October 22, 2018: SOAP #3245:  Job 11-12; Acts 15-16

Scripture:  Acts (NIV) 16:6 Paul and his companions travelled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Observation:  “…kept by the Holy Spirit,”  “…the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them,” “…Paul had a vision…concluding that God had called them…”  The Great Commission to go into all the earth and preach was given by Jesus.  Now, as Paul moves out from Jerusalem and Antioch, God has some guidance for Paul.  God spoke to Paul about the specifics for Paul’s ministry.

Application:  God has specific direction for fulfilling what God has given me.  When thoughts that come to my mind, and feelings that grow in my heart are in alignment with what I have been reading in the scriptures—I am quite probably hearing God speak to me.  I need to be quick to obey.

When thoughts that dominate my mind and the feelings I have in my heart are contrary to my plans, I need to back off.  I need to lay aside those plans and wait for clearer direction from God.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, You are speaking today just as you were in the book of Acts.  Please do not stop!  Develop in me a keen awareness of your presence and your will. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

October 21, 2018: SOAP #3244:  Job 9-10; Acts 13-14

Scripture:  Acts (NIV) 14:21 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

Observation:  Barnabas and Paul had been sent out on this missionary journey by the church in Antioch; now they started back home.  They visited the churches they had started in cities they along the way back.  Their ministry was to strengthen and encourage the believers.

Application: As my wife, Sharon, and I visit churches in Kansas, our goal is to strengthen and encourage the Senior believers.  We want to encourage them to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in their church, in their homes, and in their daily lives.  The ministry of the Holy Spirit is too valuable to allow to dry up as we get older.  It is too valuable to limit to just Sunday mornings.  It is for every day, and for every age.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit are needed in the home, in the work place, in the retirement center.  They are needed at graduation time, at middle age, and in retirement!

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, You are not just someone I read about in the Bible.  You are not just someone from the past that people have written about.  You are powerfully present today!  Find me a vessel you can work through. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

October 20, 2018: SOAP #3243:  Job 6-8; Acts 12

Scripture:  Job (NIV) 7:17 “What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, 18 that you examine him every morning and test him every moment?

Observation:  Looking back at the book of Job through the cross I want to shout out to Job, “Job, if only you knew!  Man is so important to God that He will send His own Son to become a man and live among us.  His Son will give His very life to redeem us back to God!”

Even in his great suffering, Job remained faithful to what he knew about God.  He was certain that God was over all and had created Job for His glory.  Not having any of the written scriptures, Job was limited in seeing the big picture.  He honored God in the time abundance; he would honor God in his time of trouble even though he did not understand.

Application: It is true, God gives us much attention.  He examines us as the baker examines his cake so that it can be taken from the oven at just the right time.  He examines us as the foreman examines the work of the laborer so that the building may be exactly according to the blueprint.  God examines us as His prize creation.  He examines us as the Four-H presenter examines the animal scheduled for the judge’s review.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, as you examine me, may you find things that bring you joy.  I pray you find me quick to turn from any wickedness. When your blessings seem to come without end, I will praise and honor You.  When your blessings seem few and far between, I will praise and honor You.   Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

October 19, 2018: SOAP #3242:  Job 5; Psalm 108; Acts 10-11

Scripture:  Psalm (NIV) 108:1 A song. A psalm of David. My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.  2 Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. 3 I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. 4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.

Observation:  As I read the Bible every day, I listen in my spirit to hear what God is saying to me—to Leon.  Then I am careful to put the thoughts I believe He has given me into the SOAP I am writing for that day. The passage above was written by Israel’s King David.

Today as I was reading verse 3 above, I thought of it as: “I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will send SOAPs of you among the people.”  Then God started speaking to me as clearly as He did to Philip, and Saul, and Ananias in yesterday’s SOAP.  (Yesterday’s SOAP was a set up so that Leon would be listening to what God would say today!)

Application:  The SOAP ministry has been focusing mainly on USA, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.  A few Christian believers in those countries translate them and/or publish them to encourage believers in their daily relationship with the Lord.  This is not a public ministry to large crowds gathered to hear God’s word and witness the moving of the Holy Spirit; this is a faithful ministry to individuals imparting understanding of how to apply God’s word to their daily lives.  God uses both the “up-front” and the “behind-the-scene” ministries for His glory!  The SOAP ministry is the latter.  The Lord showed me the pattern He has established in my life and it is now time to expand.  Those of you who have been reading these SOAPs, please pray that I will recognize the doors God opens.  If the SOAPs have been a blessing to you, please pray that God will use them to bless others.

Prayer:   Heavenly Father, find me faithful in serving You and Your people. May I bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face! Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

October 18, 2018: SOAP #3241:  Job 3-4; Acts 8-9

Scripture:  Acts (NIV) 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
8:29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
10: 4  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
10:10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

Observation:  My attention has been drawn to the various ways God spoke to people in the book of Acts.  The copies of the Old Testament that were available were written on scrolls—too cumbersome to be carried from place to place—and there were not enough copies for even the leaders to have their own copy.  But lack of the written Word did not hinder God from speaking to His people.  God spoke to them.  They recognized that God was speaking and understood what He was saying.  They asked questions and heard His answers.  Their relationship was more than with words in a scroll or a letter, but with the Living Word and the Holy Spirit.   God spoke to them about things that would not have been found in the written scriptures.

