The Bible speaks of the Magi who came from afar to pay homage to the King of Kings. Today, you will hear messages from three modern-day Wise Men, who have dedicated their lives to honor their Savior, Jesus Christ.
Who Are These Wise Men?
Ralph Wiseman (Shown here with his wife Rita) is the eldest of the three, and is a retired firefighter and EMT of 27 years. Prior to that career, Ralph owned a TV and sound service, performing various types of electronic repairs in his business. As the need arose, he began to volunteer in a local Fire Dept. where his calling to be a firefighter began. After becoming a born again Christian, Ralph acquired a burning desire to see others come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Thus, you will now read a copy of a Bible tract that Brother Ralph wrote that was inspired by his desire to put out fires; a desire to help anyone avoid the fires of hell.
WORD OF TRUTH RESCUE
My big brother Ralph designed and wrote a little Bible tract many years ago, the front of which you can see here(click on the picture for a better view). The relevance of the design is primarily based on his life as a fireman/EMT for 27 years. He began his career as a volunteer in a small rural community, and eventually became a paid fireman. As a Christian, he became extremely burdened for people that are dying without Jesus, and thus, condemned to a devil's hell. The key verses on the cover are from Revelation 14:11,Revelation 26:15, and John 8:32. He invisioned himself as a fireman driving the truck named Word of Truth Rescue, and shouting to the sinner going down the wrong path to hell, hopefully in time to spare him from the lake of fire. While this little tract is very dated(prior to the time of computer graphics), and to some it many seem even a little "corny"; nevertheless, it has been used by God to save many souls. It is out of print now, but I was always touched by the compassion that pours out onto its pages; compassion for lost souls who would be otherwise be eternally seperated from God.I have attempted to duplicate it here for you, although formatting and scanning were a little bit of a problem. Check the next journal entry for the content of the tract. Ralph and his wonderful wife Rita have been married since 1958; they are both retired now, and live in their mountain retreat called "The Refuge"; a beautiful retreat for missionaries, evangelists, and pastors. It is their calling to minister to these men of God.
THE WORD OF TRUTH RESCUE PART 2
HOW CAN YOU BE SAVED AND REALLY KNOW IT?
Question: If you were to die tonight, or suddenly be killed,do you know for certain that you would go to Heaven? Now let's assume that your answer is "no", or "I'm not sure." If this is the case, and if someone could show you for certain that you are on your way to Heaven, then surely you would want to get this matter settled once for all, and as soon as possible. Focus your attention for just a minute on that Heart, beating inside you chest. Amazing isn't it? Now I'm sure you must realize that you have no control over that life-supplying vessel, and that right now, at this very moment, you are just one heartbeat away from eternity. You might be saying, "Well, I'm a pretty good person, and I don't do anyone any harm, and I do go to Church every once in a while, so maybe God will have mercy on me, and I'll squeak by somehow." No my friend, no one is going to "squeak by." Just as surely as you are going to have to face the grim reaper one day, you are surely going to face the Judgement Seat of God! Hebrews 9:27 says..."For it is apppointed unto men once to die, but after this is the judgement."
You may ask,"How do I know the Bible is the inspired Word of God?" Well, let's consdider this question for just a minute. You don't question science books, encyclopedias, or other books of truth, In fact, in one way or another, you stake your life on them every day. How many of those books like the Bible were written over a period of 1600 years, on three different continents, by 35 -40 different writers? All of these writers came from different walks of life, were scattered over a span of about 1600 miles, with no modern forms of communication, and yet all came up with the same story, the same prophecies, and the same promises. The Bible is scientifically correct. The Bible makes many scientific observations, and in every case, where it makes these observations, no man has ever proven them to be untrue. In fact, in many cases, after many years of research, scientists have found many of them to be exactly correct. The Bible is prophetically true. Every prophecy which was ever mentioned in the Bible, has either already happened, or is in the process of being fulfilled right now. Now, let's assume that you do accept the Bible as the inspired word of God. Let's see what you have to do first. First, you have to must confess that you are a sinner.
ROMANS 3:23 says..."FOR ALL HAVE SINNED, AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD." Then, secondly, you must accept JESUS. JOHN 3:16 says..."FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO-SO-EVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE."You must accept what He did for you on the cross. Don't wait until you get better, or until you have a certain feeling. If you trust in your feelings, the devil will try to trick you into thinking that you can't be saved. The good feelings usually come later, as you begin to grow spiritually.
