Good morning,

Helping others is important. Although not showy, it encourages, strengthens, and lifts up others.

We will look at four individuals who helped others. Ruth, Barnabas, Paul, and Barzillai. Their stories recall friendships, service, and commitment.

Ruth and Naomi: Undying devotion

“And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.¹⁵ And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.¹⁶ And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:¹⁷ Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.¹⁸ When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.¹⁹ So they two went until they came to Bethlehem.” (Ruth 1:18-19a)

Naomi was a Jew and Ruth was a Moabitess. A famine caused Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, and two sons to move to Moab from Bethlehem-Judah. In the course of time, the two sons married two women of Moab. Then Elimelech dies, followed by both sons, leaving Naomi a widow. Naomi admonishes the girls to go back to their parents. One does, but Ruth will not leave Naomi. The famine is over and Ruth follows Naomi back to Bethlehem-Judah.

This begins the love story of Ruth’s complete devotion and care for Naomi. Ruth was the only family Naomi had.

What was Ruth’s motivating motive for going with Naomi? Love! Ruth saw a need and met it. She was all in. No wavering, questioning, or doubts.

Ruth had also observed the God Naomi worshiped. God Jehovah, the true God, the all mighty God of creation. When the time came to make a choice, she chose to follow the God of Naomi.

Because of this bond, Naomi was strengthened and encouraged to carry on.

Have we ever been that kind of friend to someone?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Jonah and Jeremiah were prophets of God. They viewed their responsibilities in this capacity differently. Jonah was a half-hearted prophet. He was not interested in seeing his enemies get saved. Jeremiah, whole heartedly, prophesized God’s message of repentance to backsliding Israel.

This week we will look at other men who presented God’s word. Noah, Philip, Jonah, Peter, and Stephen. Were these men faithful to God’s call and how did it change the lives of others.

STEPHEN FIRST MARTYR FOR CHRIST

Stephen’s life was cut short because his bold witness for Christ. His sermon of Israel’s history, disobedience to the Law of God, idol worship, and persecuting and killing of the prophets who foretold of the coming of Jesus, caused the religious leaders to have him stoned.

“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.⁵² Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:⁵³ Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.⁵⁴ When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,⁵⁶ And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:51-56)

STEPHEN STONED

“Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,⁵⁸ And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.⁶⁰ And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:57-60)

It is unlikely that we will have the opportunity to be martyred for Christ. However, daily, hundreds die as martyrs for their belief in Christ. Christianity is still despised and ridiculed in many parts of the world.

So, when we are scared, afraid, or concerned what others will think about our witness, think about those who die for what they believe. Then boldly go and tell others about Jesus.

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

Jonah and Jeremiah were prophets of God. They viewed their responsibilities in this capacity differently. Jonah was a half-hearted prophet. He was not interested in seeing his enemies get saved. Jeremiah, whole heartedly, prophesized God’s message of repentance to backsliding Israel.

This week we will look at other men who presented God’s word. Noah, Philip, Jonah, Jesus, and the rich man and Lazarus. Were these men faithful to God’s call and how did it change the lives of others.

JONAH

Today we complete our study of Jonah.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Download (JONAH-4.docx, DOCX, 14KB)

Good morning,

Jonah and Jeremiah were prophets of God. They viewed their responsibilities in this capacity differently. Jonah was a half-hearted prophet. He was not interested in seeing his enemies get saved. Jeremiah, whole heartedly, prophesized God’s message of repentance to backsliding Israel.

This week we will look at other men who presented God’s word. Noah, Philip, Jonah, Peter, and Stephen. Were these men faithful to God’s call and how did it change the lives of others.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

“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.²⁷ And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, a 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,²⁸ Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.²⁹ Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.³⁰ And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? ³¹ And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.³² The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:³³ In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.³⁴ And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.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?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.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.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.⁴⁰ But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.” (Acts 8:26-40)

Philip obeyed God. God said “Go” and Philip went. The Spirit of God led him. He knew the word of God. He was able to go from the passage in Isaiah and preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch. He also understood the difference between salvation and baptism. Trusting Christ as Savior and Lord before baptism.

Are we willing to go, when and where God sends us? Are the souls of the lost important to us? Do we know our Bibles well enough to tell them how to trust Christ? Does this challenge us to learn how?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Jonah and Jeremiah were prophets of God. They viewed their responsibilities in this capacity differently. Jonah was a half-hearted prophet. He was not interested in seeing his enemies get saved. Jeremiah, whole heartedly, prophesized God’s message of repentance to backsliding Israel.

This week we will look at other men who presented God’s word. Noah, Philip, Jonah, Peter, and Stephen. Were these men faithful to God’s call and how did it change the lives of others.

NOAH  

“And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.⁹ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:7-9)

“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.¹⁴ Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.” (Genesis 6:13-14)

“Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” (Genesis 6:22)

“And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;” (2 Peter 2:5)

What makes a good winner? One who walks with God, is obedient, and is patient.

Noah was all that and more. Noah spent 100 years building the ark. He was ridiculed. To this point there had never been rain. He told the people to repent and they rejected him.

