Sermon Notes; a Daily Devotional

Nehemiah 4:16 "And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah." We have turned back to the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, written around 444 B.C. These events took place after the Jewish people's seventy years of exile in Babylon. Nehemiah's example is outstanding; he gave up his good job in the palace to return to a hometown he never knew and undertake the hard and laborious task to REBUILD IT! From a posh life with the royals to a life filled with BLOOD, SWEAT and TEARS.  Nehemiah and his team are there to build protective walls around Jerusalem. The Samaritans are working to demolish any work they do. The Samaritans want to intimidate and scare off the Jewish people. Nehemiah’s people labored with a shovel in one hand and a sword in the other!  "And it came to pass from t...

Nehemiah 4:15 "And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work." We have been studying how GOD'S church is Built Upon Jesus. How the church will endure forever and the people who came before us established all that we benefit from today. We have SO MUCH to be thankful for and keeping everything good and passing it on to the people who come after us; is a huge undertaking. We can do it! This challenge is nothing new. Let's turn back to the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. This is the last history book of the Old Testament, written around 444 B.C. We can think of Nehemiah as a sequel to the book of Ezra. These events took place after the Jewish people's seventy years of exile in Babylon. Nehemiah led the third of three groups returning to their hometown. Nehemiah was not a priest like Ezra. Nehemiah was not a prophet like Malachi. He was...

Battle Hymn of the Republic  1 Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on. Refrain: Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on. 2 I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps; They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read the righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps; His day is marching on. [Refrain] 3 He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of all before His judgment seat; O be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on. [Refrain] 4 In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me; As He died to make us holy, let us die that all be free! While God is...

Ephesians 2:21 & 22 "21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." We ARE the HOUSEHOLD of GOD! Not only is GOD our FATHER, GOD is also the indwelling Spirit! We are a part of "an holy temple," with "Jesus Christ Himself being the chief CORNER STONE;" The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus it determines the position and the character of the entire structure. For you and me everything is Built Upton Jesus! We are not the Cornerstone but we are part of the same structure!! It is a blessing and honor to be a part of GOD'S HOUSEHOLD!!! Jesus made His Disciples into "fishers of men." GOD is also a "carpenter of men." He makes His temple not out of rocks, bricks ...

Ephesians 2:19 & 20 "19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone;" You belong to the HOUSEHOLD of GOD! Do we understand yet? GOD is our King. GOD is our Leader. GOD is our Boss. And... GOD is our FATHER. We are in His HOUSEHOLD. We are under His protection and His care and we have access to Him through His Son and His Holy Ghost! GOD'S HOUSEHOLD is Built Upon "the foundation of the apostles and prophets," Those who came before us built the church we belong to. They not only built the building, they built the organization, they made the traditions, they made the community we participate in. GOD'S HOUSEHOLD continues on forever. Buildings do not last forever. The real church is the people. People keep it going. Moses and the other Old Testament prophets pointed to...

Ephesians 2:17 & 18 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Believers and nonbelievers is how our world is divided. Jesus broke down the walls we built between people and tribes. Jesus reunited people. In the beginning we were one family of God's creation. Jesus became incarnate to share God's message of PEACE with the whole world! Today's first verse is a quotation from Isaiah 57:19; "I create the fruit of the lips; PEACE, PEACE to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him." While PEACE between people and reunion as one family is HUGE, the GREATER idea is of ACCESS to God! Paul stresses this point in the next verse; "For through Him we both have ACCESS by one Spirit unto the Father." The word for ACCESS here is one close to introduction. The way a ambassador might introduce a third party to his ...

Ephesians 2:15 & 16 "15 Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:" We are studying the Cornerstone that our FAITH is Built Upon. For you and me everything is Built Upton Jesus! This is true for the Apostle Paul too. In his letter to the Ephesians Paul is explaining how we are brought close to God by His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus atoned for our sins giving us the only way to return to God the Father. And, because of God's plan there is no chosen race of people there are only believers and nonbelievers. God's people believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  Jesus is the Cornerstone that breaks down walls! He removed any cause for hate or distrust between the Jews and Gentiles. Today's verses; "Having ABOLISHED in His flesh the ENMIT...

