F4S: August 2015

Monday, August 31, 2015

Find help. Run don't walk. If you can't find an open door, create a window.

So much abuse out there! It's more rampant than most people think.

Heads up, kids n others! Don't put up with it. Be wiser.

Your life matters. God wants you pure, effective to impact, protected and blessed in Christ. Some Christians will of course be mayrtered in these last days, but if you can get away from being abused.. go for it asap.

No matter if they're older than you.. no matter what they say, don't let anyone.. except say your spouse (if married) of the opposite sex ..touch you on any part of your body that you appropriately cover up with a modest bathing suit. #Duh!

Sunday, August 30, 2015

What? AWOL! Pete, how could you split?

Where did you bolt to? 
Have you been gearin’ up to one day be doin’ some fast persuadin’ of Pete at the gate ..like on the basis of good deeds done? Oh, but look who ain’t at the gate. Off duty.. away from the Pearly Tor? Called off? Where did Mr. Impetious ditch to? 

“It had a great, high wall with twelve gates and with twelve angels at the gates.” Revelation 21:12

Tell em.. none can earn it. No persuading of saint Peter for entrance..halo floatin’ there over his 60’s hairstyle. Come as you are willing to be changed. Today. Right now. Turn from sin to God. There’s no need for you to clean up your life first, to clean up your deeds before you come to Jesus for His forgiveness. There is a need for repentance and faith, but there's really not a need for what you and I can do good to earn our way in for eternal life. None have pulled that off, and none in the future will. 

We've all sinned and that has gottin' in the way, but we can deal with it in Christ. 

I often hear.. ‘Man, I’m so lonely inside,’ but methinks you (and your BFFs) are not primarily lonely for a mere flawed human. You are lonely for a tight relationship with God.. through Christ His sinless Son!  

Only two choices for each of us...not three, not one, no reincarnation, sorry.. no second chance to persuade or get saved postmortem (after death). Just two.. trust Christ as Savior, or put it off (rejecting Him and His Cross). born twice (see John 3) or born only once. Heaven or Hell, with Jesus for all eternity or with Mr. Lu-Cifer (the devil and one third of the angels that fell due to pride and rebellion), smoking or non-smoking! 

How will you have it be? Please make your reservations in advance... for your spot in a real place called heaven. Must be made in advance.  

“For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” Romans 3:20 (But, how do I respond, Kurt?)


Saturday, August 29, 2015

What does love do? I mean that godly affection, kindness, goodwill and benevolence. Well, it builds up, it edifies people where they're at. It's constructive and it encourages people to mature, growin' up into Christ's full stature.

Unbiblical evangelism says: Hey, I'm right, and you're wrong, so I would love for you to let me tell you about it. Listen up real well.I go to church so I know better and am better.

Posted by Fish For Souls Evangelism™ - Kurt von Schleicher on Saturday, August 29, 2015

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of unbelief, unhealthy fears, passivity, doubt, lusts, selfish ambitions, worry, greed, waves of false teachings, anger at people.. there in a relationship with Christ via forgiveness.

http://kurtwvs.tumblr.com/post/127713741763

Love S U F F E R S L O N G and is kind...

Love is pro-actively kind and patient; it suffers another person long, it “puts up with” or looks past their unsanctified kinda struggles and junk to witness and win em to Christ. 

It doesn't put up with personal sinning. Doesn't accept returning to, or living in sin.  

Paul in Galatians 5:22 said, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love." And then he goes on to define this kind of pure love with these words, "Joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, temperance, meekness." I know I personally wasn't born with patience especially around irritating, pushy, intrusive people--am learning it. Yes, long-suffering is one of the great characteristics of God's love. 

You remember how impetuous Pete was. Peter, perhaps felt like he was growing real spiritual while walking with the Jesus team and was developing into a full-on leader-type in his walk with the Lord. 

Well, one day Peter asked Jesus, "How often should I forgive a man the same offense? Seven times?" Was Peter trying to impress the other team-members, the the other disciples, sorta like indicating to his top hero, "Lord, hey there, I believe that I pretty much have the capacity to do it seven times for the same exact offense." 

