Call to Commitment

 Chapter 8

1.      "At that time," says the LORD, "they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves. 

 2.      They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth.

 3.      Then death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of this evil family, who remain in all the places where I have driven them," says the LORD of hosts. 

4.      "Moreover you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: "Will they fall and not rise? Will one turn away and not return? 

 5.      Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return. 

 6.      I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, 'What have I done?' Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle. 

 

Unnatural reactions

 The first verse of this chapter connects it to chapter 7 and we must go back, in order to see the time, of which the writer is speaking. It is the time of the desolation of Jerusalem, when gladness and joy will cease. Everything that is held sacred will be purposely desecrated by the Babylonians. The Lord will lift His protecting hand from the holy temple and it will be destroyed. In these verses, we see that the graves of the nobility of Judah will be ransacked and the bones exposed to the elements (1).

 The Lord proclaims justice in their exposure, openly under the sky, because, in life, these people worshiped the sun, moon and stars. I heard a certain atheistic scientist reason that the universe must be eternal, although he claimed that the eternal God did not exist. He rejoiced in being part of the universe, showing that in the heart of man, the host of heaven is still loved, served and observed for guidance above the Creator. Fallen man will worship anything, but God, proving over and over the truth of the Bible concerning his hatred for his Lord (2). There is ample evidence of the evil nature of the human heart and faith in its goodness is a great deception. We must learn, against all humanistic tendencies, that all the wickedness upon earth stems from the roots of mankind’s rebellion and mutiny against his infinitely benign Sovereign. For that reason, above all others, he is evil.

 Chapter 7

             False doctrines by false prophets

 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!” Jesus said (Lk.13:34). This is the third message that we have in the book, preached at the beginning of Jehoiakim’s reign and it is connected with chapter 26, which we will study later. Jehoiakim is good King Josiah’s son, who was placed on Judah’s throne by the king of Egypt. Jeremiah risks his life in giving this message, but he must speak, while there is any chance that his message will be received (Ch.26:3). The Lord has sent Jeremiah from his home town of Anathoth to Jerusalem for his prophetic ministry and, as the chapter begins, the Lord commands him to stand in the gate of the city’s temple at the time of a religious festival. He addresses the religious masses, who come from the country roundabout, faithfully attending the house of the Lord, but continuing oppressive practices (2). The God of all hope and mercy again offers a way of escape through repentance (3).

 Old Testament and New show clearly that salvation begins with repentance. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus and the gospel by preaching repentance and Jesus started His ministry in Galilee “preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk.1:15).  On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached the first apostolic message in the book of Acts. The Jews cut to the heart, convicted by the Holy Spirit, seeing that they had crucified their Christ, asked. “What shall we do? Peter’s first word, in answering their question was, “Repent” (Ac.2:37-38).

 A true prophetic ministry does not compromise its message and it cannot shun public places, where the masses congregate. It is imperative that the people be warned; God has sent him and is supporting him. False prophets are popular among the people, so the man of God must faithfully be the voice of truth among them. We want to see the damage done by men, false prophets, who have popular aspirations. 

I will ask you to please open your Bible to Jeremiah 6, so you can follow the text with my expository comments. Thank you!

 

 Chapter 6

 

An imminent threat – its cause and its certainty

 Jeremiah lived among the Benjamites in Anathoth, therefore it is probable that he counsels that tribe, concerning a way of escape. It's another warning about the approaching threat of the Babylonian army.   The first king of divided Israel in Jerusalem, you remember, was Rehoboam and he built Tekoa, 12 miles south of Jerusalem on the edge of the Judean desert. It was also the birthplace of the prophet, Amos. Apparently, Judah lit bonfires in high places, in this case in Beth Haccerem (vineyard-house), to signal the place, to which the Benjamites, according to his counsel, are to join as a company, and flee. Beth Haccerem, was near to Tekoa.

 The city-people, especially in biblical times, tended to live a more comfortable and delicate lifestyle and the Bible, therefore, sometimes terms the Jerusalem citizens the daughter or daughters of Zion. They will not be spared in the coming invasion (2). Another analogy is used, calling the invading army shepherds with their flocks, and the text describes a siege, enemy soldiers consuming all the food and water to be found around Jerusalem (3).  The army is anxious to attack and was due to attack earlier, but a little more time was given before judgment fell (4-5).

