YouTube – The Biblical Definition of Truth
By The Wilderness Ministry (11 min 43 sec)
“Therefore, Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and
summoned Jesus and said to Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are you saying this on your
own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?’
“Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests
delivered You to me; what have You done?’
“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My
servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but
as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm’
“Therefore, Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am
a king. For this I have been born, and
for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’”
John 18:33-38a
My little brother and I used to have these long, peppered
with Scripture, intense discussions about how difficult and time consuming it
was becoming for me to augment the WeakDay Devotions with additional resources
(such as the YouTube video above).
Many ‘Christian’ videos today of teachings or music are
frequently misleading. Instead, they may
be beautiful or sound true, but they distort or minimise what the Bible
actually teaches to ‘sell’ deception, self-worship and reliance or the many
forms of prosperity.
Pilot said it best: ‘What
IS the Truth?’
How can you know the truth?
First, ask your pastor or a trusted Christian advisor or teacher. Section, read more Scripture, take notes of
what you read and pay attention to what you are reading. Compare what you hear, listen to and see with
what you find there.
This takes work, wisdom and time. Most of us would rather ask someone else for
their opinion or read a commentary or book ABOUT what the Bible says, than read
God’s Word for ourselves.
Assignment
1. Set
aside an hour and find a place where you will not be interrupted.
2. Bring
your Bible, notebook, something to write with and a refreshment.
3. Quiet
your heart and pray, asking God to help you focus anew on His Word and ask the
Holy Spirit to give you new insights as you read.
4. Open
your notebook, date a fresh page and open your Bible to Philemon (the book
right before Hebrews).
5. Read
or recite the entire book out loud without marking anything.
6. Read
it again, circle verse numbers or underline verses that seem important and
answer these questions in your notebook:
a.
Who wrote the book?
b.
Who is it written to?
c.
Where is the writer as he writes?
d.
What key words are repeated (not ‘the, and but
action words and words that are nouns (person, places or things)
e.
List the names of all the people who appear in
the book.
f.
What is the purpose of the book? Why has it been written?
g.
What does the writer ask of the reader?
7. Consider
all you’ve read and noted above and pray, thanking God that you have now
finished two entire books through these WeakEnd Assignments. Ask your
loving Father-God to grow your hunger for learning more about His Word.
8. If
you have time, listen carefully to the video and make notes of what the Bible
says about truth.
Take care with love, especially His, Darlene (who still
prays for you daily)
PS: (Provider changed
the email program and not able to send out email version right now, so entire
prayer list below. Apologies.)
PSS: Find my
statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com
(where you will also find a series of
beginner Bible studies to share). Find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a
Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’.
(Also, there is an android ‘Google
Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone. Not sure about Apple.). For the books, go to Amazon
books.
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS
·
URGENT ISRAEL–
more than 3,000 people have been killed by terrorists in an unprovoked attack. Many from Israel have been captured as
hostages (soldiers, elderly, women, children and babies). Please
Pray for those who have lost loved ones, the hostages, those trapped there
and for the Israeli soldiers and strategists who must now take action to
restore peace from the many terrorists surrounding their land. Pray also for the Palestinians who have been
held captive by the terrorists for years -- as they must also live through this
war.
·
Andrew M. – we’ve
been praying for him and his full-time ministry (Deaf
Ministries Intnl). Recently travelled
to The Philippines and contracted Zika fever.
He remains in hospital recovering there and needs your prayers for
healing, strength and wisdom. Pray also
for his health carers and his beloved wife (still here in Sydney awaiting his
safe return).
·
Barbara –
the beloved wife of my brother, Tim (who passed away suddenly early this year). Please pray God places people in her path who
will help her with all the things He knows she needs help with. Pray for Barb’s peace and protection at
night.
·
New – Jen N –
a Jewish woman I’ve met at work, please pray for her that she will find a new
role and that she stays safe and healthy.
Please pray for her and her two boys (ages 16 and 17).
·
Patti and John
– Pray the Lord keeps them safe and healthy and that they are encouraged in the
strength of the Lord and never compromise the truth of the Bible for any
reason. (Joshuah 1:6-9).
·
Demi and John – one evening he went out his backdoor to run an
errand and was attacked by someone with a knife who stabbed him several times
(one pierced his heart). He has
recovered physically, but please pray for him and his wife as they pull their
lives together – that they might find the Lord in all the chaos left behind.
