Faith, Hope, and Love

Wow! Praise God! Lord, thank you for food.
Thank You for help!
Thank You for Divine appointments!
Thank You for the children!
Thank You for your Word!
Thank you for Deb, Gideon, and Scotty
Thank you Lord, for Carmen, and Nika, Falitha, Ramika and Ranika
for Tina and Dora
for Wilma and Marteen
for Truth
for deliverance, healing, and salvation!
for Barbara
for perseverance, for patience, for Your Holy Spirit power.
for Agape' Love

In York today, we ministered about faith and hope; we shared the Word about God's strength and healing power in us,
and we passed out food, but what about love?
Here's love: Reconciliation.

Wilma reconciles with the Lord and the Lord and answers Marteen's prayers for someone to ride bikes with.

1Co 13:1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
1Co 13:2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing.
1Co 13:3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.
1Co 13:4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
1Co 13:5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
1Co 13:6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
1Co 13:7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
1Co 13:8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
1Co 13:9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!
1Co 13:10 But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
1Co 13:13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Romans 5:1

JUSTIFIED BY FAITH

Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
Rom 5:2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.
Rom 5:3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.
Rom 5:4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
Rom 5:5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love (NLT).

HOPE does not make us ashamed! Praise God!
In July I met a young lady who said that God gave me passion, now He wants to give me character. You may know that perseverance builds character (vs4)! I thought "uhg"-more trials-yet, I pray for that refining, the purification, and holiness! I know there's another trial coming. I know I need to rejoice in it-and I'm learning to do just that. Praise God.
So, we welcome the trials, so that we may grow in His grace,
draw near to Him,
and rejoice as partakers in His sufferings,
knowing that endurance develops strength, and character, and hope.

Therefore, let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)
Let us change our minds.
Let us be humble: verse 3 of Romans 12 says, let us not think of ourselves more highly than we ought!
The trials have brought us this wonderful gift: humility!
Praise God! (because pride is ugly! and much more than that, it caused the fall!) Amen?

vs4)...EACH PART HAS A SPECIAL FUNCTION in the body:
Rom 12:5 so we the many are one body in Christ, and each one members of one another.

As I'm blogging on Romans 5 and searching the scriptures about character, the Holy Spirit speaks and says,
"Romans 12:5"

And the Lord frequently speaks into my heart, "One mind, One body, One Spirit"
that would be the Spirit of the Lord-
holiness and love
All I know is that we need each other.
I find myself alone a lot and wonder why?
Have I cut myself off? How can I build healthy, loving, godly relationships?
What comes to mind is this: trust God.
Faith and love.
Let us each reflect today our place in the body of Christ and what is our part.
Are we working in unity?
Are we "one body?"
Are we humble?
Are we loving, kind, patient, enthusiastic, helpful, hopeful, prayerful, honest, genuine, hospitable, peaceful,...?

..never repaying evil for evil, but
honorable
living at peace with all men
Rom 12:19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the LORD.
Rom 12:20 Instead, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads."
Rom 12:21 Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Amen?

Let me be real here. I've been praying for days about some friends of mine from college, whom I really loved and still care about. They're Jewish.
So, I'm searching the Scriptures daily for the hope of salvation for my friends
because I know that Christ is the only name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12).
But, I must cling to the hope that Christ died for ALL
and that He is able to reach ALL flesh
that His promises are true
that in Christ's kingdom there's neither Jew, nor Greek:

Rom 10:12 For there is no difference both of Jew and of Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call on Him.
Rom 10:13 For everyone, "whoever shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Here's what's beautiful-Paul's heart for the Jews-if anyone could boast in the flesh and in knowledge of the law, in Judaism, wouldn't it be Paul? (See 2Corin 11 about boasting in the world). But isn't this like the heart of Christ, who came for the lost sheep of Israel?

