Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
November 1, 2024: SOAP #5447:  Psalm 121; Mark 9-10

SCRIPTURE:  Mark (NIV) 10:13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

OBSERVATION:   The disciples wanted to spare Jesus of what they saw as an interruption.  Jesus was very bothered (indignant) and corrected them with a rebuke.  The disciples definitely did not see the children as He saw them!   Children carried His image, not yet stained with sin. 

He did more than they requested.  The parents asked Jesus to touch their children; He took them in His arms!  He spoke of their value and He blessed them.

APPLICATION: Scriptures regarding children seem to grab my attention.  Perhaps that is because as a school bus driver I interact with children, ages 5 to 16, every school day.  Most of them twice each day as I drive them from home to school and then in the afternoon from school back home. 

We must see children (both ours by birth and ours by God’s assignment) as He sees them!   We must exercise our faith for His understanding and His provision.   In prayer, remind God of what He has said about children in the scriptures.  We must remind God that these are not our children, but His; as His servant we are caring for His children. 

PRAYER: Lord, bless the children you have placed in our care.  May our hands be your hands, and our words your words as we carry out the ministry you have given us.  By your Holy Spirit, reveal to us how to minister your love and grace to each child.   Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
October 31, 2024: SOAP #5446:  Job 22; Mark 7-8

SCRIPTURE:  Mark (NIV) 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

OBSERVATION:   Questions have always been a part of God’s conversations with man.  From the garden of Eden when God asked, “Adam where are you?”  Through chapters 38-41 of Job to here in Mark 8:36-37.  He asks questions that we cannot answer, but the answer is obvious.  He asks questions to show us the condition of our heart. 

APPLICATION: What a poor trade it would be to take the world in exchange for our soul!   

Only one gift was ever given that is sufficient to redeem the soul of man—that is the gift of a sinless man dying for our sins!   Jesus had no sins for which to pay when He died; He paid for mine, and yours.  What could we ever give that could match the value of that gift?  We have nothing of that worth. 

PRAYER: Lord, I have nothing to give that could pay for my sin.  I am totally dependent on you!   I must live my life in gratefulness for your kindness to sacrifice your life by dying on the cross.  Thank you, Lord.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
October 30, 2024: SOAP #5445:  Job 21; Mark 5-6

SCRIPTURE:  Mark (NIV) 6:49  … when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out 50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. 53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.       

OBSERVATION:   To me, this verse is a strong indication that they had taken along with them one or two baskets of left-overs from the earlier dinner. They had with them in the boat, evidence of God’s miraculous provision.  They had in the boat evidence that Jesus could impower them to do as He commanded, after all, that very afternoon, it was Jesus who commanded them to feed the 5000, and then He provided the food for them to do so.  It was He who told them to go to the other side, and He would empower them to do so.

APPLICATION:  So often, we need but to look around to find evidence of God’s intervention in our lives.  In our homes, we have “baskets full” of left-overs from some previous miracle.  Let’s not let our hearts become “hardened” so that we forget and cannot see what is so obvious.

The faith needed for present victory and provision can be found in thanksgiving for past victory and provision!  

We have not gotten all the good available from past tests and trials until we have learned the lessons we need for our present and future. 

PRAYER:  Lord, as I consider the evidence of what you have done for me in the past, use it to make my faith grow to trust you for the present need.  May my heart of thanksgiving for past provision be the seed bed for faith for present and future needs.   Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
October 29, 2024: SOAP #5444:  Job 20; Mark 3-4

SCRIPTURE:  Mark (NIV) 3:13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve—designating them apostles— that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.

OBSERVATION:   Jesus set a pattern for His disciples.  Those who would be sent to minister FOR HIM must first spend time WITH HIM. 

A business owner who has spent years building a successful business probably will not take an extended vacation and leave his business in the hands of a novice.  Before turning it over to someone, he would want to make sure they understand his ways and priorities. 

And so it was with Jesus.  He did not send the disciples on their own until that had spent time with Him. 

(Note the time Joshua spent with Moses, and Timothy spent with Paul.)