·
Jeff and
Rachael’s family, Peyton and Carter - Payton, granddaughter, now a
senior in university. Carter, their son,
now a freshman in college. Both are
exceptional students and love the Lord. Pray
they are not distracted by worldly things, that the Lord watches over and
protects them, that they continue to do well in their studies and that their
love of God’s Word increases daily.
·
Sarah and Andrew – he left his job a year ago -- she went to work
in a new role. Pray for this precious
Christian couple that they focus on family balance to the glory of the Lord.
·
Sue and Rob – opened their home to support Luke who is angry and refuses to move out. Please pray the Lord saves all three and that
Luke realises he must take responsibility for his own life. Pray for the continued patience and
compassion of Sue and Rob.
·
Bettina –
continue to pray for her as she grows into a new phase of her life in the Lord. Pray each of her five married daughters, spouses
and 18 grandchildren grow to love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
·
Paul –
please pray for him. He still has not
found a job or work after more than ten years.
He is very discouraged and now unwell.
Please pray the Lord provides needed work so he can begin to heal and
strengthen.
·
Ian – continue
to pray that his desire to grow his understanding and effectiveness with
personal evangelism is fulfilled.
·
Elina –
needs God’s wisdom and the courage of her convictions and resolve to live a
life that is Christ-honouring for herself and her young son, Jimmy.
·
Megan (for
emotional healing) and Scott, her
husband (for patience and wisdom) and wisdom for his sister, Clare, as she seeks to support them through
troubled times.
·
Christine –
give her strength as she journeys to heart-healing and pray her husband gives
his heart to the Lord.
·
Robin –
lost her beloved mother (was 93 years old), please pray for strength and
healing for her as she navigates through this time of mourning and for her
daughter who is comforting her.
·
Pray for true,
Christ-centered revival in America.
Pray for those in full-time service
Pray the Lord upholds our Christian leaders – that they
never compromise God’s Word and remain bold and courageous in the face of
evil. Pray for their wisdom, safety,
ingenuity, strength and for their families.
·
Scott and Carolyn
Petty – Scott settling in as our
new pastor. Pray he and his wife and
family will know how welcome they are.
Pray for their wisdom, strength and patience during this time.
·
Elaine and Jim
Pounder and their ‘Little Church’
ministry. They thank you for your
prayers. Continue to pray for their safety,
health, strength and time with family as their ministry continues to spread
around the world in a model of home churches. Pray for continued growth of
their YouTube channel and website: The
Little Church World at https://www.youtube.com/user/thelittlechurchworld
·
Pat and Isobel –as they serve tirelessly in challenging
times. Pray the Lord refreshes and
strengthens them with ‘streams in the desert’.
·
Ray and Kathy –
Ray’s mom is fading into the growing fog of dementia, recently had a serious
fall and is now in an aged care facility.
Pray she adjusts and stay healthy.
Pray for travelling mercies for Ray as he drives back and forth to visit
her, and for Kathy as she supports him through this difficult time. Pray also for their separate ministries to
grow through the witness of their love and compassion.
·
Jenny S–
Pray God provides her with a new car (she would love leather seats). Help her identify the value of her unique
contributions wherever she goes. Pray
the Lord maintains her health and finances.
·
Talitha
– in full-time children’s ministry and needs financial support for her work. Pray God moves the hearts of those around her
to provide ample support for her work.
·
Isaias and Judith
Catorce – have
faithfully served as key leaders and teachers for Ambassadors for Christ
Philippines (AFCP – TMS Global). I had
the privilege of visiting their ministry and encourage you to learn more about
their tireless work and consider supporting them by going to www.tms-global.org . Select the ‘Give’ option at the top of
the page. Select ‘Give to a
Worker.’ Type the amount of the gift and
the code 6028 (which equals ‘Catorce’), then follow the simple directions.
·
Simon, Tamara and
their children – Simon has moved
to a new ministry with new challenges.
Pray for him and his entire family.
·
John and Sheridan
– a most delightful couple.
He is the pastor of a church with a small and faithful congregation, and
she supports him in many ways. Pray that
God encourages them to not grow weary of their work and that the Lord brings
abundant fruit.
·
Patrick
- a Bible scholar, who is presently part of an English Translation Review
Committee, reviewing a new translation of the New Testament, ‘The Antioch
Bible’ (translating from Syriac to English).