Rom 10:1 Brothers, my heart's deepest desire and my prayer to God for Isra'el is for their salvation;
Rom 10:2 for I can testify to their zeal for God. But it is not based on correct understanding;
Rom 10:3 for, since they are unaware of God's way of making people righteous and instead seek to set up their own, they have not submitted themselves to God's way of making people righteous.
Rom 10:4 For the goal at which the Torah aims is the Messiah, who offers righteousness to everyone who trusts.
Rom 10:5 For Moshe writes about the righteousness grounded in the Torah that the person who does these things will attain life through them.
Rom 10:6 Moreover, the righteousness grounded in trusting says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend to heaven?' " — that is, to bring the Messiah down —
Rom 10:7 or, " 'Who will descend into Sh'ol?' " — that is, to bring the Messiah up from the dead.
Rom 10:8 What, then, does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart." — that is, the word about trust which we proclaim, namely,
Rom 10:9 that if you acknowledge publicly with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord and trust in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be delivered.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart one goes on trusting and thus continues toward righteousness, while with the mouth one keeps on making public acknowledgement and thus continues toward deliverance.
Rom 10:11 For the passage quoted says that everyone who rests his trust on him will not be humiliated.
Rom 10:12 That means that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — Adonai is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on him,
Rom 10:13 since everyone who calls on the name of Adonai will be delivered.
Rom 10:14 But how can they call on someone if they haven't trusted in him? And how can they trust in someone if they haven't heard about him? And how can they hear about someone if no one is proclaiming him?
Rom 10:15 And how can people proclaim him unless God sends them? — as the Tanakh puts it, "How beautiful are the feet of those announcing good news about good things!"
Rom 10:16 The problem is that they haven't all paid attention to the Good News and obeyed it. For Yesha`yahu says, "Adonai, who has trusted what he has heard from us?"
Rom 10:17 So trust comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through a word proclaimed about the Messiah.
Rom 10:18 "But, I say, isn't it rather that they didn't hear?" No, they did hear — "Their voice has gone out throughout the whole world and their words to the ends of the earth."
Rom 10:19 "But, I say, isn't it rather that Isra'el didn't understand?" "I will provoke you to jealousy over a non-nation, over a nation void of understanding I will make you angry."
Rom 10:20 Moreover, Yesha`yahu boldly says, "I was found by those who were not looking for me, I became known to those who did not ask for me";
Rom 10:21 but to Isra'el he says, "All day long I held out my hands to a people who kept disobeying and contradicting." (CJB)

We know a tree by its fruit.
Lord, send us out.

Gideon Goes (to the Streets!) Harrisburg, PA

"...But I have to obey all His commands!" was Chris's biggest concern with coming to Christ.
Honestly, you don't have to, we told him. God loved us so much he gave us free will, but he gave his commands to protect us, so that we will choose to do what's good for us-what is best for us.

Gideon asked Chris if he has a child. Yes, a 9 month old.
It may be difficult to see at this point, but as a father, watching your child, if he's running down the road and headed for a cliff, what would you do?

You'd stop him, of course. That's what God's love is like. He gave his "commands" so that we have knowledge of right and wrong, good and bad, what behaviors will help us live and what causes death.

I like the way Pastor George put it: "I don't know why they didn't call it the ten blessings." Hey, I want to obey the "10 blessings!" Amen?

We let Chris go, after a long time ministering, but ran into him a short while later and he asked us for prayer. Praise God!

What a blessing-most everyone we met on the streets was open to receiving the Truth (the Word) and prayer. We ministered to a young girl in a "gay" relationship whose "friend" is sick-she was open to the Truth and received prayer for the Lord to change her heart and mind and to purify her of all unrighteousness. Praise God!

We ministered to a young lady who said she was a Christian, but dressed like the world. She humbly received the Truth (James 4:4, and 1John 2:15), encouragement, and prayer.

Don't get me wrong; there were a few places we needed to dust off our feet. A lady says she knows the Lord and the Word, but she has a liter bottle of wine and a tall glass of iced "drink" next to her. She loudly proclaims she's ok-she don't get drunk! Folks, you know the Word says to "abstain" from strong drink (Numbers 6:3). And we know that wine is a mocker. The lover of wine will not be rich (Prov21:17).

Hopefully, Gideon's friend, John, from Glory House in York, was the 7th person to minister to the Jehovah's witness, LaMotte, with whom several of us had already spent a some time ministering the Word.

The high light for me, and perhaps enjoyable for Gideon and John, as well, was worshiping with Cecilia- a lady who's most likely in her late 80's received prayer for her heart and physical pain, but she loves to worship the Lord, and she prays all the time! Cecilia bubbles over in the joy of the Lord. She loves Jesus; She loves her children and grandchildren; and she loves us for praying and praising the Lord with her. Praise God!

I hope we can all be more like Cecilia-shining, praising and loving all day long! even when it hurts! Amen?!

Isaiah 12-In that Day..

Isa 12:1 And in that day you shall say, O Jehovah, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, turn away Your anger, and You shall comfort me.
Isa 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation.
Isa 12:3 And with joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Isa 12:4 And in that day you shall say, Praise Jehovah! Call on His name; declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted.
Isa 12:5 Sing to Jehovah; for He has done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.
Isa 12:6 Cry out and shout, O dweller of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst.

Amen!

PA Plenty

Thank God and Pastor Deb (Harrisburg) for all the yummy foods!
Scotty and George loaded up some great meals, snacks, fresh veggies..to take out in York.
I had a bunch of kids toys from the gym (thank you Ultimate Fitness) to take to a few families with babies and small children. Thank God for the donations!