 They will use the trees around Jerusalem to build their siege mounds against the walls of the city. God is moving the enemy to do its worst, because of the oppression within, the strong against the weak. Unfortunately, it has been too common for those who bear the name of Christ to oppose one another, when there is a common enemy without, waiting to destroy all. This practice must and will be punished, says the Lord (6).

 Chapter 5

 

Truth above all virtues

Truth, by its own definition, is the only virtue that cannot be falsified. We rejoice in love and meditate deeply in its significance, grateful when we discover it is near. We know that God is love and His love cannot fail, but it can be counterfeited and, because of its power, it often is misused and misinterpreted. Many have been deceived by false love. The same can be said of any other virtue (joy, peace and justice, to give a very few examples) and we must always be aware of lies and deception from Satan, the master counterfeiter.

 God loves truth, because it cannot be altered and is always steadfastly genuine. Every word of God is true and can be perfectly trusted. The Bible is the embodiment of truth and the Lord has given it to us for absolute, unquestionable authority. “Buy the truth, and sell it not,” the wise king wrote (Pr.23:23), because nothing is more precious to have as a possession. It is to be coveted above all else. Jesus presented Himself before Pilate as the King of Truth denoting that, without exception, everyone who gives top priority to truth, comes to Him: “I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (Jn.18:37). Nicodemus perhaps came fearfully to Christ by night, but his words in John 3:2 indicate that he was on a search for truth and Jesus said to him: “He who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (Jn.3:21). The presence of truth is the trustworthy proof of a work of God.

 I often point to 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 for consideration, in order to see the value that the Lord places on truth. Please do consider what this passage reveals. A deceiver is coming, who does lying wonders (verse 9). It is never legitimate to see miracles as proof of a genuine ministry. He operates in unrighteous deception and many will perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth. On the other hand, the love of the truth, as Jesus taught, will lead to salvation (verse 10). To those who do not love truth, God Himself will send strong delusion that they should believe the lie (verse 11), as He did to King Ahab in order to destroy him (please study 1 K.22:9-23). Verse 12 is astounding and must form part of our theology as Christians: “That they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” This teaching leads us to see, leaving no room for question, that God values truth above the souls of men. 

This is an expositional study of Jeremiah 4. We do not provide the biblical text, but suggest you follow it in your own Bible.

 

Please have your own Bibles open to Jeremiah 3, in order to follow the text. We will not have the entire text written in this article...

Chapter 3

 The power of God unto salvation

 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly” (Mt.1:18-19). Joseph was faced with a major dilemma. Of course, he was completely ignorant of what God was doing and what part he would play in His plan. Anyone would be, if the Lord did not open his understanding. He is judging the circumstance according to the law, with only human, fleshly knowledge, and being a just man, he comes to the conclusion that he must break off his betrothal commitment to Mary. Because he was a compassionate, merciful man, he determined to do it privately and secretly. This was as far as the law could take him and it offered no real remedy to the situation.  

 The law was good, because it uncovered sin and pronounced judgment against it, but it was powerless to transform. On the other hand, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. The Holy Spirit is always involved and it is His involvement, which actually causes the problem, according to human understanding. If there was ever a manifestation of the power of God unto salvation, it was in the womb of a virgin.

 In this third chapter, Israel is portrayed as an unfaithful wife, who should legally be put away by her Husband. It would have been totally righteous for God to reject her and never be involved with her again. However, the gospel comes from the heart of a loving, compassionate God and cries out, Return to Me. She will find mercy to deal with her many sins and grace to restore her to fellowship with her Lord. The gospel is revealed throughout the Old Testament and works powerfully to cleanse and transform the heart. His perfect righteousness will be satisfied at the cross. 

  

Chapter 2

 Israel’s youth

Not everything that happened to Israel up to this point was bad. As Moses poured out the Lord’s plagues upon Egypt, Israel enjoyed wonderful protection in Goshen. The first Passover was a profound, spiritual celebration, and on the next day in the middle of March, the 15^th of Abib, they left Egypt from Ramases. They departed before the eyes of the Egyptians, who were burying their firstborn. From a place called Hahiroth, they experienced a glorious, supernatural crossing of the Red Sea, followed by Miriam, tambourine in hand, leading the ladies in a joyous dance and song composed for the occasion. It was sung by all:

 I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously;

The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.