The Lord responded with, "Awesome-sauce dude.. wow! Yo Pete, you rock! If you can do that over and over.. then you are one big leader. How great would that be!" No, the Lord didn’t say anything like that. 

But the Lord said to him, "Peter, seventy times seven." 

Why did Jesus say that? Well cuz, Real love is long-suffering and forgiveness is not a matter of mathematics and then done! Forgiveness is more a matter of Holy Spirit who proactively loves us flawed folks.

It is first thought, then a prayer, then an attitude, and then an appropriate action or actions--follow-through. We are not to keep track of how many times we forgive people who rub us the wrong way or offend us.

Why should I a keep a record of wrongs, an account like a stiff, cold, heartless accountant? I don't say count up 476, 477, 478, 479, until I finally arrive at my seventy times seven, and then let go. 

I am sure that Christ figured that Peter ..or us.. would lose count by the time he ..or we.. would get that far.. and then would realize that patience or long-suffering in the area of forgiveness is a matter of Holy Spirit.

A great characteristic of love, the agape kind of charity, is “long-suffering towards others” and then it goes beyond just that on into active kindnesses to them. See the context in 1 Corinthians 13. Kindness follows patience. 

The agape God has and gives.. is very patient. It puts up with flawed people who need some patience. It's taken it from sinners, and taken it, and taken it.. even at Calvary, and what happened there? Jesus basically turned the other cheek, took it, and then prayed for those who put him up on that tree. Why? Well cuz Jesus is long-suffering in relation to sinners like me. Even today. 

Patience takes a choice. Sometimes an attitude alteration. 

Share the Gospel; go slow enough to take the time for each individual. Impact others in this world through the power of God's Word. 

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." —Anne Frank
We persuade people to get right with God through proclaiming His Christ as killed on a Cross and now risen.. yes, by His uplifting red-hot passion inside, by service with gentle invitation, through patience--the fruit of love on display, through an on-goin' trust-building of relationships upon proper application of truth minus spiritual compromise, and through daily living out biblical values. The Spirit gives power for that. 

"And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us." Acts 16:15

"This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.' And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women." Acts 17:2-4

Did you know that metal illness plagues 1 in 4 Americans? It does so be slower to asses or draw firm conclusions. And many people are struggling just to pay their bills or to get near the proper nutrition in their gut.. literally. And many are completely, 100 percent.. totally out of hope.. while our living Hope is there for us all. Jesus waits for us. And people are so different from each other.. stubborn, needy, willful and wayward. Yet, God wants to use you. And love is patient. It's about showing kindness to those who haven't earned it or deserve it. Love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” Love endures past the end down here. (Blog)

Monday, August 24, 2015

The Old is the New concealed, and the New is the Old revealed but God hasn't changed. No no! His perfect balance of charity and fairness are seen all through the Bible stories and'll go beyond all prophecies. Be ready.

Q: Why do we see such a tsunami of judgment in the Bible?

A: Cuz clear warnings were given, cuz God is just and patient.. cuz it will be exactly the time for such, cuz it's impossible to over exaggerate Christ's holiness and hatred of sin that wrecks.

