THE NEW EWE
THE NEW EWE"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"
Luke 15:4-6
August 23, 2023
LIFE
IN THE FOLDThis past weekend my sister, Jon and I went to Gaither christian concert at the Mabee Center in Tulsa. I had ordered our tickets online back in June, had them printed off, and we were prepared and ready!
When we got to the escalator that went from the ground to the upper level, where the entrance to the concert venue was and where the artists had their product tables set up, you had to first show your tickets to workers who scanned them.
The first evening, as I was getting ready to have my ticket scanned, a man tried to walk onto the escalator, without first showing a ticket. He was immediately stopped and told that he could not enter without a ticket. The man told the worker that he just wanted to go upstairs and look around to see what was there. She told him no -- that if he wanted to go upstairs, where the artists and concert area were, he had to first go to the ticket counter and purchase a ticket; otherwise he could not go to the upper area. The man turned around and left.
This reminded me some passages of scriptures in the Bible. The first is the story of Noah. God spoke to Noah and told him that the earth would be flooded and instructions on how to build a big boat. Why? Because of the evil and wickedness of the people upon the earth, God was sorry that he had ever made them, so was going to wipe out the human race. But Noah found favor with the Lord, due to his righteousness. During the construction of the ark, I'm sure that Noah preached to many people, telling them God's message of coming destruction. Had the people chosen to listen to Noah and repent, perhaps God would have given them another chance.
Once Noah, his family, and two of each kind of animal were on the ark, scripture says that the Lord closed the door behind them. Noah didn't shut the door, God did. There were probably people jeering and laughing at Noah and his family, ridiculing them, when they entered the boat. Yet they were faithful to do what God instructed them to do. Rains came and flooding began, and there was no where that people could go to escape.
The only ones who had a "ticket" to get on board the ark were Noah and his family. They were the only ones upon the face of the earth who were protected from the flooding. Building the ark wasn't a quick process, and people had opportunity to repent during that time and turn from their wickedness and sin; yet they chose not to. I believe that perhaps God closed the door behind Noah, so that when the rains and flooding began and men and women began banging on the door begging to be let inside, God was the one who had sealed the door against their pleas. He took that burden and responsibility so that Noah and his family didn't have to.
In Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus teaches on the parable of the ten virgins/bridesmaids. They all went to meet the bridegroom and took their lamps with them. But five took extra oil for their lamps and five didn't. The bridegroom was delayed, so they all fell asleep while waiting for him. At midnight they were roused by the shout, "Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!" All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. The five foolish asked the wise to give them some of their oil, because their lamps were going out. They replied, "We don't have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves."
While they were gone, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later when the others returned, they stood outside and called out, "Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!" But he called back, "Believe me, I don't know you."
Jesus gave the meaning of the parable by saying, "You, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return."
Again in Luke 13:22-27 Jesus is teaching and tells the people to work so that they can enter the narrow door to God's Kingdom, for many will try to enter and fail. When the master of the door has locked the door, it will be too late. Many will be standing outside knocking and pleading for the door to be opened for them, but the Lord will respond, "I don't know you or where you came from."
This past weekend, I had access to visit all of the various artists product tables, and could purchase something should I desire. I had a guaranteed seat for both concerts; and no one could take that seat away from me. Before the concert and during intermission, I even had access to many of the singers and musicians, who were standing by their booths, should I wish to talk to them or get their autograph. There was a musician, whom I admire their talent, and I had my picture taken with him. By purchasing a ticket, I had the privilege of doing all of the above. The door was opened to me and I was welcomed.
On an eternal level, I also have the choice on whether or not I will "purchase" the ticket that will give me access to heaven. Just like the parables above, people can't just want to go to heaven and see Jesus, without being willing to give their life to the Lord. The ticket isn't just automatically given to everyone, but is purchased by the surrender of ourselves to Jesus. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and choose to confess our sins and allow Him to forgive us of all unrighteousness. That gives us access to so many privileges; while on earth as well as eternity.
We have access to the throne of God, while on earth. We can experience the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. We can have joy. We have forgiveness when we fail. But we also have that blessed hope of spending all eternity with our Father. We have the responsibility to keep the oil in our lamp... in our life... the preparedness of being ready when our Bridegroom appears. There won't be time to run and buy more oil and get ready at that point, or else, we will miss out and find that the door has been closed. Don't let that happen! Be prepared, make sure your ticket has been purchased, and have access to all that God has in store for those who believe.
JON'S
PERSPECTIVE:When the young man was trying to bluff his way into the arena, I started to consider what would happen if he simply tried to make a run for it. For one thing, he would have been the only one taking the left escalator (there were two, but both were going up; everyone else naturally took the one on the right). I could very easily have squatted down and hit the stop button, then the reverse button. It was a long escalator, and even a good sprinter would have taken a long time to reach the top. I'm guessing the guards already knew to do that if needed. Also, there were more guards at the top of the escalator where he could easily have been stopped.
Heaven is even more secure. There will be no hopping the fence, no bluffing your way in, no rushing the gate, no sneaking through. We won't be able to get in "because my Mom was Christian." We can't claim "My wife has my ticket, and she already went in." And most shocking of all, we can't just say "But I was a good person." We have ask Jesus to save us and repent.
ON
THE MENEWE:How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Wrap the top and sides of a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Lay the bacon on the baking pan in a single layer.
Bake for 15-25 minutes, depending on thickness of bacon, to desired crispiness. Keep an eye on it after 15 minutes. You can cook an entire package ahead of time, then keep in a ziplock bag in the fridge until ready to use.
THIS,
THAT AND THE OTHER:More church bulletin bloopers:
Evening massage -- 6 p.m.
The peace-making meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person(s) you want to be remembered.
Glory to God to all and peas to his people on earth.
Next Friday we will be serving hot gods for lunch.
Helpers are needed! Please sign up on the information sheep.
Hymn: I am Thin, O Lord
I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even though he diets, yet shall he live.
THOUGHT
TO PONDER:For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16
OUR
HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:We love you!
Loretta & Jon