!”
     The word pictures Jesus and the apostles used were, quite frankly, amazing!
     Paul the Apostle wrote an example in Romans 5:3-5: “And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” So, on the one hand, Paul said of the believer in Romans 5 that by the incredible power of the Holy Spirit, God’s wonderful love was ‘pouring’ or ‘coming’ into our hearts.
     Jesus in John 7:38 said, “The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” So, Jesus said of the believer in John 7 that by the incredible power of the Holy Spirit, God’s wonderful ‘living water’ was ‘flowing’, or ‘going’ from deep within us out to the world around us.
     So, the bottom line for the believer is: “The Holy Spirit gets us coming and going!”

BIBLE WORDS MATTER!

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     Today’s post is entitled, “BIBLE WORDS MATTER! So do certain Bible ‘superlatives’ help dispel the perception that the Christian life is ‘boring’, ‘dour’, and ‘uninteresting’?”
     Recently, I’ve noticed certain words, 'superlatives', if you will, in the Bible. What’s a ‘superlative’, you might ask? A superlative is defined by Merriam-Webster as a word used “to denote an extreme or unsurpassed level or event."
     Many assume that the Christian life is ‘boring’, ‘dour’ or brooding, and ‘uninteresting’. But some of the ‘superlative’ words the Bible authors used to describe God’s greatness, and specifically God’s greatness toward His people, blow this assumption out of the water.
     I’m just going to focus on three of these ‘superlative’ words that the Bible authors used, but there are many more. Here are the three I chose:

1. ‘Superlative’ Word #1: “Incomprehensible.”
2. ‘Superlative’ Word #2: “Inexpressible.”
3. ‘Superlative’ Word #3: “Immeasurable.”

     Now, let’s look at one Bible verse associated with each ‘superlative’ word and break it down a little bit:

1. ‘Superlative’ Word #1: “Incomprehensible" verse: Jeremiah 33:3.

“Call to me, and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things which you do not know.”

a. Synonym #1: “Mysterious.”
b. Synonym #2: “Unintelligible.”
c. Synonym #3: “Unfathomable.”

Conclusion: The Christian life is, or should be, very far from boring.

2. ‘Superlative’ Word #2: “Inexpressible" verse: 1 Peter 1:8-9.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

a. Synonym #1: “Incredible.”
b. Synonym #2: “Indescribable.”
c. Synonym #3: “Unspeakable.”

Conclusion: The Christian life is, or should be, very far from dour or brooding.

3. ‘Superlative’ Word #3: “Immeasurable” verse: Ephesians 1:18-19.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.”

a. Synonym #1: “Infinite.”
b. Synonym #2: “Endless.”
c. Synonym #3: “Unlimited.”

Conclusion: The Christian life is, or should be, very far from uninteresting.

     Final Conclusion from the Bible Superlatives written by Bible Authors is the following: Living for and with Christ and His Holy Spirit is so wonderfully good that it can’t be described—and I pray that each of us realizes it deep within our souls. It will make a big difference in how we live our lives.
     See you next time.

ARE YOU LOST IN 2026? DO YOU NEED SOMEONE TO SEEK AND TO SAVE YOU?