Having said all that.. it's also impossible to over exaggerate how wonderful He is or how great Christ's love is for those He has called.  And you can become a real Christian right now.
But what does it really mean--the justice of God?
The Scriptures clearly tells us that God is very just. This means that He is fair and impartial. It also means that He hates the ill-treatment and oppression of people and of nature, which He has created. He hates lying, cheating, and other forms of mistreatment of others. The fact that God is just means that He can and will judge between right and wrong and He will administer justice in accordance with His biblical standards.
"..now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?" Luke 18:7
Many times in the Bible God is pictured as a judge. The Bible says that He will one day judge the world. Many of us shy away from the thought of God as a judge because the examples of justice that we see on earth are flawed: some judges are corrupt and, even when their intentions are good, they can make mistakes. However, the fact that God is just assures us that when He acts as a judge, He will administer justice perfectly. His ability to do this involves other aspects or attributes of His holy character, including His ability to discern the truth in every situation and see into the hearts and minds of men, His wisdom, His strength, His authority, and His moral character in establishing what is right and wrong.
"..because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." Acts 17:31
A God who did not care about the difference between right and wrong and did not judge humans for acting one way or the other would not be an admirable being worthy of our love or trust. The fact that God is just and will judge between right and wrong gives ultimate moral significance to our lives and makes us accountable before Him.
“What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before your God?” (Micah 6:8. In context also see John 13:34, Luke 6:27-28, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23).
God is so patient, He has a timing and really good plan for He is good. And guess what.. He really does want everyone to have an opportunity accept His Son’s sacrifice rather than paying the penalty that justice requires for their sins (see 2 Peter 3:9).
You can receive His free forgiveness. It cost Jesus a whole lot so it wouldn't have to cost you. You can get right with God today.. here and now! Don't put it off. Lost or saved, in or out. No in between. Not to respond is to respond. Not to decide is to decide. Turn aka repent, Put your faith in Christ--the Bible Christ. Do it immediately, and you won't regret responding ever. "..If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 
Musin' on it all just makes me want to praise God. Thank you for the Cross Lord--thanks for doin' and sayin' all that You did. I praise you today with all I am.

We are more sinful and flawed than most of us probably ever dared to believe about ourselves. But each of us are also far more loved, thought about, and accepted in Christ ..than we ever dared hope for.
The Bible says, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." John 15:13  facebook.com/shareJesus

Sunday, August 23, 2015

J O Y unspeakable!

Want to experience more Joy in life? Not a problem.

Trust, obey and follow this rule to have big JOY–put Jesus first, Others second, Yourself after them.

Lord God, Help me pay attention and do my best. I don't always get what it is You want of me. Please help me me quicker to clearly understand according to Your Word and Spirit. Sometimes I also don't get what people expect of me. Not worried about that. No one is perfect except You ..and You love me despite my imperfections. Please guide, provide and use me to help others–I do wanna bear fruit for Your glory. Really wanna please You daily ahead of please others! So glad that You don't pressure me to produce fruit. Thank you Jesus. Amen. 

Saturday, August 22, 2015

What can be made great, or great.. again?

Lately been hearin' USA, USA, USA!!!!! 

I like that because it can be made great again. I live here.. in the middle of these states. What's been going on? Lots of excitement, great words.. hope and change! 

Should we put our trust in a mere man or politics at this point to bring about the changes needed? Yes, in the God-man--Jesus Christ. He can do it if we will simply cooperate. He can change anyone or any nation.  

Been hearing.. "Make America Great Again!"


And the use of this term "again" is very important because it means it once was ..and can be once again. What do you think of that? Are you living your life in a Land that needs to be made great ..again? Better yet.. are you in Christ experiencing life in a healthy Bible teaching Christian church?

Sometimes I tend to say things that might sound religious to some, but I'm not that way and don't mean to cuz God's not that way. I'll be careful, but I'm feelin' privileged and glad today that our Lord's Church ..flawed as it may be.. doesn't need to be made great again. And it can't be made great by mere men alone. 

God the head of it.. is working to make it great. I just feel blessed to be apart of it. 

"..upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." ~ Jesus 

We all can have a part to play in the perfecting of His church. God can use us--He can use you. The Bible says, "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." (Romans 12:4-5)

"For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ." (v. 12) 

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions." ~ Paul (Colossians 1:24)

"Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.." (Romans 12:6-8)

"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."(Ephesians 4:11-13)

The great one is making it greater now. Christ is the One who gives it any greatness of course.. He is the One who makes it and Christians better as we yield to Him. Jesus is indeed Great with a capital 'G" today.. so much so that He is always worthy to be praised. 

He can make each one of us..if we'll come to Him on His terms..into what we need to be–great servants. 

He's no respecter of persons, He has no weird bias, He doesn't play favorites among his children.. except we're all His fave. 

What am I trying to say? 

Just this.. Be made great (by coming to Christ as you are), or be made great again (by returning to Him). 