Ephesians 2:13 & 14 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; We were studying prayer and it will remain part of our studies and central to our lives. We turned to the cornerstone verse in the Holy Scriptures; Psalm 118, verse 8 featuring a uplifting and important message; “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”  Our GOD is truly AMAZING! Today we continue to learn about what our FAITH is Built Upon, what is the Cornerstone of our life. The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus it determines the position and the character of the entire structure. For you and me everything is Built Upton Jesus! This is true for the Apostle Paul too. Today we turn to hi...

Psalms 118:21-23 "21 I will praise Thee: for Thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. 22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. 23 This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes." Prayer is central to our lives as Christians. From our hearts, from the Lord's Prayer or from the many Psalms in the Holy Scriptures; prayer is our lifeline with our Lord and Savior. The Psalms encourages us to praise God for who He is and what He has done.  Yesterday we began looking at Psalm 118, the middle chapter of the entire Bible! The Holy Bible has 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 chapters after Psalm 118. For a total of 1188 chapters. "1188" or Psalm 118 verse 8 is the middle verse of the entire Bible. The central verse has an important message; “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”  Our GOD is truly AMAZING! Today we continue to read this chapter of the Psalms, which itself is like a c...

Psalms 118:8 "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." We have been studying prayer and understanding that we cannot prat too much! We can pray from our heart. It can be as basic as "Lord, have mercy." We can also pray the way Jesus teaches us and recite The Lord's Prayer. The seven petitions cover everything we need to pray for. It also keeps our ego out of the equation. We are prone to ask for things that may not be good for us. We should always keep this prayer at the tip of our tounges. We need to recite it frequently. I recommend at least daily. I myself sometimes uses it as a meditation and repeat the prayer many times. It is another GIFT from GOD. We are very blessed to have it. Still another GIFT from GOD is the book of Psalms! We can go to the Psalms like it's a book of prayers. It was written over the span of a millenium by multiple authors. It is a collection of lyrical poems making it also like a hymnal. They feature a ri...

Matthew 6:12 & 13 "12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." These cherished verses in the Gospel of Matthew are the record of the time the Disciples ASKED our Lord and Savior to teach them how to PRAY! We call this The Lord's Prayer. "Our Father who art in heaven." The Introduction. We approach God as His children. "Hallowed be Thy name." The First Petition. We want to learn God's Word humbly and truthfully and keep His name Holly. "Thy kingdom come."  The Second Petition. God send The Holy Ghost that we might lead godly lives here and into eternity. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  The Third Petition. We want to choose what is good and beautiful in the eyes of GOD. "Give us this day our daily bread." The Fourth Petition. Everything we have is given to...

Matthew 6:10 & 11 "10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread." Prayer is a defining characteristic of the Christian life. We cannot pray too much. The verses we are studying in Matthew are cherished because they recorded the moment the Disciples ASKED our Lord and Savior to teach them how to PRAY!  This is what we call The Lord's Prayer. Which Jesus begins teaching in verse nine; "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name..." "Our Father who art in heaven." Is called; The Introduction. In itself is remarkable because The Son of God is teaching that they are children of God! Through Jesus Christ we are all adopted into God's family. We may approach God as children ask their dear father. "Hallowed be Thy name." Is called; The First Petition. God's name itself is Holly and through this prayer and our own words and actions we ...

Matthew 6:8 & 9 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. We want to pray without ceasing. We cannot pray too much. Jesus has taught us our prayers are a private matter between us and God. We want to have genuine and honest pray from our hearts! Yesterday we looked at the handy guide for us expressing ourselves to GOD is to remember the acronym "ACTS." Adoration  Confession  Thanksgiving  Supplication Sometimes prayers from our own heart and mind will have our sinful desires expressed in them. As today's verses point out; "your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, BEFORE ye ASK Him." God knows what is best for you. He has a plan for you. Some of our prayer energy needs to be devoted to understanding what God has planned for you.  Many times it's best to take our own ego out of our time com...

