SFOI ARCHIVE

Daily Devotional 2-5-21

The Father’s Role

It is a sweet thought that Jesus Christ did not appear without His Father’s permission, authority, consent, and assistance. He was sent by the Father, that He might be the Savior of men.

We are too apt to forget that while there are distinctions as to the persons in the Trinity, there are no distinctions of honor. We are prone to ascribe the honor of our salvation, or at least the depths of its benevolence, more to Jesus Christ than to the Father. This is a very great mistake. Yes, Jesus came, but didn’t His Father send Him? He spoke powerfully, but didn’t His Father pour grace into His lips, that He might be an aƒble minister of the new covenant? Whoever knows the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit as they should know them never sets one before another in his love; he sees them together at Bethlehem, at Gethsemane, and on Calvary, all equally engaged in the work of salvation.

O Christian, have you put your confidence in the Man Christ Jesus? Have you placed your trust solely on Him? And are you united with Him? Then believe that you are united with the God of heaven. Since to the Man Christ Jesus you are brother and live in close fellowship, you are in this way linked with God the Eternal, and “the Ancient of days” is your Father and your friend.

Did you ever consider the depth of love in the heart of Jehovah, when God the Father equipped His Son for the great enterprise of mercy? If not, meditate today on this: The Father sent Him! Contemplate that subject. Think how Jesus works what the Father wills. In the wounds of the dying Savior view the love of the great I AM. Let every thought of Jesus be also connected with the Eternal, ever-blessed God, for “It was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief.”1

1) Isaiah 53:10

From: https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/daily-devotionals/latest/?gclid=CjwKCAjwnK36BRBVEiwAsMT8WCR8UteIwaWlAyP4o9ZIuAWio8l7qmAM1nDcB3pFiYr-jOUNkgMsShoC68IQAvD_BwE

Meet: SBO ’21 Evangelists, Warren & Darlene Marquardt

Darlene & Warren Marquardt – Lakeland, FL

Warren and Darlene are originally from Wisconsin but now live in Florida. We were both born again by the grace of our LORD and Savior Jesus (Yehovah Elohiym), the Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ruwach Elohiym), as initiated by the Father (‘Ab) in 1989. One God in three persons. Since then we have continued raising our 4 children into adulthood and now as empty nesters are seeking to serve our God in other ways. We are thankful for the ministry of SFOI in providing many of those other ways. We also do our own street outreach and from time to time abortion clinic ministry.

We serve in the children’s ministry at our local church and consistently stay late at church to minister to the needs of the building and the people who attend services and arrive early to pray for the service that day and any other known needs. Our greatest desire as a couple is to be an example of Christ and the church to the world at large. We know we share equally in the ministry that God has given us to do and we honor the marriage covenant with the husband as the head (the example of Jesus who laid down his life for the church) and the wife as the church (seeking to serve Jesus in all things). There is no greater thing in life than to serve the Living God in all that we do whether separately or in unity. We look forward to serving with you in Miami!

Daily Devotional 2-4-21

A Christian is Pulled Between Two Extremes

Christians are creatures pulled between two extremes: between old Adam’s need to be a god and the new man in Christ’s recognition that concerning God, he’s “a worm and not a man” (Ps 22:6).

Old Adam imagines a future of limitless possibilities. He wants a world that’s entirely within his hands to fix and improve. Old Adam’s destiny, he believes, is in his hands if he can only make what’s possible a reality.

The new man in Christ lives through faith. He accepts that the kind of freedom old Adam seeks actually ties his hands. The new man in Christ knows in faith that God-given freedom is a gift received, not a goal to be achieved.

Our anxiety about the future is a consequence of our old self’s attempts to achieve freedom for himself apart from Christ Jesus.We want to be the captain of our destiny, but we also fear what could happen. For old Adam, anxiety is the shadow of freedom. Thus, the future he envisions, a future that will save him from aches and pains, hardship, and poverty, is future salvation that can only be achieved through great personal suffering.

Our anxiety about the future is a consequence of our old self’s attempts to achieve freedom for himself apart from Christ Jesus.

We sinners may be godlike in our ability to know right and wrong, but we lack the divine power to permanently change what’s wrong about ourselves and the world and achieve the good we desire. We lack Almighty God’s wisdom to know if we are correct in our judgment, and so we too often call good evil and evil good.