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember—the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     My question I have for the new year: “ARE YOU LOST IN 2026? DO YOU NEED SOMEONE TO SEEK AND TO SAVE YOU?”
     The ABC TV show “Lost” was a very popular science fiction adventure drama that followed the survivors of an airline flight that crashed on a mysterious tropical island in the South Pacific. The survivors faced trial after trial, challenge after challenge, trying to overcome the various dangers the island held, not to mention the interpersonal battles they all faced. Their goal—to survive until someone came to seek and to save them.
     Also, the other night I watched the movie “The Diary of Anne Frank”. It was very reminiscent of the story of Corrie Ten Boom entitled “The Hiding Place”. Anne Frank, her family, and several other Jews hid from the Nazis for over two years in very cramped quarters in an Amsterdam secret attic of a business. They had to keep very quiet all day during business hours and at night when Nazi guards were trolling the streets. They desperately wanted the Allied Forces to seek and to save them. Sadly, it never happened, and Otto Frank, Anne’s father, was the only survivor in his family of the Nazi concentration camps. It was reported that Anne, at the age of 15, and her sister Margot, at the age of 19, both died from typhus fever after only about three months in one of the camps.
     Let’s face it. Life on this earth is full of trial after trial—challenge after challenge. We are, however, blessed in America that most of us don’t face starvation, murder, or as much disease on a regular basis as people in many other countries do. But all of us will, at some point, face a serious trial or challenge. For example, I have a brother who was shot and almost killed on the job in 2001. He ended up with medical complications and is currently 100% blind. He is a reminder that most people face trial after trial and challenge after challenge. And the rampant turmoil and wars in the world today are constant reminders of the lostness of people in need of someone to seek and to save them.
     About a month ago, praise the Lord, I read Jesus’ profound pronouncement found in Luke 19:10. He said of Himself, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
     The bottom line is—Jesus is the ultimate and the best one ever—to seek and to save you if you are lost in 2026!
     See you next time.

DEEP WATER!

 

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember again this Holiday season that the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     Deep waters can be majestic—or foreboding and downright dangerous. But the “Deep Water!” in today’s post that I’m talking about is indeed majestic—and also a profound mystery. It’s not dangerous at all, but a little scary to think about.
     Jesus talked about this ‘deep water’ in John 7:37-39:

“On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, (Note that he didn’t just speak out, or talk out—but he “cried out”, meaning that what he was about to say was so important that he shouted so that everyone would hear him.) ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.’ He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

     Did you get that? To the one who believes in Jesus, ‘Streams of living water’ will flow, not trickle or leak, from that person. And it’s not just a shallow thing; it comes from deep within him—a flow of water that cannot be easily stopped. The nature of water on the loose is that it permeates every little space in and around it where there is even the tiniest crack or crevice. The final outcome is that, in most cases, it blows the crack or crevice wide open. With natural water, that’s a problem. But with ‘living water,’ it’s a great event, because the love of Jesus readily flows from that person out to others.
     What Jesus said is no small thing. It’s a HUGE thing! The Holy Spirit living in us is unexplainable. It has a degree of mystery and even a sense of scariness. Most people don’t want to be controlled by a force so tremendous. They go about their day thinking they have all the answers.
     But how wonderful it is to have a loving force deep inside us that has no choice but to break open the cracks and crevices in us to flow out to others. How wonderful it is to have that ‘deep water’.
     See you next time.

DOES GOD'S MESSAGE BURN LIKE A FIRE IN OUR HEARTS?

 

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember again this Holiday season that the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     My question today is, "Does God’s Message Burn Like A Fire In Our Hearts?” Jeremiah in the Old Testament was called “The Weeping Prophet” because of his sorrow over the sin, suffering, and impending judgment of the nation of Judah. In Jeremiah 20, he was beaten by a temple priest, if you can believe it, because the priest disputed Jeremiah’s prophetic pronouncements. Jeremiah said he was tired of being “a laughingstock” among his own people, to the point that he questioned his calling from God to try to turn his people around. He lamented the following in Jeremiah 20:8-9.

“For whenever I speak, I proclaim, 'Violence and destruction!’ So the word of the Lord has become my constant disgrace and derision. I say, “I won’t mention him or speak any longer in his name.” But his message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.”

     So Jeremiah expressed his desire to stop being God’s conduit to His people. But it was a hopeless cause, because when God gave him a message, it became a “fire burning” in his heart. He could do nothing less than speak it.
     Is that how we are as God’s people? Does God’s message burn like a fire in our hearts? Does it get to the point within us that we become so tired of holding it in that we can’t prevail, and we must tell others?
     See you next time.

THE REAL CHRISTMAS SPIRIT! WHAT IS IT—AND DO WE HAVE IT?