Hey, I'm under construction in Him.. wasn't always. 

But you too can be a work in progress as well–a real Christian. And you can bring others to Jesus!

Jesus Christ as the bridegroom.. is the One who can make His Church.. His bride great. He can fashion us into exactly what He wants us to be. Spotless. Blessed. Clean. Effective. Fulfilled and Forgiven. 

Why don't you ask the Head of the Church for this and participate in His Gospel plan?

"He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything." (See Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 5:23)

"And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church..'  (Ephesians 1:22)  

"For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body."  Ephesians 5:29-30

"In view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me." ~ Paul  Philippians 1:6 


God's soldiers learn and know how to effectively use their swords etc. Prayin' and the Scriptures ..ain't for looks.

http://kurtwvs.tumblr.com/post/127329592258

It's no day to entangle yourself in the affairs of everyday life down here.


How great is it to be in a relationship with God even in the midst of the realities of this evil world we live in. 

Feelin' so grateful to the three soldiers who saved the day in Europe yesterday. A passenger on a train got slit in the neck, but the three soldiers didn't get hurt ..except one of the National Guardsmen got his hand hurt, but they protected many people. Soldiers think about protecting others--they take action and warn others of danger. They use the truth to give people a heads up for their safety.

Thank you guys for jumping in! Let more non-wimps arise! There were more than 550 passengers on board and the gunman's name--Ayoub el-Qahzzani--a known Islamist terrorist with a whole lot of weapons in a gun-free zone. There's just too many of these miss-taught fools running free.. in so called free Lands. That man could have killed so many for Jihad and Allah with his Russian Kalashnikov. ‪More boarder Issues‬! Germany are letting em in by tens of thousands. All of Europe.. even we are here in the USA letting these dangerous people in. Time to stop it.  
Enter three real soldiers.. real heroes (we don't see too many or very often)--Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler. Yay! One took a to the neck. They tied up the killer.
Liney and I have rode that same rail line/type of high speed Paris-bound train between Amsterdam and that EU destination. 

Choose to be a soldier in God's army if you will.. one that wins the battle and others to the Lord. 

I'm talking to me and to you here. It's important. Listen, the Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:3-4, "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Now no soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier."


Being a soldier is hard, and often involves suffering. A soldier not only suffers, but also takes care of his fellow soldiers. Their very lives depend on each one carrying out his assignment. The Christian life is not easy. The church is not really a social club at all, but a place to prepare and equip us for battle. We give our energy and attention to worship of Jesus, to helping our fellow soldiers win the battle.. and win other people to Him. We will protect out family and friends in every way if need be, but for the most part ..as we Christians prepare ourselves for spiritual warfare what does God has to say about this? The Bible says this: "For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.." Ephesians 6:12

If we are in a battle, then who is our enemy? You've got to be able to name the enemy, leaders! Hello! Ephesians 6:10-11 tells us that our enemy is the Devil--a real person, a fallen angel aka Satan. That's right, Mr Lu-Cifer as I call him and his fallen evil spirits are real, but Christ is way more powerful.  Those dweebs lie to us, accuse us, and they wish to destroy our relationships.  Scripture tells us that Satan is the Father of all lies.  So, how do we fight this enemy?  Just like Jesus did!  Our weapon is truth - God's word and prayer. The key is to remember that the Bible promises that the Holy Spirit who is in you is greater than Satan is.

Here's God's promise to you: "But you belong to God, my dear children.  You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world" (1 John 4:4). 

I shared all this with a couple guys this morning. But what do you think about that Bible promise? facebook.com/shareJesus

Even in your busy days of work, Christian, remember to slow down, notice people, pray to the point. Yeah pause at times, and sow some fitting seeds of God’s word in a non-hyper-spiritual sorta way ..mixed with practical kindnesses!

Friday, August 21, 2015

Keep alert; be on guard, shepherds ..and others. Life comes at ya pretty quick. Eyes wide open, be on guard, be sober-minded, ready for the right kinda warfare, very much awake as if you've enjoyed a double-shot of rich espresso, and remain zealous as well. Be watchful with all perseverance and wisdom.. making supplication for all believers--yup, and pray for all the people you meet. Stuff can happen. "Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert.." ~ Paul, Ephesians 6:18 Shepherds, be ready for anything!