The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation;

This is my God and I will praise Him, my father´s God and I will exalt Him.

In the wilderness, they camped at Elim and were refreshed by twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. At the desert of Sinai, the people began to gather and eat manna, which the Lord provided for them. The manna had a pleasant taste, like wafers of honey, and a variety of uses. It could be ground or beaten with a mortar, baked in pans and made into cakes, boiled, or prepared with oil like pastry.

 They saw the might of the Lord, when they gained a military victory over the Amalekites. Spiritual forces were at work, as the army of Israel battled in Rephidim. Moses sat on top of the hill, Aaron and Hur supporting his hands, because Israel gained victory with the upraised hands of Moses. He built an altar there and called it Jehovahnissi…  The Lord is My Banner.

 Israel lived under the glory of God, manifested in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. The pillars led them, wherever they were to go. Besides, there was a glorious, life-or-death manifestation of God on Mt. Horeb or Sinai. The people purified themselves and met with the Lord at the base of the mountain. They heard the loud blast of God´s trumpet, felt the mountain quake, while Sinai smoked and thunder and lightnings filled the atmosphere. They received his incomparable law and covenanted, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” Civilized nations around the world have patterned their justice systems, according to this law. 

  

                  Chapter 1:7-19

 

Holy Spirit preparation

Please open your own Bibles. The entire text will not be included in these articles.

We can make a comparison between Samuel, to whom God spoke, launching his ministry, when he was only twelve-years-old, and a very young Jeremiah. “Samuel did not yet know the Lord” (1 S.3:7), and did not recognize His voice, so that God had to call to him three times, before he understood, through Eli, Who was speaking to him. Samuel knew his old superior and went to him, before he came to know God. To whom anyone resorts for answers determines his spiritual relationship. Anyone can judge his own life by Samuel’s example to see whether or not he has direct contact with God. Once Samuel had a genuine encounter with God, all that was expected of him was to deliver His word to Eli.

 It is obviously essential that the Lord’s servant must have personal knowledge of Him at the onset of his calling in life. We can see that, certainly, Jeremiah already knew God and, of course, God knew him, because he speaks freely with the Lord at the beginning of his book. God preordained him to be a prophet to the nations… to our nation and to every nation, through the inspired Book, which contains his writings (v.5).

Jeremiah’s person and ministry

In 1976, a well-known and appreciated 75-year-old preacher, named Vance Havner, from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, publicly reminisced about his life’s calling. He said, in his heavy southern drawl, “I never knew the day when I did not feel called to preach.”  He preached for the first time at age 12. Charles Spurgeon was not much older, when he began to preach. The first time that he was invited to preach in London, some smiled at his country accent. They had no way of knowing that one day London would not have an auditorium big enough to attend the crowds that came to listen to him.

 All good commentators agree that Jeremiah was very young, when God called him into the prophetic office: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah spoke very literally, when he argued of his incompetence for the ministry, particularly because of his youth: "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." Adam Clarke estimated that he was about 14-years-old.

 He was born a priest, therefore of the tribe of Levi, and came from a Benjamite town, called Anathoth. When Solomon was a new king, he deposed his high priest, Abiathar, banning him from Jerusalem and sent him to this town a few miles northeast of the great city (1 K.2:26-35). Abiathar came first to David in exile, having escaped the massacre of the priests in Nob (1 S.22:20). Jeremiah could have been a descendent of the disgraced high priest, although from the time of Joshua, Anathoth had been given as a residence for the priesthood (Josh.21:18), so already there were priests living there.

 There is no mention of a wife or family, but his father was Hilkiah. Possibly, he was the high priest, whose timely discovery of the Book of the Law in the neglected temple, ended King Josiah’s search for the true God, which began when he was 16 years old (2 K.22:8). It happened in the 18^th year of Josiah’s reign and brought revival to Judah.   

 A contemporary of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, was also a priest. However, a prophet, unlike a priest, is not born a prophet, but called by a God, who does as He pleases. It is His way to call the unlikely ones and we see that pattern throughout the Bible, particularly in Christ’s calling of His disciples. 