Sakvation is a gift. You can't earn it.
EPHESIANS 2:8,9 says... "FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED, THROUGH FAITH, AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS, LEST ANY MAN SHOULD BOAST."
The Bible says in ROMANS 10:10 "FOR WITH THE HEART MAN BELIEVETH UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND WITH THE MOUTH CONFESSION IS MADE UNTO SALVATION." It doesn't say that you have to have a certain feeling. So...it is simple. Believe, Confess, and then ask God to forgive you of all your sins, and come into your heart, and save you. 1st JOHN 1:9 says..."IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS, AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS."
Yes, you can be saved, and know it. 1st John 5:13 says..."THESE THINGS HAVE I WRITTEN UNTO YOU THAT BELIEVE ON THE NAME OF THE SON OF GOD; THAT YE MAY KNOW THAT YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE."
Now, if you can believe, if you are willing to as God to forgive you of all your sins, and if you will ask Him to come into your heart and save you; You CAN be saved quicker than I tell it. SIMPLY bow your head right now, wherever you are, and pray a simple sinner's prayer.
Here is a prayer that you may use if you wish: "Dear Lord, I realize that I am a sinner, and I deserve to die, and go to hell. But JESUS, I believe that you are the Son of God, and that You were crucified on a cross for my sins, so that I might have eternal life. I ask you Lord, to forgive me of my sins, and to come into my heart, and save me. Now Lord, I thank you for saving my soul."
So, now you are saved, and on your way to Heaven. Don't let anyone tell you that you are not saved; if you prayed that prayer, and meant it. If satan tries to tell you that you are not saved, then remind him that God is not a liar. You are standing on God's Word.
Now, you are a newborn babe in Christ, and just like any child, you will have to have the proper food in order to grow. Spiritual growth is very important in order to have a victorious Christian life. God has provided you with protection who will minister to you through His Word, and will help you in every decision that you need to make. It is the HOLY SPIRIT. The HOLY SPIRIT is a gift that is available to you the minute that you get saved. So right now, ask God to fill you with the HOLY SPIRIT, and He will minister to you. Now, when you read your Bible, it will take on new meaning, as God will reveal things to you that He could not do when you were walking in darkness.
Now, as an act of obedience, you need to follow the Lord in believer's baptism, and you need to become active in a good fundamental, soul-winning, Spirit-Filled church. Don't put it off. Ask God to show you the Church that He wants you to be a part of.
It is important that you confess Jesus before men.
Matthew 10:32 says...(the words of Jesus)
"WHOSOEVER THERFORE SHALL CONFESS ME BEFORE MEN; HIM WILL I CONFESS ALSO BEFORE MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN."
May God Bless you and keep you in the center of His will, is our prayer.
WORD OF TRUTH RESCUE
2.
Larry Wiseman is the younger brother of Ralph, whose life was heavily influenced by his big brother, but most of this influence came later in life, as Larry did not become a Christian until age 32. Before that time, Larry had a 25 year career as a professional trumpet player; both as a classically trained musician and a performing jazz trumpeter and recording studio player. After that point in life, Larry had another career as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician for 32 years with Delta Air Lines. In every department at Delta, Larry was able to either form or participate in some form of Bible Study. After several years, the inspiration came to share messages from the Lord in this blog, which was begun in 2006. So it is here that we will share one of those posts entitled:
ANGELS...PART ONE
God's Angels are RealUnlike the elusive, beautiful painting above, angels are real, but most of the time, we don't even see them, and for a very good reason; for they are God's messengers sent to do His work and to protect us from danger including danger from ourselves. This journal is not about making pretty pictures, or sculpting images of angels, but a study of who they are, and why God has them as His "secret agents". But first, I must describe our relationship to God and the situation that we are in, here on Earth.
Who (whose) are You?
OK here is the deal; it is time for us to understand and realize who we are in Christ...that we are truly NOT our own; we are bought with a price, the Blood of Jesus, and that with that purchase, God Almighty has endowed us with the right to be called HIS; the right to go Heaven; THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN THAT! While we are here on this Earth, we have things to do, that are to Glorify God, and to further His Kingdom to come, and to lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven; when we get saved, and give our whole hearts and lives to JESUS, we are then enlisted in God's Army.