This truth about old Adam is revealed to us by the Spirit through his word and gifts. That’s why the new man dreads what will become of him if he turns from what has been achieved and given to him by Christ Jesus. His desire is for true freedom to live wholly according to the will of God: to love God and love his neighbor as he needs to be loved. This is what creates two-fold anxiety in us. On the one hand, old Adam is anxious with dread about the future he could possibly construct for himself. But the new man in Christ is hopeful about the present, about his relationship with his Savior.

Old Adam’s anxiety makes him impotent. The new man in Christ’s hope sets him free to serve God and neighbor. One is a mechanism of enslavement, the other of liberation. Old Adam always attempts to live out a fantasy where he is a god, which will inevitably lead him into a dystopian future. His life will be physically and psychologically injurious to himself and others, self-defeating, humiliating, and unduly self-sacrificial.

The new man in Christ lives in concrete reality as revealed by the Creator. His future is already affirmed by God’s promise in Christ. His life is already settled. As the apostle writes, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

Old Adam knows from experience that he is not a god. He can never achieve the freedom that can only be claimed by divinity. That’s why his life’s project is actually to be freed from freedom. He seeks to achieve this goal through appeals to common sense, science, psychological health, appeals to normality, and even public opinion when it aids his escape.

The new man in Christ enjoys the certainty that he is chosen by God to enjoy being a creature. He is embraced by Christ. Uncertainty about his future is driven out of his life by Jesus, who is life.

We don’t need to be freed from freedom, like old Adam. Instead, we are liberated by the blood of Christ to be truly free.

In Christ, then, we are made resilient towards the future. We don’t fear the future or suffer from crippling anxiety about possible failure. Through his word and Spirit, God strengthens us to be of good courage. In faith, we rely on him for our every need. We depend on his promises, and hence, respect his words and works for us.

We don’t need to be freed from freedom, like old Adam. Instead, we are liberated by the blood of Christ to be truly free. We don’t have to achieve liberty. It’s chosen for us in Christ. Then, when we are pulled between the two extremes of old Adam’s desire to be a god and the new man in Christ’s faith that he already has a good and gracious God, we don’t suffer from fear and anxiety, like those who have no hope.

Jesus has taken the actions necessary to set us free from sin, death, and hell. He comes today, from the future, to offer us more: more of himself, more of his gifts, more grace upon grace, and full salvation that overcomes and defeats all our old Adam struggles to be free from the future, to be free from Christ who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

From: https://www.1517.org/articles/a-christian-is-pulled-between-two-extremes

Meet: Joe Conkle, SBO ’21 Evangelist

Joe Conkle – Ashland, OH

I am a father of 3 adult children and have 1 grandson. God, by his grace saved me 10 years ago after living as a false convert for 31 years. Since then I’ve been compelled to share the Gospel. I normally do street ministry with the Prayer Stand outside the local Courthouse, Ashland University along with my pastor Matt Timmons and friend David Nicol.

Other evangelistic efforts include THE Ohio State Buckeyes home games, and helping other fellow evangelist.

My desire is to glorify God, be obedient to his word, and be a better evangelist.

Be Bold,

Joe Conkle

Daily Devotional 2-3-21

Receiving the Revelation

Does nature reveal God? This question indicates a concern about a foundational issue to Christianity. The issue is, can God be known outside of the church or a religious environment?

The secularist of today answers this question with the negative. The world of nature is frequently said to be antithetical to a belief in God, presenting us with so many anomalies as to render the existence of God untenable.

Because of these claims either from the corner of the militant atheist or from the queries of the troubled agnostic, many Christians have retreated into a sphere of “religious faith” as the only framework within which God can be known. Here nature is negotiated in order to protect the arena of space.

The nature Psalms of the Old Testament indicate that the majesty of the Creator shines through the creation. God not only reveals Himself clearly in creation, but the revelation gets through. It is perceived by men. The judgment of God is not withheld because men refuse to receive the revelation (Rom. 1:18).

The problem is that not only does God reveal Himself, but that men perceive that revelation and refuse to acknowledge it. Paul says, “When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful” (Rom. 1:21, KJV). Here man is said to know God. His sin is that he will not glorify or thank the God he knows exists. Paul contends that God so clearly manifests Himself in creation that all men know He exists. God’s revelation in nature makes honest atheism an intellectual impossibility.