 

 I want to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ to read from the writings of a man of God, whose name we don’t often hear these days. Yet he was a vessel, who made a significant impression, not only on the church, but on the entire world, through great missionary endeavors.

 Albert B. Simpson was raised in a strict Calvinistic Scottish Presbyterian tradition, to the extent that, when he came under deep conviction of sin, his parents, either did not know how to help him or, more probably, thought that it was improper to interfere with God’s work of salvation. However, young Simpson struggled under the weight of sin for too long and found no relief, until he discovered a line in Walter Marshall’s Gospel Mystery of Salvation, “The first good work you will ever perform is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.” This little ray of light, given by a human writer, brought Simpson to commit his life to “Jesus Only”, his burden was lifted and he was gloriously converted.

 A. B. Simpson was founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, a movement which was dedicated to taking the gospel to the far ends of the world. This is the movement, to which A. W. Tozer belonged and, in fact, Tozer wrote Simpson’s biography, Wingspread. My father also belonged to the C&MA and loved to read Simpson’s Christ-exalting books. 

 “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”  Matthew 17:5

 At the same time, I find things in which I disagree with Tozer, although they are not many and certainly not vital matters. We should follow no man exclusively, because we are all brothers in imperfection and we only find perfection in Christ. I mention Tozer, because you will see that I have presented some of his thoughts previously and I want to do some again. Here are some things that Tozer had to say concerning loyalty and following man. Tozer was a pastor, principally in two churches in his lifetime, one in Chicago and the other in Toronto, so he is speaking on this subject from a pastoral standpoint. He always pointed his people to Christ alone:

 In Rut, Root or Revival, chapter five, he said: “Faith in Jesus is not commitment to your church or denomination. I believe in the local church… I believe in the divine assembly. We ought to realize that we are, as a group of Christians, a divine assembly, a cell in the body of Christ, alive with His life. But not for one second would I try to create in you a faith that would lead you to commit yourself irrevocably to a local church or to your church leaders.”

  

As I prepare and share radio programs on the Old Testament kings, I am made aware, once more, of man´s inability to handle power, no matter how great his character and spiritual maturity. We need constant reminders of the propensity of a common fault in human nature. David fell and a long line of Israel and Judah´s kings followed him. I just studied good King Uzziah, of whom it was said that “he became exceedingly strong… he was marvelously helped till he became strong.” But then, “When he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction.” He became furious, when the priests tried to advise him for his own good, and ended his life alone and in disgrace.

 The apostle Paul understood this defect in human nature, even in those born again, and was humble enough to write of his own personal experience: “Lest I should be exalted above measure… a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me… for when I am weak, then I am strong.”  

 Don’t think that Tozer chose this text, looking for a sermon for his Sunday morning service in his church, or that he prepared it for preaching in one of the annual “Councils” (as they called them) of his denomination. That is, he wasn’t motivated by an urge to have an interesting text to catch the attention of the thousands of people attending from all parts of America and representatives of various parts of the world.

 We lived within 300 miles of Chicago, where Tozer was pastoring a church. I was only 19-years-old when Tozer died and I don’t remember ever hearing him in person, but I have read every book I could find of his and listened to dozens of his tapes. My dad heard him on various occasion in these “Councils”, that I mentioned, or in pastoral conventions, because he belonged to the same denomination. Also, I communicated for at least ten years personally, by letters and by telephone with a good friend of Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill. Len preached in Tozer’s church, prayed alone with him and considered him his mentor.

 No, from what I know about Tozer, he didn’t write this chapter because its theme would fit nicely into his book. He wrote it because he knew personally some of these “kings¨, just like the one described in Ecclesiastes, and I suspect that he found some of them in the organization that he belonged to. Tozer had enemies, who didn’t like him, because he brought to light the situations that he knew on his back doorstep. I had a friend, who was a student at a Bible school under the same denomination. Tozer came to talk to the students at the school’s “spiritual life week”, and afterwards was severely criticized by some of the professors.  

 I need to finish reading through the New Testament twice and the Old Testament once this year, before starting an expositional study of a Bible book. I have started to read the book of Revelation and I still have a few chapters to read in Acts. When that is finished, I will concentrate on what is left in the Old Testament. I think, I will be able to start the project this month and then will post the introduction to the exposition on this blog.