CLAIMER/DISCLAIMER
I call this a claimer/disclaimer because in my writings, I make certains claims (this is the claimer part), namely, that God's Word says this or says that...I claim it to be true. but (here's the disclaimer part), if anyone who reads my writings, thinks that I have mis-spoken, then by all means feel free to challenge me, and I will take a second look; to see if I have (misspoken). Many times, I will not quote the chapter and verse, but I will tell you where it is located in the Bible...call me lazy if you like; it is just my style. If I am challenged to say where I got something from God's word, I will be happy to explain myself.
GOD'S ARMY
Historically speaking, when a general or even a king sends people into battle, he usually sends the warriors equipped to win the battle, for only a fool would expect victory otherwise.
By the same token, God has never sent leaders of old into battle, unless He planned for them to win...if they lost a battle, it was because they failed,miserably, to obey God's commands as to "how to" go about fighting the battle.
God sent Joshua and the people into the battle of Ai, and they were being slaughtered; Joshua asked god "Why?" God clearly explained to Joshua that there was sin in the camp...a man named Achin had stolen gold from the enemy, and hidden it in his tent; when the Lord had explicitly instructed them to take nothing; Achin confessed what he had done, and Joshua herded Achin and all of his family together, and they were all stoned to death. How do you like that for accountablility?
Who are the members of God's Army today? What is the nature of the battle? Who is the enemy?
The old hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers", pretty much answers the first question:
Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war
With the Cross of Jesus, going on before
Christ our royal master, leads against the foe,
Forward into battle, see our banners flow.
You see, when you become a Christian, you are then enlisted in the Army of God. Now to some, that is only a symbolic existence, not to be taken too seriously, but to others, it means a life that is never the same again, dedicated to bringing in more souls for Jesus, and living a victorious life that is full of the Love of God, and free from the bondage of sin, which answers the second question; the nature of the battle is clearly spoken of in the book of Ephesians.
satan's angels are DEFEATED
" Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness, in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness: And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Praying always in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perserverance and supplication for all saints." Ephesians6:10-18
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 2Corinthians 10:4
Now, the question is "Who is our enemy?" Well, it was certainly not meant to be people, although people have made enemies of each other since man made himself an enemy of God in the garden of Eden. But God loved man in spite of this; that is why He became a man named Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sin.
Once upon a timeless in Heaven, there was a beautiful angel named Lucifer, who was actually in charge of the music in Heaven; in fact the Word says that he had a musical instrument inside of him. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, this angel decided to rebel against God. Who did he think he was, rebelling against God, the creator of everything? God could not tolerate such a thing, and He threw Lucifer and ONE THIRD of all the angels (the ones that rebelled against God) in Heaven, OUT of Heaven, and onto the Earth.
Now, I don't know how many that was, but I am sure that it was a LOT. Let's just be conservative in guessing that there were 3 million total angels in Heaven at the time; that means that at least 1 million were cast down with Lucifer(who became satan at that time) to the Earth. Well what happened to them? I don't think that they just disappeared; no, they remained here with satan, reeking havoc in the lives of mankind. They will continue to try to reek havoc in the lives of mankind until one day when God throws them all into Hellfire, where they will remain forever!
People who are living under the Blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ, make it difficult if not impossible for those demon-angels to hurt them or affect their lives. But those demon-angels have plenty of other people to work with; just look at all of the wicked things that people do, every day!
A sober person generally has a very strong level of bio-feedback in his or her brain, and he or she is usually in total control. A drugged or intoxicated person, on the other hand, has a very low bio-feedback level, and his or her mind is an open door for demon-angels to work. They even like to work in the minds of crazy or demented people. The "Son of Sam" was a very famous serial killer; he went through the streets shooting people with a .357 magnum. After he was eventually caught, it was known that he had a terrible drinking and drug problem; he said that voices, namely a black dog named Sam, told him to kill people. Several years ago, a woman drowned all five of her children in the bathtub; she was over medicated on anti-depressants,and also taking psychotropic drugs, and NOT following doctor's orders; she told police that voices told her to kill the children. I could go on and on. The fact is that these demon- angels still live on this Earth, and they have little or no effect on a Christian who is sold out to Jesus, especially those who wear the armor of God. In fact the Bible says that we can cast those devils out, and that they have NO power over us! When Jesus said from a cruel cross "It is Finished" it was finished, and when he arose from the dead, it was and is finished for the demon-angels in the lives of Christian believers; we just have to reckon it so, and live like it. Satan and his angels are defeated!!