APPLICATION: The goal I see in ministry is not for me to do something for the Lord, but to let Him do through me what He wants to have done.  Since the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) this is the day of Holy Spirit empowered ministry.  We first spend time with Him in learning His ways and His heart.  Then we go out and minister with Him. 

It is not so much asking Him to help us in our ministry.  It is Him allowing us to be a part of what He is doing. 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, you have been sent to dwell in me and to minister through me.  I surrender my will and desires to you.  Use me for the glory of Jesus and the honor of the Father.   In Jesus Name, Amen 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
October 28, 2024: SOAP #5443:  Job 19; Mark 1-2

SCRIPTURE: Mark (NIV) 1:2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— 3 “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

OBSERVATION:   John the Baptist was the “voice calling in the desert.”  He was sent to “prepare the way for the Lord.”  The way he dressed, and what he ate emphasized that he ministered in the desert.  He did not claim to be the Messiah, but clearly said he was a forerunner.  He is the one who publicly introduced Jesus and baptized Jesus.  (Mark 1:6-8; Luke 2)

APPLICATION: We can take this as our assignment.  There are people around us in whom the Lord wants to enter their lives and live in them.  God wants to use us to speak words of comfort or witness to them.  God wants our lives to be examples so they can see the great value it is to have Jesus living in us.  God desires that our joy speak to them of the peace He has brought to our lives. 

In these and many other ways, we are “preparing the way for the Lord” to enter their lives. 

PRAYER:  Lord, what a blessing!  I get to be a part of what you are doing in the world around me today!  I pray you find me a faithful servant who carefully follows the leading of your Holy Spirit.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
October 27, 2024: SOAP #5442:  Job 18; Psalm 114; Acts 27-28

SCRIPTURE:   Acts (NIV) 27:33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.

OBSERVATION:    The ship was about to break up in the storm. Paul was not the owner or the pilate responsible for the ship and its crew. Paul was not the Roman centurion responsible for the soldiers and prisoners. But prisoner Paul was definitely the leader. He had heard from the Lord! He spoke with understanding. He spoke with wisdom. He took action. He set an example for the sailors and soldiers to follow. He instilled hope and they followed his example.

APPLICATION:   Leadership in times of peril does not always come from those in positions of civil or military authority. God can use a person filled with the Holy Spirit who does not see their circumstances as limitations to the mighty God they serve. God can use a person who has heard from God and believes that God will do as He says.

PRAYER:   Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit.  I set my heart to be a pleasant place for Him to live.  I set my ears to hear what He says to me.  I set my mouth to speak as He gives me words and thoughts.  Lord, in whatever situation I find myself, like the Apostle Paul, I set my life to bring you honor as the Holy Spirit leads me.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
October 26, 2024: SOAP #5441:  Job 17; Acts 24-26

(reworked from 2012)

SCRIPTURE: Acts (NIV) 24:27 When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.

OBSERVATION:    When Paul first became a follower of Jesus, he was told that he was chosen to take the message of Jesus before kings.  Years later when arrested in Jerusalem he was specifically told he would be testifying in Rome.  (Acts 23:11)   But two years have passed, and Paul is still in jail in Judea!  Two years—a long time to wait—and to be waiting in jail—Paul was waiting for others to make decisions concerning his life.  He was totally powerless to determine his own course of life, yet he eventually made it to Rome. (Acts 28:16)  (In Genesis 41:1 we read of Joseph also waiting an additional two years in prison after revealing the dreams of the butler and cup-bearer.) 

APPLICATION:  Sometimes when I read the Bible, I think that things happen as fast as I can read about them.  But verses like the one above let me know that though God is not always in a hurry, He is always faithful.  I can trust God to bring about His promise in His timing.  And I am far enough along in the course of my life to have some personal testimonies of God working through my impatience to prove His faithfulness!  God’s faithfulness is longer than my impatience!   I need to learn to wait on God.  