 In the meantime, we are studying a tool for evangelism. Christian, if you have a desire to share the gospel with friends, relatives, and whoever the Lord would have cross your path, you need to study it. I am not talking about following a method, but using biblical and spiritual principles in evangelism. This was the way of the great evangelists throughout church history. They would start with the law of God, then show that no one has kept it. Therefore, everyone needs to repent. When there were signs of true repentance, the evangelist would share the hope of the gospel… the good news! It is there that the sinner must put his trust. Trust is synonymous with faith; faith in the person and the work of Christ. This is what Jesus meant, when He said, “Repent and believe the gospel!”

 You might want to review the first two articles. Here is the last part of this excellent tool. It deals with the following issues… Condemned by our genes… The only remedy… Your debt has been paid!... The need to be born again… God promises a new life… A future without end… What are you waiting for?

 If you want to give people something of value to read, you can receive this and two other installments in the form of a small book. Simply write us at loelmarga@telefonica.net . A tract is all right, in order to get someone’s attention, but it gives little information concerning salvation and the reason why it is needed. This little book will inform them clearly about the righteousness and the love of God. I really wish that many, who have a desire to evangelize, would use it.

I remind you again that soon I begin a new exposition on a book of the Bible. In the meantime, I continue to bring up articles, which were published earlier on this blogspot. This is the second installation on the theme, Before the Supreme Judge, first published in three parts between July 7 and July 16, 2014. This is meant for Christians to be a tool for evangelism. How have you learned to share the gospel in personal evangelism? See if it lines up with the truth presented in these three writings. They contain in detail the biblical principles concerning the subject.

 This second article deals with the following issues… What does the Law of God demand?... Guilty or innocent?... What does “death” mean?... The second death… Justice satisfied… The astounding rebellion against God… An example from hell… The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

 If you want to give people something of value to read, you can receive this and two other installments in the form of a small book. Simply write us at loelmarga@telefonica.net . A tract is all right, in order to get someone’s attention, but it gives little information concerning salvation and the reason why man needs salvation. This little book will inform them clearly about the righteousness and the love of God. I really wish that many, who have a desire to evangelize, would use it. 

 

Soon I will be presenting my annual exposition of a book in the Bible. I am contemplating writing on John´s first epistle, but if I feel very energetic, I might take on the prophecy of Jeremiah. Please pray that I will find the will of God, as to how I can best encourage and inform His people.

 In the meantime, I continue to bring up articles, which were published earlier on this blogspot. This theme, Before the Supreme Judge was first published in three parts between July 7 and July 16, 2014. I present it again to Christians, as a tool for evangelism. Let me ask you… How have you learned to share the gospel in personal evangelism? See if it lines up with the truth presented in these three writings. They contain in detail the biblical principles concerning the subject.

 Most methods of evangelism will include the question, Do you recognize that you are a sinner? That question will usually be hurriedly passed over, in order to arrive at more pleasant and acceptable points. This thesis covers the theme thoroughly, better providing the unbeliever with the reason, for which he needs salvation. Please read this and the next two articles seriously and carefully.

A tract might be good to get someone’s attention, but it gives little aid in informing about the need for salvation and why, precisely, it is needed. This booklet will tell clearly of the justice and the love of God. If you want to give people something of value to read, you can receive this and two other installments in the form of a small book. Simply write us at loelmarga@telefonica.net. I really wish that many, who have a desire to evangelize, would use it.

 

 

On October 19, 2015, I began an expositional study on the book of Isaiah, finishing it on May 9, 2017. In 2016, we were joined in the study by a large number of people. Although the order changes a little bit every year, those chapters from 2016 continue to be the most read articles on our blogspot. I will give you the top ten articles read up to this date in 2021.

 Other articles on the blogspot were outnumbered by those of 2016, but I want to give you a list of ten, which I think that you will enjoy and from which you will profit. They will be listed after the ten most visited articles from the beginning of the blogspot in 2010 which, as I mentioned, are chapters of Isaiah. There are two exceptions and one concerns the views of two famous preachers from the 19^th Century, over the return of Israel to its Promised Land: J. C. Ryle and C. H. Spurgeon. Also, please read what I believe to be an illuminating article about the meaning of the word hubris – the sickness of those, who believe that they know everything.