 

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember again this Christmas season that the angels in heaven rejoice when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     My question today is “THE REAL CHRISTMAS SPIRIT! WHAT IS IT—AND DO WE HAVE IT?” For many years during the Christmas holiday season, I have longed for God to work miracles in my life and in my family's lives.
     I love everything Christmas. Since I was a child, I have loved Christmas lights, Christmas villages, Christmas vignettes, Christmas events, Christmas music, and Christmas TV specials—and who can forget Christmas gifts? My favorite gift of all time as a kid was a plastic fire truck. Also, my brother and I stayed up all night on Christmas Eve one time after getting a motorized racetrack. (Yes, we opened up all our gifts on Christmas Eve, but don't talk to my wife about it.)
     What made, and makes the Christmas season so special for me? It’s not really easy for me to explain. My family was not especially religious, and we went to church perhaps only one/half of the weeks in a year. I was never taught directly the details of salvation or the importance of becoming saved. One Christmas song, however, had a significant impact on me as a child. It was “Angels We Have Heard On High” by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians. I played a snippet in my video. The song brings to mind the impact of angels on the world—and this was even before I knew much about angels or the effect of Jesus' birth on mankind. I think that song had a substantial impact on my giving my heart to Jesus about twenty-some years later.
     So, what is the ‘Christmas spirit’? I’ll give a sample from the Old Testament that to me is emblematic and a precursor of what happened on the first Christmas Eve when Jesus was born. It's found in Ezra 3:12-13 when Ezra, the priest, records the profound moment when the foundation of the temple was laid during its rebuilding. Here it is:

“But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads, who had seen the first temple, wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple, but many others shouted joyfully. The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shouting from that of the weeping, because the people were shouting so loudly. And the sound was heard far away.”

     Isaiah 9:2 prophesied another moment in time when another foundation would be laid, one that far surpassed the foundation of the physical temple. It was the foundation of an eternal spiritual temple: It was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. It reads the following:

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.”

     Then Isaiah 9:6 further elaborated:

“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

     Then, in Luke 2:8-14, the prophecy was fulfilled. Here it is, when the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce to them the birth of Jesus:

“In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly, there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors.”

     So there you have it: “good news of great joy that will be for all people”, which is a Savior, “born in the city of David”. It follows the song that I played earlier, “Angels We Have Heard On High”.
     This then is the REAL Christmas Spirit—that we can all have only when we embrace Jesus as our Savior.
     See you next time!

HOW DO WE SHINE LIKE STARS FOREVER AND EVER?

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from the Soulwinnersr.us website. Remember again during this Christmas season, that today the angels in heaven are rejoicing when a loved one or friend gives their heart to Jesus.
     Last week, I posted, “What Does Forever Really Mean?” I talked about the 'ginormous' length of time that is ‘forever'. I spoke about ‘forever’ being ‘over a billion trillion years’. Today, I want to discuss Daniel 12:3 and ask, “How do we shine like stars forever and ever?”
     Many people want to be stars. They want to be a star on TV, in the movies, in sports, in music, or in business. Many want to become viral influencers online. But the Bible shares the only surefire formula for shining like a star in God’s eyes. And again, we’ll talk about the word ‘forever’.
     It’s found in Daniel 12:3 and reads:

"Those who have insight will shine
like the bright expanse of the heavens,
and those who lead many to righteousness,
like the stars forever and ever."

     So, the following are two points Daniel said are part of God’s formula to shine like a star in His eyes:

1. "Have insight"

a. Webster’s Dictionary defines “insight” as the following: “The ability to understand people and situations in a very clear way: the ability to discern deeply and acutely."
b. Some synonyms to ‘insight’ are the following: Wisdom, understanding, perceptivity, discernment.
c. This ‘insight’ comes from where? Many people might have some degree of ability to figure things out. I joke with Dee, my wife, that 99% of all TV shows and movies have heroes or experts to figure things out—like who murdered who, or who the real villains are? Their ‘insight’ helps them—every time—to solve the case. They have a definite God-given ability, but they NEVER, or almost never, ask God to give them ‘insight’ or wisdom—and they NEVER, or almost never, give God the credit after they solve the case. The same holds true in the business and work world. Do business people and workers ask God to help them perform their sometimes very complicated tasks? And then do they give God credit for helping them to do the tasks?