PRAISE GOD!
highlight of the day:
Lyndell, on Pine Street,
a lady we had ministered to a few months ago gave her heart to the Lord and received His peace.
We prayed again for the transformation of the mind, that she would not conform to the ways of the world:
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. But set your mind to be right-minded, even as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

At Maple Street we distributed food,
and then went to minister to a few ladies whom we've been talking to for awhile.
Praise God, Theresa was healed from headaches!
Many would like to join a church-our church, so we're praying for a place to do discipleship in York.
God bless Jessica and her family,
Mika and Roberta,
and Wilma (whom we did not see this time.)

Thank God for the precious children:
Dujour, Quasear...and many more who love to learn about the Lord and sing His praises!
Lord, we pray you raise up a generation
of young people, full of the Way and the Truth,
who boldly profess the gospel for You.
In Christ, Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

You. Should be Teachers by Now!

Heb 5:12 For indeed because of the time, you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again what are the first principles of the oracles of God. And you have become in need of milk, and not of solid food.
Heb 5:13 For everyone partaking of milk is unskillful in the Word of Righteousness, for he is an infant.
Heb 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, even those who because of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Raven eats solid food.
Raven feeds solid food
to those who think they are "Christians" and continue to walk in unrighteousness.

You most likely know that the people of the world have heard of a god and even "believe that Christ died for them" but their lives have not been changed-
They don't know Him, His way, nor His Word
they know of a "higher power"
usually their own way or a broad way
Lord, transform them by the renewing of their minds
We pray they hear the Word.
And How will they hear if we do not tell them? Amen

I thank God for Raven
for Truth and Light
for Salt and Wisdom
For Raven Philly, Pastor Frank and Carmen

Carmen's lesson this weekend was Hebrews 5:14
basically, some of them need a kick in the butt and she gives it to them-
"Get up out of your stink!" to those sleeping in their puke.
And they come back to thank her.

I thank God for Andretti,
for his love for the Lord
Andretti, being free from prison, free from the past
for his tenderness, for his strength, for his witness
and the Spirit of the Lord on Him
God's raising up a leader!
Wow! what a change
"a real conversion."

I thank God for the wonderful team of youth from New Jersey,
all high school students:
Erica, Christine, Jane, Honjoo, Kevin, H.j., and Hondo,
for KimKim and ...
(oh please forgive me, the names I can not remember and those whom I did not get to know better).
How we love you and enjoy ministering with you.
What a wonderful team!
-ready to go, ready to serve
-bold and zealous for the kingdom
-kind, caring, and compassionate
-good listeners
-equipped with Bible in hand
-sharing the Word
and the Truth
praying
and worshipping:
God, our Father, and the Son, Jesus Christ,
in the Holy Ghost.

I'm broken for Robert (who was hooked on heroine)
I've been crying out for His deliverance all morning
He received the Word, sobered up and (most likely) used again-
He heard the Word; He knows the Way
That Word will not go void, Amen?

I'm blessed by Alex and his devotion to the Lord and to his child
We're praying for the mother of his child who has been labeled "bi-polar"
for her salvation, for deliverance, for Truth and Life, in her. Amen?!

Later at Inner City
We prayed for Crystal, for her women's ministry, for healing, for her marriage and a healthy childbirth-(she's birthing a nation).
The woman on the bench wanted off of crack, but wouldn't give up "weed."

Praise God for Carol (East Coast) who stepped out in faith and was blessed
never to go back to her old ways!! Amen

Thank you Scotty for the water.
Pastor George is always a blessing to watch as he ministers!
What a miracle!
Praise God!

Thank you Pastor Brandon for opening my eyes to the beauty of Philly (esp. Waterworks)
and Lucy for showing me the steps -where Rocky ran

Thank you Jesus
my Lord and Savior
Amen! Amen!!

The Raven at the Well

There were bunch of young men playing hackey sac at the spring where I go for water. It's down this windy back road, between a few farms, so I asked the kids where they are from.
"Wow, you sure as a lot of questions."
"Well, yeah, let me ask you this: are any of you Christians."
They all answered no.
Kyle said he doesn't care if he's going to hell. A few mocked, saying that Christ smoked pot. One played a song on his phone -mocking God. A few had questions and seemed serious about wanting to know the truth. A few listened, but two of them walked the other way.
Some stayed and
They heard the truth.
They were all warned.
They heard a testimony- of miracles, of the glory of God.
They asked for proof.
I said, All of creation breathes that God is real
and continued to testify
the Word:
that Christ came into the world as the light
Just then the sun came out from behind the clouds in magnificent wonder as I testified of God's glory-the Truth
that's when the two wanderers came back, cussing... chaos...they gathered their friends, packed into the little car and drove off...

Thunder rolled
as I cried to the Lord and prayed for them as they drove off
A dark cloud followed them.
And I know He will continue to knock on their hearts
and send witnesses.
if only they would let Him in.