The knowledge of God manifest in nature is by no means comprehensive. Natural revelation will never provide us with redemptive knowledge. It is one thing to know that God exists. It is quite another to have a personal, intimate knowledge of the God who exists.

Coram Deo

Do you have a personal, intimate knowledge of God? Ask God for a new and deeper revelation.

Passages for Further Study

Romans 1:18–20

From: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/receiving-revelation/

Meet: Ben Cohen, SBO ’21 Evangelist

Ben Cohen – Auburn, AL

I am first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ. Secondly, a husband to Cindy. Thirdly, a father to Elijah. In my spare time I like to preach the Gospel.

Daily Devotional 2-2-21

Recognizing the Earth is the Lord’s

It was Bonaventure who offered the thought: “In order that we may be able to extol and glorify God, and in order that we may advance to the knowledge of God, we must transfer to the divine that which pertains to the creature … nearly all creatures possess certain noble characteristics which furnish a source for our understanding of God, e.g., the lion possesses fortitude; the lamb, meekness; the rock, solidity; the serpent, prudence—hence it is necessary that many names be transferred to God.”

John Calvin agreed with these sentiments. “There is not an atom of the universe in which you cannot see some brilliant sparks at least of His glory.”

The earth, nature that surrounds us, the world—everything is full of God. Nature is a glorious theater, a spectacular sound-and-light show of the beauty of God. But nature is not God. To worship the whole or any part of nature is idolatry. To confuse God and nature is to fall into pantheism, an intolerable monism that obscures the distinction between creatures and Creator.

But the universe is God’s handiwork. It sparkles with the revelation of its Maker. It is not an independent entity existing alongside and apart from God. There is no dualism divorcing God from the world. The earth is the Lord’s.

Coram Deo

Spend some time today enjoying the beauties of nature, remembering that the earth is the Lord’s.

Passages for Further Study

Psalm 24:1

Psalm 50:2

Psalm 53:1

From: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/recognizing-earth-lords/

Meet: Ken White, SBO ’21 Evangelist

Ken White – Riverview, FL

Hi my name is Ken White. By God’s Grace, “I am the husband of one wife”, my beautiful and faithful wife, Webze White. Webze was born and raised in the Philippines, and has been in Christ and faithfully and diligently serving Him for many years, well before the LORD saved me and gave me a new heart.

I am 51 years old and am so incredibly thankful to the LORD to be able to say that I have now been serving the Lord Jesus Christ for more than half of my life – Only by His Mercy and Grace. The LORD saved me around 1990, and very shortly after, I began to share the Gospel (to the best of my understanding at the time) and soon became involved in missions.

In 1993 I went to the Philippines to join a Filipino church planting ministry team which included, Webze, as one of the members, and that is where we met. Since that time we have also been involved in other interdenominational ministries, and though we would often question many things regarding various teachings and practices, the Bible, God’s Unchanging Word, has been our anchor all along.

Just over eight years ago, I was introduced to the doctrines of Grace, and some truths that were verified for me came together, which impacted me greatly. Very shortly after that, I was compelled by the LORD, including the LORD using a friend’s challenges to me, to begin to preach in the open-air. In the Power of the Holy Spirit and with the confidence of Jesus Christ and His Word, I have been preaching fairly regularly ever since. May our Great God be Praised for all that He does in and through such weak vessels as me! (2 Corinthians 4:5-7 / 1 Corinthians 2:4,5 / 1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

Meet: Jeff Warner, SBO ’21 Evangelist

Jeff Warner – Bull Shoals, AR

My name is Jeff Warner, I’m 36 years old from Grants Pass, OR. I have a wife and 3 wonderful kids. I didn’t grow up in the church and didn’t even open a Bible until I was saved at age 29. I literally knew nothing about the Bible…I didn’t know about Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, Jesus, etc, I guess you can say I was a true clean slate. I was saved on Sept 20th, 2009.

I have been very active in sharing the Gospel for the past 4 years, prior to that I just didn’t have any idea where to start and didn’t know anybody who did evangelism, which is a sad commentary on modern day Churchianity. I started open air preaching in San Francisco at SBO ’16 and have been preaching regularly ever since. I was blessed to preach with a group of brothers through SFOI in San Diego at the MLB All Star Game as well as several events throughout Oregon and in Reno, NV, etc. The Lord has opened many doors for ministry this year and I can’t wait to preach with the saints at SBO ’21.