God's Angels
God's Angels are all throughout the Bible, and in part two of this series, we will talk more about them, and how REAL they can be for us, because they are real! I have a friend named Benjamin, who is possibly the most studied man in the Word of God that I have ever known; I am asking him to help me in teaching the reality of God's Angels, and how He has placed them in our lives to protect us, and how if we simply believe, that God will send them where we need them to be. Just believe it!
In closing, I want to share a true-life angel story. My friend Eddie was changing the battery in his car one weekend, and his small son was following him around "watching Daddy". Eddie had charged the battery overnight in his house, so he brought it out to re-install it in his car. He hooked it up to the terminals, and went around to the front seat to start the car. His little boy stood in front of the car about eye level with that newly charged battery, just watching. As Eddie tried to turn the key, he said that a force, much greater than his, would not allow him to turn the key. He tried really hard to turn it, but it would not budge; he then took his hands off the switch, and asked his small son to come around and stand next to Daddy, which he did. Now Eddie and his son are in the car while Eddie tried the ignition key again. This time he could turn the key. As soon as the battery was energized from the key, it EXPLODED into a thousand pieces; Eddie said that he found pieces of battery in the front and back yards of his home; his son would have been killed instantly, had something not stopped Eddie's hand. These things don't happen by accident! You will learn as you read more of my writings that I personally don't believe anything happens by accident.
"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 NASB1995 ... It still amazes me what Christ did for me. God in the flesh. I wonder if we would recognize him or accept him if he came in such obscurity today. His next coming will not be as a child but as a King, ready to bring His children home. What a beautiful day that will be.
Happy Tuesday everyone. I hope you had a good start to your week. Remember to let His light shine through you in these days we are living in. Godspeed! / The Ronman
' xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cuse fill='black' filter='url(%23c)' xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cpath fill='white' d='M12.162 7.338c.176.123.338.245.338.674 0 .43-.229.604-.474.725a.73.73 0 01.089.546c-.077.344-.392.611-.672.69.121.194.159.385.015.62-.185.295-.346.407-1.058.407H7.5c-.988 0-1.5-.546-1.5-1V7.665c0-1.23 1.467-2.275 1.467-3.13L7.361 3.47c-.005-.065.008-.224.058-.27.08-.079.301-.2.635-.2.218 0 .363.041.534.123.581.277.732.978.732 1.542 0 .271-.414 1.083-.47 1.364 0 0 .867-.192 1.879-.199 1.061-.006 1.749.19 1.749.842 0 .261-.219.523-.316.666zM3.6 7h.8a.6.6 0 01.6.6v3.8a.6.6 0 01-.6.6h-.8a.6.6 0 01-.6-.6V7.6a.6.6 0 01.6-.6z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e){kind=small}
' xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cuse fill='black' filter='url(%23c)' xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cpath fill='white' d='M10.473 4C8.275 4 8 5.824 8 5.824S7.726 4 5.528 4c-2.114 0-2.73 2.222-2.472 3.41C3.736 10.55 8 12.75 8 12.75s4.265-2.2 4.945-5.34c.257-1.188-.36-3.41-2.472-3.41'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e){kind=small}
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 NASB1995 ... Just as people couldn't wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ we wait, again, for His second coming. In all my life I have never heard so many Christians say "Come Lord and again I say Come". Life is hard and circumstances are rough and people are tired. Yet, there are so many yet to be saved. So many of my own family members and Grandchildren. Come, Lord, yes, but let us not leave our loved ones behind.
Happy Monday. I know a lot of you are off this week and making family plans or just taking some personal time. Regardless, make sure people see Jesus in you. Godspeed! / The Ronman
Take a closer look at the picture below, and see Ralph the Firefighter offering the sinner his rescue!
NOTE: COMMENTS ARE ALLOWED; SIMPLY TYPE YOUR COMMENTS HERE AND CLICK ON "PUBLISH"
ReplyDelete