 Our grandson, John, created this blogspot in 2010 and so the statistics are dated from that time. As of today, the total number of visits to this English blog has risen to 189,157. This past year we have had 17,494 visits. When we add the visits to our Spanish blogspot, the total number of visits increases to 559,807 and the number of visits on both blogspots over the last year was 68,206 (obviously, we have many more Spanish than English readers).  

 

A little personal counsel

I chose the photo on the left to represent this article from Isaiah, chapter 7. It doesn’t show trees, bending in a storm, but trees that have been shaped by decades of contrary forces. Pick any tree… Does it tell the story of your life? Has the enemy of your soul beat upon you day after day, year after year, until you feel that there is no defense for these onslaughts? You need to know that you are not alone; other believers are targets of the same kind of attack. There have always been those, who have endured Satanic barrages and not all of them are people, naturally plagued by emotional and psychological weaknesses, as you might imagine. No these are spiritual attacks! It would surprise you to know the names of some – household names among Christians – who are among those most mightily used of God.

 My friend, there is an answer. God has good news for you through His prophet Isaiah. I am singling out this message from my study, which I published several years ago, of the entire book of Isaiah. It is before your eyes again, because I know that the soul of some of God’s people are under continuous attack these days. Please believe this: God intends to bring you out from under this storm and straighten your thoughts through the truth of His word. The truth will set you free!

 You will have to have your Bible open and follow along, as I attempt an expository lesson. I hope that I’m not being naïve, when I imagine someone sitting at a desk or table with the Bible on the right, open to Isaiah, and articles like this one on the left… 

Recently a fascinating documentary has been filmed about high school basketball in Chinli, Arizona, a village on the Navajo Reservation. Chinli was Herman Williams’ hometown, which he left to explore the “Land of the Cowhide”. An educated Navajo youth explained the geography of the US to Herman, as a cowhide thrown over a fence, when he was lost in an Arizona city, . The neck was New England, the front foot, Florida, the belly, Texas, the backside, California, and the backbone, the border with Canada. Unable to read or write, he couldn’t find his way home for years.  

 This article was first published on February 29, 2012. It was an attempt to write in a few pages a story which could easily fill a large volume. The life of Herman Williams has been a great inspiration to me personally. I don’t know of any other person, to whose story and testimony I have referred more often, when I am speaking publicly. I hope you will be able to grasp a little of the wonder of a most fascinating world… the world where God is at work in the lives of human beings.

  

Ilze & Matt in prayer (note Jesus T-shirt)

Matt Luneau Writes of Moving Events in the Enosburg Community!

 I think that this is the most exciting of all the segments we have presented so far of Matt Luneau with the story of Brandon Gleason. This is the final segment, republished from articles in 2013:

 It seems that the people who are experiencing what is happening in the Swanton-Enosburg, Vermont, area, are having a difficult time putting it into words. It is something unique... something that just does not happen anymore in America. A high school is a dark place, a habitat for demons. Many teachers are godless and teach evolution religiously. It is forbidden to bring anything about God into school. Laws have been made to prevent that. Many young people are given over to their pleasures, do not attend church, and have no time for God. But now this small high school has been confronted with the reality of death. The boy who died was a star basketball player and very well-liked by students and teachers. He came to Christ only a few months ago, but he had no inhibitions about sharing his new-found faith. Through his death, it would seem, the school has responded to this boy´s faith and wants to show their support for it. And it is not contained within the walls of the school; the whole community seems moved.

 The website of the Sunday morning service at our son Dan's church is no longer available. Many of the friends, including most of the team mates, and families, who wouldn’t normally come to church, were present at the service and the coach spoke very directly to them. He called to them one by one in the meeting and begged them to turn to God. Then Daniel preached on “Life is a Vapor; Teach Us to Number Our Days”. At the close of the service they sang the basketball team’s theme song, “Victory in Jesus.” The website was shared all around the state of Vermont, I'm sure it's in answer to many prayers for that area.