PRAYER:  Lord, even though my patience may be stretched, I know I can count on your faithfulness. Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
October 25, 2024: SOAP #5440:  Job 16; Acts 21-23

(repeat)

SCRIPTURE: Acts (NIV) 23:23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”

OBSERVATION: The irony of the situation cannot be missed.  Here the same Roman government that crucified Jesus at the insistence of the Jews, now goes to great ends to protect Paul from those same Jews!

It is interesting to me how God used the Roman government for His glory.  First, the tax that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem.  The crucifixion (Acts 4:28). The arrest of Paul by the Romans protected Paul from the Jews.  The peace of the Rome (Pax Roma) allowed Paul to move freely to spread the gospel.  The later imprisonment of the Romans gave Paul the impetus to write much of the New Testament as letters to churches. 

APPLICATION:  That which seems to stand against my ministry may be used by God to expand my ministry!  Lack of resources may limit Leon’s plans, but it can never limit the gospel!  Like blowing wind and flowing water, when its movement is limited, it will find another way around, or over, or under.  The Holy Spirit is more powerful than blowing wind and flowing water!

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, may I be a channel through which you can readily flow. Keep reminding me that what limits me does not limit you!  Keep reminding me that what seems to be against me, may work out for good! Amen.

Pastor Leon

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Personal notes:
1.  Today was my 7^th radiation treatment. (7 of 28)  My time was moved to close to noon which required that I give up my noon pre-school route, at least until Thanksgiving.  Things seem to be progressing well.  Cells are being destroyed by the radiation, but God designed that the healthy cells replace themselves.  If you think of praying for me, pray that the healthy cells replace themselves quickly.  😊  
2.  October 25^th is Sharon and my 56^th wedding anniversary!  God has been so good to us.  We have been blest to serve in special places and God has given us such a great family and so many good friends.  Rejoice with us.   😊  

Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
October 24, 2024: SOAP #5439:  Job 15; Acts 19-20

SCRIPTURE: Acts (NIV) 19:8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12  so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Acts (NIV) 20:20  You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.

OBSERVATION:   The church in Ephesus started out of Paul’s teachings in the synagogue.  When they had to leave that location, they moved to the lecture hall.  During that time, he taught them daily and everyone, Jews and Greeks “who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.” As Paul was later meeting with the leaders of the Ephesian church, he reminded that he had taught them “publicly and from house to house.” 

Today the church is often recognized by its building.  But that was not the case in the book of Acts.  The church was not recognized by its building but by its teaching and preaching of the Word of the Lord.  And it was recognized by miracles of healing and deliverance in the name of Jesus.    

The preaching and teaching of the Word of God accompanied by healings and miracles was the key for starting churches and church growth in the book of Acts. 

APPLICATION:  We need the Holy Spirit anointing today in sharing the word and believing for miracles.  

PRAYER:  Lord, fill us with the Holy Spirit and anoint us to preach and believe for miracles.  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
October 23, 2024: SOAP #5438:  Job 13-14; Acts 17-18

SCRIPTURE:  Acts (NIV) 17:2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said.

OBSERVATION:  Paul understood the nature of God.  God is perfectly holy and cannot ignore sin.  How does a perfectly Holy God deal with sinful man in a way that fulfills His love?   Paul understood:  Jesus Christ HAD TO SUFFER!   For God to satisfy the love He has for man, Jesus Christ HAD TO SUFFER the full penalty of sin.  For man to be able to enter into an intimate relationship with God, Jesus Christ HAD TO SUFFER!

APPLICATION:  Now I better understand the nature of God, the nature of man, and the nature of sin.  For a Holy God to be able to express His Love to Leon, Jesus Christ HAD TO SUFFER!

How thankful I am that the Father so loved me that He was willing to send His Son, Jesus, to suffer and die for me.  How reasonable it is for me to commit myself fully to Jesus for what He did for me.  I am so thankful that the pain and the death on the cross was not the end, but He rose from the dead and is now seated at the Father’s side and that He lives in me by His Spirit!   Death was not the end for Jesus and it will not be the end for me!

PRAYER:  Lord, how can I say thanks for the love you have shown to me.  You took my place and paid for my sins.  I want my life to be a visible expression of my appreciation.   Amen.

Pastor Leon
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