2. “Lead many to righteousness.”

a. Again, many people try to figure out ways to ‘influence’ others. Their goal, especially on the internet, and also in their vocations, is usually to earn money—and perhaps gain popularity. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that if God calls them to do it. But the question is, by doing what God calls them to do, are they leading ‘many to righteousness’—or are they doing it purely for financial gain and/or to gain popularity?

     So Daniel confirmed there is nothing wrong with you and me wanting to be stars—if it’s being stars in God’s eyes, using God’s formula. Then we will do as Daniel stated—shine like stars forever and ever. That’s like I said in my last week’s post—for over a billion trillion years.
     See you next time.

WHAT DOES “FOREVER” REALLY MEAN?

     Hello, again. I’m Arlen Yoder from Soulwinnersr.us. Remember, during this Christmas season, that today could be the day the angels, according to Luke 15:10, rejoice in heaven because you, a loved one, or a friend gives their heart to Jesus!
     My question for today is, “What does 'forever' really mean?”
I’ve heard many people, including preachers, talk about living ‘forever’ in heaven. It’s a common topic in sermons and when discussing living for an eternity somewhere, either in heaven or hell. I think the frequent casual use of the word has somehow diminished it. I know I don’t often think about what ‘forever’ really means!
     Why is that specific word so mind-boggling? My last post, a couple of weeks ago, was entitled “Are You Heading Toward That City?” The city is The New Jerusalem that comes down from the new heavens and upon the new earth where Christians will live with Jesus for eternity—or ‘forever’. In the post, I tried to give eternity, or ‘forever’, some perspective. I tried to show the enormity of one giving his or her life to Jesus by saying the following about eternity—or the word ‘forever’. I said, “Then comes the best part—Jesus and God will be there with us (in the New Jerusalem) for the rest of eternity. That’s over a billion trillion years of pure joy!”
     “Over a billion trillion years”! Scientists and commentators often flippantly say that an archaeological artifact is over a billion years old. Sometimes they even get more specific. Recently, I heard a news person say that discovered dinosaur bones were “319 million years old”. Not 318 million, or 320 million years old—but specifically 319 million years old. I usually laugh out loud because no one has proof of how old a dinosaur bone really is.
     But, I don’t think we’re being flippant when we talk about ‘forever’ in grandiose terms—like the fact that it’s “over a billion trillion years”. Contrast the shortness of our life on earth with the enormous length of our lives in heaven. Job said the following in Job 7:7 about his life on earth:

“Remember that my life is but a breath.”

     David said the following in Psalm 39:4-5:

“Lord, make me aware of my end and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am. In fact, you have made my days just inches long, and my life span is as nothing to you. Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor. Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.”

     So the contrast between our lives of perhaps 60-90 years on earth, and our ‘forever’ lives in The New Jerusalem is “ginormous”—if that’s a word. Using the term, “over a billion trillion years,” gives the word ‘forever’ only a little bit of justice!
     See you next time.

ARE YOU HEADING TOWARD THAT CITY?

 