Live fully awake. Be brave. don't shake in fear. No worries. Feelings, nothing more than feelings. Sometimes they are fickle and fleeting.. and sometimes a blessing.

What you FEEL is not always REAL. So what are you experiencing today -- have you prayed about it? 
What is REAL is not always RIGHT. Lots of stuff in ..our gone sideways kinda culture..that happens shouldn’t have happened. 
What feels NATURAL is not always HEALTHY. How can it feel so good and yet be so bad? It can. 
What is POPULAR is not always BEST. Historically the majority, the crowd, the mob.. has often been wrong.
What you hear and THINK is not always TRUE. Much of what’s on the web or in the Media is way off. Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.“ Acts 17:11
Fake news and made up forged reports aren't new at all. Spend time with Jesus and His people in God’s word to quickly recognize what’s false. Remember, 2000 years ago St. Paul had to deal with this junk. "Don't be so easily shaken or troubled by reports saying the Day Of The Lord has begun. If they claim to have a vision or revelation, or even a letter SUPPOSEDLY FROM ME, don't believe them!" 2 Thessalonians 2:2 
Give yourself permission to NOT believe everything that passes through your mind. Stop believing and doin’ the wrong things. Shoo away all that doesn’t need to be in there. It's one thing to let the birds fly over your head and quite another thing to allow them to nest in your hair. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Facebook.com/shareJesus

Shepherds need to feed and lead rather than get lost in the middle of em, or be followin' the sheep in the wrong direction. Leaders need to lead people to Jesus!

Ask.. what do they, from the Bible, need to know and do? How should they do it? God what do You want to say? 
Why aim to impress any mere human down here? Are you a pastor or a leader? 
Choose to faithfully feed the flock truth in love, edify em.. the body and boldly point to Jesus Christ ..rather than to your denomination, church, your needs, or to self. Emphasize the practical application of the word with right motives.
Give emphasis to fresh music, praise and biblical worship. That’s your number one ministry priority–blessing the Lord. It ain’t just the warm up to the sermon, worship is actually and literally for entering into the Holiest of All, coming through the gates with full-on thanksgiving and into the courts with praise. Jesus Christ told us the Father was seeking those who would worship Him in spirit and in truth.. so let’s just glorify Christ, the Spirit, and our heavenly Father!
Keep it all practical, helpful and to the point.. right where the people live. Why have your ministry address the needs of yesteryear when the people in front of you, pastor, are dealing with some pretty real ones right now?
There’s really no need for stiff religious traditions or rituals that help no one. Therefore keep your informal worship services respectful minus worthless fluff, foo-foo and junk. Do things decently and in order ..with dignity and great celebration for we have good reason to. 
In addition.. you know how sinners and saints still sin sometimes, so give both an opportunity to come get right with God. Put a hook in every message pastor. Pray hard and expect em to respond to the Gospel that you make clear. The Bible says, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2. 

“Pastors, remember to simply teach the word of God simply. Don’t be too sophisticated, complicated, nuanced, opinionated, high minded. Amen?” ~ Missionary Brenten Powers

A poll by researcher George Barna revealed that about 25% of the adults in the United States would go to church if a friend would just invite them.Barna went on to elaborate on this sayin’, “The best chance of getting them to a church is when someone they know and trust invites them and offers to accompany them.”
Amazing statistic huh! Think about that stat for a few moments more: 25% of the people out there are waiting for an invitation to go to church.

* Do you have distant or close friends, and say on-fire friends who really love Jesus?
* Do you have friends who are not believers?
* Do you have not-yet-believing friends that you’ve been praying for.. but haven’t yet invited to Christ or to your church?

What’s the hold up? Don’t be scared of rejection. I pray God will give you His boldness inside while you can reach them. The main key is to pray and invite them. Christian leaders, let it start with you–I encourage you to example this selflessness. facebook.com/shareJesus