Pray for their hoped-for goal of finishing the entire NT this calendar
year and that he has increasing skill in the complicated languages he is
working with.
·
Audley M – In his 90s, remarried last year (his wife
passed away a few years ago). Pray for
their union in Christ and for their health and strength. Pray for his wisdom and the effective growth
of his wonderful radio ministry (Florida, Virginia, Alabama, Indianapolis) as
America hunger for ‘True meat’!
Pray Especially for Salvation for:
·
Becky
– came through her spinal surgery to repair some deterioration vertebrae but
there is a long recovery time. Pray for
her patience and for her health care providers that they are wise and
compassionate, that her family rallies around her to care for her and that she
finds the Lord in all this.
·
Fred and Barb –
brother of Patti -- for salvation.
·
Bryan and Julie
(Patti’s daughter) for salvation. They
are the parents of Callilah, Adrian, Micah, Kevin and Nate -- lost, damaged and
troubled children – all of whom we have prayed for over the years.
·
Sophie–
six-year-old daughter of a friend is chronically unwell and frail. Please pray for her, her parents and health
carers to find ways to manage her symptoms and heal her and that this will lead
them all to come to salvation.
·
Pray for Jeff and
Rachael’s family in Louisville to
desire and seek a relationship with the Lord.
·
Peggy – a
dear friend and colleague of my sister-in-law who has been battling cancer in
her neck for years. Her new oncologist
has started a combination of chemo and radiation that seems to be working, but
she is miserable. Please pray for her as
she waits for her body to heal and strengthen and that she finds salvation.
Pray for those with ongoing health concerns
Many of us have family, friends and loved ones with fragile
health. Pray God takes special care with
them and protects them in practical ways and that the Lord will have mercy on
them.
·
David
– had a ‘loop’ installed to monitor his heart and they found a way to treat
some difficult symptoms with new meds rather than needing a pacemaker. Pray for his patience and thanksgiving,
continued wisdom for his health carers, and for Heidi,
his daughter to be strong and healthy.
She is David’s sole carer.
·
Wayne B – is slowly losing his precious wife, Lyn,
(diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia three and a half years ago). She has been in care since May of 2020 but
recently had a succession of falls and is now in a psycho-geriatric facility.
She sometimes knows who he is but is no longer able to respond. Pray for comfort for Wayne as he deals with
this difficult situation.
·
Joni – a long-time friend, wandering through the
challenges of cancer treatment. No
results yet from the PET scan, but other tests indicate her cancer is
gone. Nevertheless, she is still
recovering from the treatments and needs your prayers as she lives alone.
·
Hans–
a dear friend in Germany struggling with lung cancer and financial
difficulties. Pray his new social worker
will be able to help him and that he will have patience. Pray for his healthcare providers and that he
is surrounded by faithful and compassionate Christian friends who will remind
him of the Lord’s love. Pray for his Mom
(age 84) -- that their time together is filled with extraordinarily good
memories and lots of love.
·
Jake – continues his battle with COPD (emphysema) and
heart problems. Please pray for his
daughter, Tiffany and for his other
friends and health carers to help him through his health journey.
·
Jen – who
lost her only sister and recently had an accident that landed her in a special
long-term facility. She is home now and
very tired and grateful to be home.
Please pray for her patience and that she will realise how much the Lord
loves her.
·
Philip and Sue –
Philip recently had surgery. Pray for
his health carers and for Sue as she supports him through his recovery.
·
Leon –
out of intensive care into the high dependency unit. Pray for his health-care providers that they
are wise and compassionate.
·
Ivan –
(brother of Emil) Ivan has been battling illness for a long time is now
virtually starving. He can no longer
stand. Pray for Ivan to revive his hope
and for Emil to be strong and wise as
he holds his brother’s hand through this final journey. And give Brenda,
Emil’s wife wisdom and compassion as she comforts him.
·
Beth –
at 30 years old is now in palliative care, on Morphine as she faces imminent
death, give her peace as she journeys through this last step on her way Home to
be with her Saviour and King.
·
Patti and John –
pray God continues to inspire them with His love and compassion and that He
will guard their health. Pray also for
travelling mercies as Patti is now the only one who drives.
·
Dana,
daughter of Annette and Lyle just gave birth to their first grandchild. All healthy.
Pray God watches over this precious, new child throughout her life and
that He captures her heart early in her life that she may inspire others by her
faith and love.
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