Noah never quit trusting God. He continued to preach God’s righteousness.

Today, we have all sorts of ways to tell others about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Are we doing it?

Are we a reluctant Jonah or a faithful Noah?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

Jeremiah was a prophet of God. Israel, the ten northern tribes, were conquered by Assyria. Jeremiah was sent to Judah and Benjamin to warn them. Judah and Benjamin were in rebellion to God’s plan. They worshipped idols and committed all sorts of wickedness.

Jeremiah continues to warn and Judah and Benjamin continue to reject God.

This week we will look at Jeremiah’s call, Judah and Benjamin’s sin, God’s mercy, and God’s judgement.

God’s Judgement

“Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.¹⁷ Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.¹⁸ Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.¹⁹ Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.” (Jeremiah 6:16-19)

“Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.²³ They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion.” (Jeremiah 6:22-23)

“For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.” (Jeremiah 21:10)

Judgement came. Judah and Benjamin fail to repent and they taken into captivity.

Decisions determine destiny! We must base our decisions on God’s word or we will make faulty decisions.

Choose to make the Bible the basis of all your decisions both great and small.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

Jeremiah was a prophet of God. Israel, the ten northern tribes, were conquered by Assyria. Jeremiah was sent to Judah and Benjamin to warn them. Judah and Benjamin were in rebellion to God’s plan. They worshipped idols and committed all sorts of wickedness.

Jeremiah continues to warn and Judah and Benjamin continue to reject God.

This week we will look at Jeremiah’s call, Judah and Benjamin’s sin, God’s mercy, and God’s judgement.

God’s Mercy

“Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever.¹³ Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.¹⁴ Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:¹⁵ And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” (Jeremiah 3:12-15)

“Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God.²³ Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.” (Jeremiah 3:22-23)

“For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; ⁶ If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: ⁷ Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.” (Jeremiah 7:5-7)

God’s Heart

“But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.” (Jeremiah 13:17)

It was never God’s intent that Judah and Benjamin be taken into captivity. God continued to warn them, exhort them, and plead with them to repent and come back to Him. In the end, God wept over His backslidden children.

God is still merciful. He waits for His wayward children to repent and follow Him. Eventually God’s patience runs out. We say “No” too many times and we seal our own fate.

May we not be like Judah and Benjamin. When we sin, repent and move on for God!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

Jonah obeys God’s call to preach to Nineveh. Nineveh, a pagan, wicked, idolatrous nation, repents. God gave Jonah and Nineveh a second chance. They accepted.

Contrast that to the book of Jeremiah and Judah and Benjamin. Jeremiah preached repentance to Judah and Benjamin, but they steadfastly refused to accept God’s warning of destruction. They refused to change their wicked ways and were taken into captivity by Babylon.

How sad. Which camp are we in today? Are we doing wickedness under the guise of being a Christian, as Judah or Benjamin, or are we truly walking with the Lord?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Download (JONAH-3.docx, DOCX, 14KB)

Good morning,

Jeremiah was a prophet of God. Israel, the ten northern tribes, were conquered by Assyria. Jeremiah was sent to Judah and Benjamin to warn them. Judah and Benjamin were in rebellion to God’s plan. They worshipped idols and committed all sorts of wickedness.

Jeremiah continues to warn and Judah and Benjamin continue to reject God.

This week we will look at Jeremiah’s call, Judah and Benjamin’s sin, God’s mercy, and God’s judgement.

Judah and Benjamin’s Sin

“How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.⁸ They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.⁹ Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? (Jeremiah 5:7-9)

“But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.²⁴ Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.²⁵ Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.” (Jeremiah 5:23-25)

“Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.” (Jeremiah 6:15)

“But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.²⁴ But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.” (Jeremiah 7:23-24)

Judah and Benjamin committed idolatry, adultery, rebellion, and were not ashamed of what they were doing. They failed to obey God and walked in the counsel and imaginations of their own evil hearts.

Who do we follow today? The God of the Bible or our own evil hearts?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

Jeremiah was a prophet of God. Israel, the ten northern tribes, were conquered by Assyria. Jeremiah was sent to Judah and Benjamin to warn them. Judah and Benjamin were in rebellion to God’s plan. They worshipped idols and committed all sorts of wickedness.

Jeremiah continues to warn and Judah and Benjamin continue to reject God.

This week we will look at Jeremiah’s call, Judah and Benjamin’s sin, God’s mercy, and God’s judgement.

Jeremiah’s call

“Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,⁵ Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. ⁶ Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. ⁷ But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. ⁸ Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.⁹ Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. ¹⁰ See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:4-10)

Jeremiah was called to be a prophet before he was conceived. God knew him, sanctified, and ordained him. God gave him a mission and equipped him to fulfill the mission.

There is no indication that anyone who heard God’s warning repented, but Jeremiah fulfilled God’s calling faithfully.

The church, believers in Christ, are those who God has called to warn individuals of the upcoming judgment. We are equipped with God’s word, God’s message of salvation, and the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus Christ, God’s son, shed His perfect, sinless blood, to redeem all mankind.  However, we have a choice to accept or reject God’s redemption. Just like Judah and Benjamin.

Who will we warn today?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001