Still, we can be confident of this
He hears our prayers (1 John 5:14).

Gnostics Worship an Unknown God

Raven ministers at "the farm" -- Race Horse road.
There was a terrible storm and lots of rain, praise God!
And the storm calmed. The air cooled. It was a lovely evening. Praise God!
They knew of a God, but did not know His power. There's so much more faith than before...thank you God for the progress and the growth, for your love and your peace, for your comfort and your chastisement.

Still, what about the blood? They don't understand why there had to be blood shed and why Jesus is the only way into the kingdom.
I said, It's very simple: because He died. because He shed His blood...that's the perfect love-there is no greater love
that He paid the price for us to have eternal life
since He died for us
we worship Him
and Him above all.

There is no other God, I told them, no other God, still alive. He lives. We have seen His power, but blessed are those who believe and have not seen.

I talked about Acts 17-to the unknown God
and about Romans 1-how all of Creation proves there's a God.
They can not deny Him, God Almighty Creator, but they still deny Jesus-the only way to the Father...because He died and paid the price-He has been given all authority to judge all things and He does
and He will.
How we will all stand before Him and be judged for everything, whatever we do good or bad
and for every word out of our mouths.
That our hearts are wickedly deceitful;
Jeremy said it twice, that God is in him and therefore, he is God!
Deceived, my brother:
Without Christ, we were sons of the devil (John 8:44)
that in and of ourselves-with out Christ, without the blood, we are evil-
self:
"lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and pride of life." These things are evil (1 John 2:16).

And about creation, how God is the Word, and the light
they deny His Word, His Truth,
therefore, they deny Christ, therefore, Christ will deny them,
and how they condemn themselves because they chose darkness.

..But I am a good person and god is in me:"
So, God led me to 1John 5-chapter, and there it is-in verse 1.
1Jn 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. And everyone who loves Him who begets also loves him
who has been born of Him.
1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, whenever we love God and keep His commandments.

Children keep His commandments.

Raven Hits the Gym!

What a workout---those "once saved always saved" pk's just believe:
"Well, I believe that...even though my brother backslid...he was still saved."
Luke 13:5 I tell you, No. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.


What a blessing to have the opportunity to minister to these young ladies the Truth about Christ.
Without repentance there is no salvation.
Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Perish (6622)
ἀπόλλυμι
apollumi
ap-ol'-loo-mee
to destroy fully (reflexively to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively: - destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.

"But, nobody's perfect."
I am (Hebrews 10:14).
It is written,
"Be perfect as I am perfect. Be holy as I am holy" (Matt 5:48)
Why would Christ command it if it weren't possible?

The Scripture says that Christ is coming back for a person with out spot or blemish (Eph 5:27),
to work out your salvation daily with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12),...
and here is the condemnation:
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil,
that there is no longer a sacrifice for those who know what's right and willingly continue to sin (Hebrews 10:26).
Finally,
It is impossible to bring some of them back!!
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

If you do not produce fruit you will be thrown into the fire (Matt 3:10).

"Hypocrites, brood of vipers...."

"I'll let you talk to my dad."
My final answer:
"I'm talking to you-it looks like you have some homework to do."

Wow! What a work out!
Go Ravens!

GOD IS FAITHFUL!

He is faithful! Amen?!
RavenScotty, George, Jayme, and I prepared for York, PA on Saturday, but when the guys went for bread there was no bread! It's baffling isn't it?!
It reminds me of this Christ's question to the disciples:
Joh 6:5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes and saw a great crowd come to Him. He said to Philip, Where shall we buy loaves so that these may eat?
Joh 6:6 And He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

I was in prayer when Scotty called and said there was no bread, but I had just received a call from "i Care" ministries. David from "i Care" said he had fresh corn on the cob and string beans.
So, I went to see how much there was and to pick up the food before calling Scotty back with a report.

God's grace is sufficient! It was a huge bag of each, plus a little more corn-must have been about 3 bushel of each, so we bagged it up and took it to Maple Street. On the way we stopped by to see homeless Mike and pick some peppers. Mike was blessed by the city with a plot of land to grow and harvest vegtables which he gives to the homeless and to us to give to poor neighbors in York. God bless Mike and his work for the kingdom!

At Maple Street, we prayed for Tina, her headaches and her heart, for healing.
We prayed for Jessica and her husband, for her family and provision.
We looked for Wilma and met her son.

At Pine and Walnut, we prayed for Nika and Tone-for a healthy birth and that they will get brave and get married.

Praise be to God for His provision!
Praise be to God He promises to supply!
Praise be to God He answers the prayers
of the saints, of the faithful, whom He will strengthen
Let us not despise small beginnings
God is faithful.