Matthew 6:6 & 7 "6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Jesus is teaching us that our prayers are a private matter between us and God. Today's verses underscore this; "shut thy door" and "pray... in secret." Jesus is cautioning us from trying to attract attention and admiration with our praying. We don't need to be elaborate, unusual or even remarkable with our prayers. Just pray from your heart!  Jesus provides another cautionary example with; "...use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Again and again in the Holy Bible we see the emphasis on the heart over the mind. God wants our genuin...

Matthew 6:5 "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." As Disciples we want to dedicate ourselves to God's priorities; the tithe, our community, church and small groups, attend Worship regularly and read and study the Holy Bible. AND... we need to go to God in prayer throughout our day. Pray often and pray repeatedly. We cannot pray too much! Prayer does not have to be complicated. Yesterday we read Psalms 123, all four verses of it! This reminds us of the "Kyrie eleison" (KI-ree-ay ay-LAY-ee-zonn) or "Lord, have mercy" a short prayer that is VERY important in Christian worship. It is a prayer from the heart about human need.  Today we turn to the Gospel of Matthew to begin studying Jesus's own teaching on prayer! His first example is a cautionary one; "And when ...

Psalms 123:3 "3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt." We were studying Jesus's AUTHORITY over our lives. JESUS is the main thing and will be a firm foundation that you can build your life upon! The firm foundation of FAITH makes all the difference. Keeping in mind; it's NOT going to be easy. Discipleship to our Lord and Savior involves taking up our own cross and making sacrifices in our own lives.  As Disciples we want to dedicating ourselves to the Tithe.  We need to be engaged in our community, church and small groups. We need to make it a habit to attend Worship regularly. Everyday we need to read and study the Holy Bible. AND... we need to go to God in prayer throughout our day. Pray often and pray repeatedly. We cannot pray too much! Sometimes we get stuck not knowing what to pray or how to pray. We need to get over that ASAP! PRAYING is as easy as 1, 2, 3! If you are ever at a loss for what or how to pray;...

Luke 14:27 "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. Mark 8:34 "And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Matthew 16:24 "Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." AUTHORITY! JESUS is the main thing! If you will study the Holy Scriptures you too will find a firm foundation that you can build your life upon! When the STORMS of life come; the house built upon the rock stands strong. It will not fall. The firm foundation of FAITH makes all the difference. Is your relationship with God the main thing? Central to everything else in your life.  Following Jesus is not for the faint of heart. Today's Gospel verses is a trifecta of words about Discipleship to our Lord and Savior. It involves taking up our own ...

Matthew 7:28 & 29 28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine: 29 For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. AUTHORITY! This authority comes through even in the written accounts from the Holy Bible. This is NOT just another book! People come to the Holy Scriptures with a chip on their shoulder and the written Word ends up changing them! Look at Lee Strobel at one time was the legal editor of The Chicago Tribune. He set out to prove the Gospel message was a lie. Instead he ends up writing a book about his conversion to Christianity called The Case for Christ! And, he is not alone, there are others!  If you will study the Holy Scriptures you too will find that they are a firm foundation that you can build your life upon! When the STORMS of life come; the house built upon the rock stands strong. It will not fall. The firm foundation of FAITH makes all the difference.  Is your relationship with...

Matthew 7:26 & 27 "26 And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." IT FELL:  and GREAT was the FALL of IT. This is in stark contrast to the wise man who built his house upon a rock! "...the FLOODS CAME, and the WINDS BLEW, and beat upon that house; and it FELL NOT!" When the STORM came the house built upon the rock stood strong. It did not fall. The firm foundation made all the difference.  Temporary things cannot give you permanent results. Is your relationship with God the main thing? Central to everything else in your life. The central thing and the true thing. People, jobs, relationships, life, marriage, all these things are temporary! All are blessings from God. Yet, they are not the main thing. JESUS is the main thing! If a...