     My question for today is, “Are you heading toward that city?” You might ask, “What city?” I’ll explain.
     I’ve been a born-again Christian for 48 years, but I've only gained some understanding of the Book of Revelation in the last 2 years or so. A preacher once told me his opinion that Revelation was one of the least essential books in the Bible, along with Genesis. I was astonished that he held such a view.
     A theologian, I am not—and I have never studied Revelation extensively, or even Genesis, until the last two years. But I still believed that Revelation was a critical book of the Bible. Genesis tells the beginning of the story of God and his relationship with mankind, and Revelation reveals the climax of the spellbinding story.
     I’m more of a feeling person. But, I think the Bible proves that God is a feeling God. After all, in John 11:35, when Jesus saw Mary weep over her brother Lazarus, who had died, Jesus also wept at the emotion she felt. I cry at movies and television shows with both sad and happy endings. I think it’s how many of us are. I think it’s how God is.
     We can’t all carry a complete understanding of theology, but we can all have a sense of awe when reading the story that surpasses all others in history. One movie title aptly states it. The title is “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” And I believe that the last two chapters of Revelation reveal “the greatest ending of a story ever told”.
     Who can imagine a pure and untarnished city coming down from the new heaven called “New Jerusalem”? And that its streets are made of pure gold that looks like clear glass? A city that has twelve foundations of precious stones and twelve gates, each made of a single pearl? A city where there will be no more death and sorrow, and where there’s a healing River of Life flowing down the middle of it?
     In this city, each believer will have a “mansion,” as Jesus described in John 14:2? I may not have a mansion on this earth, but I surely will have one on the next earth!
     Then comes the best part—Jesus and God will be there with us for the rest of eternity. That’s over a billion trillion years of pure joy!
     I’m heading toward that city. How about you?

ARE WE AS CHRISTIANS LIKE THE NOBLE KNIGHTS OF OLD?

     My question for today is, “Are We As Christians Like The Noble Knights Of Old?”
     Let’s look at the word ‘noble’ in the Bible. It’s used 69 times in some form in the Christian Standard Bible: ‘Noble’, ‘Nobles’, ‘noblemen’, ‘noble brothers’, ‘noble person’, ‘men of noble character’, ‘wife of noble character’, ‘noble ones’, ‘noble women’, ‘noble words’, ‘noble theme’, ‘noble things’, ‘noble causes’, and ‘noble birth’ are some of them.
     Finally, Jesus, in Mark 14:6, addressed the religious leaders about the woman who poured ‘expensive perfume’ over his head. He said, "Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for me."
     I got on the ‘noble’ rabbit trail last week after reading Isaiah 32:8, which says, "But a noble person plans noble things; he stands up for noble causes.” After I read that, I thought of the Knights of the Round Table, where King Arthur and his valiant knights fought 'nobly' for England. But King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are widely regarded as mythological or legendary characters that weren’t real.
     But let’s talk about nobles who were real. King David had 37 ‘mighty men’ who did valiant or noble deeds. His three closest mighty men repeatedly risked their lives to save Judah, and specifically King David.
     The online definition of the adjective ‘noble’ is the following: "Having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor."
     The question is then, “Are we as Christians thought of by others as ‘noble’?" Do WE plan ‘noble’ things? And, do WE stand up for ‘noble’ causes?” Isaiah wasn’t just referencing physical strength and exploits in Chapter 32. He was talking about mental strength and mental exploits.
     I generally think of myself as a wimp, with little gravity to influence things. But I want to take what Isaiah said to heart. I want to learn—that’s the key—LEARN to PRACTICE and THINK of myself as a ‘CHRISTIAN’ who is becoming more and more like ‘THE NOBLE KNIGHTS OF OLD!’

 

 

 

ARE OUR LIVES AS CHRISTIANS LIKE A JOYFUL MUSICAL?

     The video shows “The Mennonite Hymnal,” the songbook I used growing up in the Martinscreek Mennonite Church. It also shows “Maranatha Music's 100 Greatest Hymns and Choruses.” This leads me to my question for today's post. Here it is: “Are Our Lives As Christians Like A Joyful Musical?”

     The other day, I read Ephesians 5:18-19. Here it is:

“And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord.”

     Did you get that? " 'Speaking' to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord.” I did a double-take when I read those words. I thought it strange to “speak” to others using songs.
     I’ve always enjoyed watching musicals. They are the only entities I know of, except perhaps opera, in which music and song are used to communicate with other people. Musicals are written, choreographed, and staged to bring joy to the audience.
     I don’t want to get too theological and try to dissect what Paul meant by his writing. However, I think these two verses in Ephesians prove that Paul wanted us as Christians to share joy and God’s great love with one another and others, ‘just like a joyful musical!’