Exloring Life Eternal

Today I asked some folks where I work a simple question:

What is the simplest thing you have ever learned?

Some responses:
How to breathe.
How to walk.
Language.
How to love.
How to eat.

For me, the most important/simplest thing I have learned was:
The answer to this question:

"Whose ya Daddy?"

To know God as our Father is such a joy.

He gives us breath.
Fills us with love.
Enables to speak.
Feeds us with His Word.
& Has shown us how to walk.

The original significance of baptism (immersion) was entrance into the Kingdom of God & hence the reason it is such a scandal in every generation where the call of the King is heeded.

Typically, it seems that when political issues become significant in the history of the Church, it means death of some sort or another. (I think of James, Savanrola, some Anabaptists, and the Methodist movement in the 1800's in England, and others.)

This reveals the danger of nationalism (i.e. replacing or equating the nation with the Kingdom of God). The party of the Nazi's the "Nationalist Party," or something to that effect, if I am not mistaken. I think that great discretion is essential in the area of
chosen allegiances.

Criticism of the nation that is vocal & effective is actually very costly for those who give a faithful critique, though the danger is far less than not recognizing & confessing the Savior who enables us to overcome our shortcomings. If the critique is accurate, God will bless the critic. If the critique is false, the critic will have many other critics to face as well.

Paul did not seem to appeal to Roman citizenship very regularly or significantly until he went to Rome ... & subsequently died (extant records indicate that it was an execution). He himself seemed to have regarded himself as a near abortion.

Jesus' own citizenship in Roman "Palestine"/Israel and as a Jew and part time resident of Galilee seemed to result primarily and a few off-hand remarks about the slyness of those in government, and then later in multiple trials before his death. His resurrection & the vacancy left in the resting place later demonstrated that indeed the King strong. His ascencion a few years later seems to indicate that the King took his throne.

To the knowledge of the general public (myself included), Jesus has not returned to earth yet. Still praying & working, dying & living in these United States, though I deeply long for a better country ...

Please pray with me for 2-4 new likeminded friends to be able to begin meeting regularly with me in the next few weeks. There is a ripe harvest & my heart is troubled & anxious, with the sentence of death within myself. I am feeling very alone in a new city. I covet your prayers.

Peace,
Mert

While studying in college, I observed that Jesus never promised a "job," though He did promise provision & he does call us to Himself ... 100% commitment.

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Today, the Lord gave me 3 great witnessing opportunities ... because I worked with an advertising contractor holding a street sign & listening to a CD with praise music or the Bible.

The first conversation was with a guy in a red Jeep who asked what this
was all about. I indicated that the signs were for the "conversion" of
the K-Mart store to a Sears Essentials store because of a corporate
buyout, but what I was about was a different conversion: the
conversion of souls from dark to light, from sin to salvation, from
death to life, etc. He mentioned that he too had noticed that far too
many people thought that it was all about money. He had had 2 heart
attacks & hardening of the arteries. Anxiety rested upon his face. I
reminded him of Jesus' death, burial, & resurrection & we asked the
Lord for help in this man's body. I suggested a church we (my wife &
I) had attended, and he seemed interested. His name is Louie Waterbury.

The second conversation was with a co-worker who had grown up for a
time around a sectarian splinter off Christianity (The Way
International) http://www.ex-wayworld.com/ I talked with him about
the Bible, and he admitted his need for forgiveness. However, he was
interested in the Bible, but did not seem to have ever personally
studied it in depth. He has a hard time in life, but needs to see the
church in love with God (not money/power/tradition?.) He left still
searching.

The last man was a man of some authority & wealth. He seemed to have
some authority at the store (as he was the one who was there when we
learned that we (the sign-holders) would have to leave). He had seen /
watched me as I bought some things that my wife wanted, but at very
good prices!

As I was about to leave the store, he too was leaving. He was busy,
but he greeted me, "How are you doing?"

"Rejoicing!" I answered.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Because my name is written in the Lamb's book of life? Is yours?"

"Umm, I don't know."

"Would you be interested in knowing for sure that your name is in the
Lamb's book?"

"No." He muttered a little something else too, but he was in his SUV &
off down the road at that point.

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All that to say, it was perhaps the best day for me personally, but the
"job" is closing up ... quick! I was doing what I loved doing, but the
"money" was not all that great!! (1/2 of what was originally offerred,
though I have done the job before. Uncertain future.) God is
providing through Praying Through the Arabian Peninsula, a little more,
which has become my life passion since 3+ years ago, but as they say,
the money ain't great but the retirement benefits are out of this world.

Thanks for your encouragement & mutual prayer.

Peace,
Mert Hershberger