Matthew 7:25 "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." Jesus is the rock foundation that the church is Built Upon! Here in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus is telling the parable of the wise man who built his house upon a rock! In today's verse He explains why it's so important; "And the rain descended, and the FLOODS CAME, and the WINDS BLEW, and beat upon that house; and it FELL NOT: for it was founded upon a rock." When the STORM came the house built upon the rock stood strong. It did not fall. The firm foundation made all the difference.  We need to HEAR what Jesus is teaching and act upon it. If we have anything at all it is built upon what God has already established. We are just the latest parts to God's plan. We are blessed to be a part of it.

Matthew 7:24 "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:" Jesus is the rock foundation that the church is Built Upon! His incarnation and ministry here on earth was incredible!!! It changed our lives forever and for better!! He gives us the choice to choose His salvation or choose otherwise. The choice is yours!  As Jesus said; "...whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man," We need to HEAR what Jesus is teaching and act upon it. As we learned from the Psalmist yesterday; GOD is our everything! Saying; "The LORD is my ROCK..." or God is our firm foundation. If we have anything at all it is built upon what God has already established. We are just the latest parts to God's plan. We are blessed to be a part of it. We will often call it our church family. Families have a person central to them too; Mother. Mothers are...

Psalms 18:1-3 "1 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies." Jesus has ascended to Heaven! His incarnation and ministry here on earth was incredible!!! It changed our lives forever and for better!! While here Jesus fulfilled many of God's promises and He made a few more. We studied those over the last week or so. Our glorious GOD not only atoned for our sins He also gives us the choice to choose His salvation or choose otherwise. The choice is yours! And! He returns to His heavenly throne leaving us to be His hands and feet in this world! We are the members of His church body left behind to do His works in this world! God let's us help with His mission and plan! It's really incredible!! Once we understand this rea...

Acts 1:9-11 "9 And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." "I'll be back." Jesus could have said. Instead His angels said it for Him. "He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight." Jesus ascended to Heaven! His incarnation and ministry here on earth was incredible!!! It changed our lives forever and for better!!  While here Jesus fulfilled many of God's promises and He made a few more. Like; CALL on JESUS as your SAVIOR! And; YOU shall be SAVED!! "...confess with thy mouth... believe in thine heart ...THOU shalt be SAVED." And, as we read in Is...

Acts 2:21 "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." CALL on JESUS as your SAVIOR! YOU shall be SAVED!! Today's verse is from the book of Acts. We are focused on words from the Apostle Peter's sermon. He is teaching in a way to awaken the hearers to embrace faith in Jesus Christ. These hearers will go on to join the church! His words build upon the promises of GOD from the Holy Scriptures.  We call on the Holy Ghost to help us learn from the Holy Scriptures and understand God's promises better. As restated by the Apostle Paul in the letters to the Romans; "...confess with thy mouth... believe in thine heart ...THOU shalt be SAVED." As we read in Isaiah and in 1 Peter; "...and with His stripes WE are healed." And, it was also Peter who taught that it "was FOREORDAINED BEFORE the foundation of the world," Before man, before the earth, before the universe, before the angels; God planned...

1 Peter 1:19-21 "19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." DO YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR??? This is The Question we all must answer. Jesus asked this on Martha before her brother was raised from the dead. It's restated by the Apostle Paul in the letters to the Romans; "...confess with thy mouth... believe in thine heart ...THOU shalt be SAVED." As we read in Isaiah and in 1 Peter; "...and with His stripes WE are healed." This is how God planned everything!!! In today's verses we read "was FOREORDAINED BEFORE the foundation of the world," and expertly explained in; Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible; "That is, from eternity. It was ...

Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." DO YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR??? Here in the letters to the Romans written by the Apostle Paul reiterates GOD'S promise; "...confess with thy mouth... believe in thine heart ...THOU shalt be SAVED." That's it. It sounds easy.  In yesterday's verses Jesus asked this question of Martha, Lazarus's sister. She believed and went on to see her own brother raised from the dead!!! She also went on to see Jesus come back from the dead!!  AND! Martha herself went on to eternal life in heaven! God's promise applies to her and all believers in Jesus. We will be raisen from the grave. We will have perfect bodies in a new earth. Fears, accidents are all gone. God's eternity will be always new. Unlike our world that needs repairs and restoration constantly. Jesus fixed it all with His ...

John 11:25-26 "25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?" FAITH is Built Upon God's Promises. God is the promise keeper. People make promises and DON'T keep them. We break them all too easily. From Genesis through Isaiah to the New Testament and even through today and tomorrow God promises to save sinners! It doesn't get any better than that!! As we studied, so far, this week, in Isaiah and in 1 Peter; "...and with His stripes WE are healed." It would be RARE for one of us to suffer the way Jesus was tortured and Crucified. Even though you and I are the sinners that have earned punishment! Jesus is sinless and Righteous; He has earned the opposite of punishment. And yet, this is how God planned everything!!! In today's verses we get to the real meaning of it ALL! This from chapter eleven...

1 Peter 2:24 "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." FAITH is Built Upon Promises; God's promises. From the very beginning, in Genesis we read about God's promises. God is the promise keeper. People, on the other hand, fall short and end up breaking the Laws of God. And, people let each other down all the time. We make promises and DON'T keep them. We break them all too easily. God made it so we need MORE THAN LAWS! We need God and His MERCY. Yesterday we read words of hope from the prophet Isaiah; "But He was wounded for OUR transgressions, He was bruised for OUR iniquities: the chastisement of OUR peace was upon Him; and with His stripes WE are healed." Isaiah wrote these words about seven hundred years before Jesus was born!  Today we fast forward to the New Testament and the First letter from Peter, chapter two, verse twenty-four "...

Isaiah 53:5 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." This week we are studying how Easter was Built Upon Promises; God's promises. We first looked at Jesus's promise to be with us when two or three of us are gathered. And, yesterday we went back to the very beginning, in Genesis chapter two verse seventeen to read one of God's first promises; "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt NOT eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof THOU SHALT surely die."  And, how did that work out? The very next chapter we learn Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit! For some reason God designed it this way. Time and time again throughout the Old Testament the "heros" fall short and end up breaking the Laws of God. God made it so we need MORE THAN LAWS! Also throughout the Old Testament we read God's promises to ...

Genesis 2:17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Last week we studied how our FAITH and church is Built Upon Easter and that incredible event. We can't celebrate it enough! This week we are studying how Easter was Built Upon Promises; God's promises. There are well over seven thousand promises from God in the Holy Bible. God is the promise keeper. We call the sections of the Holy Scriptures; "Old Testament" and "New Testament." A "testament" is "Something that serves as tangible proof or evidence."  We must go back to the very beginning, in Genesis chapter two verse seventeen to read one of God's first promises; "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Here we get introduced to the idea that everyone who break G...

Matthew 18:20 "20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." We just studied in the Gospel of Luke, chapter twenty-four where Cleopas and one other unnamed Disciple on the road to Emmaus had a close encounter with the Resurrected Jesus!!! While this was a very special occasion when Jesus was teaching them about Moses and ALL the PROPHETS, and how ALL the SCRIPTURES are about Him. He gave them all the information again. They will need to retell this information again and again. Jesus wants them to practice and become comfortable and competent in telling these events. And retelling these events.  This is also an example of Jesus's promise from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter eighteen, verse twenty coming TRUE! "For where two or three are gathered together IN My NAME, there am I in the MIDST of them." It's an incredible promise and it is proven true!! Like all of God's promises!!! We are going to study some of ...