Application: Holy Spirit, I appreciate how you speak to me through the scriptures.  I also need you to talk to me about my everyday life and the specific things you want me to do.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, thank you for opening my heart and mind to the scriptures.  And, thank you for walking with me through each day.  Keep talking to me, I pray. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

October 17, 2018: SOAP #3240:  Job 1-2; Acts 6-7

Scripture:  Job (NIV) 1:10 [satan to God] “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” 12 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Observation:  Not the main issue, but a major issue in the book of Job is possessions.  Here are some thoughts from the book of Job:
1.  Abundance of possessions MAY be an indication of God’s blessings.
2.  Loss of possessions MAY not be an indication of God’s displeasure.
3.  If the possessions belong to God, satan must get permission from God before he can mess with them.
4.  Increase or decrease of possessions can be affected by spiritual activity beyond our control.
5.  My response to possessions (gaining or loosing) can be a blessing to God.
6.  However great the loss, God can restore even more.

Satan was put to shame by little old Job!   The beautiful created being that dwelt in the presence of God had allowed pride to enter his heart and he decided to set himself above God.  He is defeated by a mere man who had never seen God yet was so committed to God that nothing satan could do would turn Job against God!!!  Don’t you know that God was proud of Job!!!

Application:  Today God uses my possessions to prove my commitment to Him.  That is what tithing is all about.  That is why God invites us to prove Him in the matter of tithing.  We prove Him, and He proves us!  (Malachi 3)

Prayer:   Heavenly Father, I desire that all my possessions to be inside your hedge.  If Satan is going to mess with them, I want that he must get your permission.  I desire that you be glorified in the possessions you have given me.    Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

October 16, 2018: SOAP #3239:  Malachi 3-4; Psalm 148; Acts 5

Scripture:  Acts (NIV) 5:42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

Observation:  What does a person do with good news?  They share it!  They shared it in public places and in their homes.  They gathered to talk about the good news in public places and in their homes.  They never stopped talking about it.  It was the center of their conversations.  It was good news; it was too good not to share!

They did not need any evangelism courses to encourage them to witness.  No one had to tell them how important it was to share the good news.  That Jesus had been sent by God to die for man’s sins is good news!   Once it is experienced it is natural to share it!   The indwelling Holy Spirit would not let them be silent!

Application:  Evangelism courses in churches should not be needed to encourage people to start witnessing, but to increase the effectiveness of those who are already witnessing!!!   Motivation comes from the mighty presence of the Holy Spirit in my life.  If Leon is not sharing the good news, it is quite possible that Leon is not living full of the Holy Spirit.  If I am filled with the Spirit every day, I will be sharing the good news every day.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, keep the fire burning every day in my life!  May I talk about Jesus everywhere I go.  Holy Spirit heat my words with Your holy fire. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

October 15, 2018: SOAP #3238:  Nehemiah 13; Malachi 1-2; Acts 4

Scripture:  Acts (NIV) 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say….
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.

Observation:  In Acts 3:2, we read that the man was crippled from birth.  Every day he was carried to the temple gates to beg.  He accompanied Peter and John into the temple walking and jumping.  In Acts 3:10 we see the people recognized him.  They were familiar with this man.  This caused quite a stir among the people.  The number of believers grew to 5000!  It was a big deal.

The religious leaders put Peter and John in jail for the night and questioned them the next day.  They had trouble deciding what to do with these whose actions had drawn such a crowd.  They had three problems:  the beggar who was seated every day at the temple gates was present; he was well known (even by the religious leaders); and he was standing!

Application:  May I be living evidence that God is at work today!  My presence in the world allows people to evaluate my life.  The people who know me best should be able to verify that God is at work in me.  And I should stand for God and with His people.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, make my life an example of what it means to love and serve Jesus. May people see that it is my joy and privilege to serve you.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

October 14, 2018: SOAP #3237:  Nehemiah 11-12; Psalm 1; Acts 3

Scripture:  Psalm (NIV) 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Observation:  What makes the difference between the righteous and the wicked?  Are they smarter?  Are they more talented?  Do they have greater resources?  No!  Verse 6 above says the LORD watches over the way of the righteous.  They have the favor of the Lord.

Application:  It is good to have the favor of man.  It can be a source of blessing.  But there is nothing like the favor of God!  God’s favor brings joy as He smiles on us.  It brings peace in forgiveness.  But unlike man’s favor, God’s favor continues into eternity.  The grave does not stop God’s favor.  Only on the other side of the grave will we truly understand the great value of God’s favor.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, help me today to recognize the many expressions of my Heavenly Father’s favor that will come my way.   Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

October 13, 2018: SOAP #3236:  Nehemiah 9-10; Acts 2

Scripture:  Acts (NIV) 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Observation:  In Exodus 40, the glory of God descended on Moses Tabernacle in the wilderness.  And in 1Kings 8, the glory of God so filled Solomon’s Temple that the priests could not stand to do their ministry.  But this was different!  They were not standing in worship; they were sitting!   They were not at the temple; they were in a house!

God had not called them to gather at the temple, but their encounter with God that day changed the world!  God was breaking out of the temple.  He was breaking out of the Jewish religion.  He was expanding beyond the boundaries of Judah and Israel.  The Holy Spirit was taking Jesus to the world!  He is not willing that any should perish.

Application: What a difference!  We do not have to go to a special place where God is.  He comes to where we are!  When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, I can enjoy His presence in my home, at my work place, at school, wherever I meet another believer, walking from the bus barn to the school bus I drive, driving the bus down country roads…just wherever I am, He is there!

He is the same Holy Spirit that was present in Genesis 1:2; the same Holy Spirit that moved on Old Testament prophets, the same Holy Spirit that descended on Jesus at His water baptism, the same Holy Spirit that descended on the Day of Pentecost—Yes, that same Holy Spirit is with me!

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, help me to properly appreciate your presence in my life wherever I am!  Anoint me to take Jesus to my world!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!