 Matt writes:

 Today was the first day back to school for the students since Brandon had passed away.   I just wanted to share a few of the highlights in seeing God work in an awesome way. I first wanted to tell you that a few weeks ago, Brandon wanted to start “Wednesday Worship”, where students would wear the Believe in Jesus T-Shirts in school on Wednesdays.  So he shared this idea with me, while he was wearing his orange Jesus T-shirt in school.  I told him that the idea was great, but he was going to have to be the guy who recruits people for the T-shirts and I would supply the T-shirts. So one day he comes to me with excitement "Coach, the Cook twins said they would wear the Jesus T-shirts."  

 

The Brandon Gleason Story… A Little Different

 We are reviewing Matt Luneau’s story in four segments, after having published it for the first time eight years ago. Brandon Gleason was an outstanding high school basketball player. He was not only the top scorer on his team as a senior, but if I remember right, he was the top scorer in the history of Enosberg with over 1000 points in his career. This is what I wrote then, before Matt’s account:

The high school in a town near Swanton, Vermont, called Enosburg, is very grateful to have a coach of Matt’s caliber to coach the team. In a newspaper article, Brandon Gleason, the leading scorer on the team, commented: “At first it was a little different. Guys were like, ‘Do we really have to do all of this?’ But it has helped us.” A little different? Matt insisted that the whole team up their grades. A little different? Matt went to a boy, who had missed two years of basketball, because of drug problems; he led him to Christ, the boy stopped taking drugs, and has become one of the best players on the team. Brandon Gleason also received Christ. A little different? Matt taught the team gospel songs (although they had never sung before) and took them to different churches to sing them. After a basketball victory, Matt texted a message to Brandon, “Oh, victory in Jesus!” To which Brandon texted back, “My Savior forever!”

 Standing before their former home in Syracuse, Matt texted a friend: “Why did we leave Syracuse?” He had a promising position as a women’s basketball coach in that very sports-minded university, with a larger salary and this nice home. You are about to read the answer to his question…

  

God begins to take His rightful place at Enosberg High School

 We present Part II of the story of Coach Matt Luneau, which we published first eight years ago. We re-published the first part last week, May 3^rd, because I think we need to be reminded of it again. It is not really the story of Matt, as much as it is the story of God at work in this 21^st Century…

 You might want to review the February 13 newspaper article (see it in the May 3^rd article) about Matt and emails written by him that we posted here. Matt and his family attend the church in Swanton, where our son, Dan, is pastor. He has found a job, coaching a high school basketball team. Dan received the email from Matt that follows my comments.

 I want to take a paragraph to honor Ilze, Matt’s wife, who has stood beside her husband through thick and thin, while raising three girls. She shares the same raging passion to share the gospel and often they walk together into public parks and begin to talk with anyone, who will listen. Ilze also shares Christ through an unbelievable ability to dribble basketballs… up to six at a time! She uses her opportunities to give her testimony in little talks after she performs. She has even done feats before Jay Leno and at halftime at NBA and college games.

 I thought no one could talk about God in a public school activity, especially in a liberal state like Vermont. I thought there could be no songs that mentioned God or Christ. Apparently, I was wrong. Or maybe I’m right, but here is a Christian that ignores those phony challenges and goes after souls! Dan wrote me that Matt and his wife, Ilze, are doing everything that needs to be done, in order for him to get fired. But so far, nobody’s talking about firing him. In fact, as you have already read, he is making a thrilling impression, not only on the boys he coaches, but on school officials. Go for it, Matt!! Pray for him, people!!

 

 

From Syracuse University to Enosberg High School

 The Burlington Free Press is probably the largest newspaper in the state of Vermont. The following article is dated February 7, 2013, and shortly thereafter I published it on this blogspot. It is about Matt Luneau, who felt it was God´s will to leave his position as assistant coach of the Syracuse University girls’ basketball team, from which he traveled the world looking for recruits, and move back to his hometown in northern Vermont. I thought it worthwhile to present the article again, along with Matt’s personal account in his own words, eight years later.

 This is the first of four segments, which we will present. I invite you to read and enjoy one of God’s wonderful works, things that He is doing in our times. Matt and Ilze´s two oldest girls are young ladies now and the youngest, although I’m not sure of her exact age, must be approaching her teenage years. Ilze does basketball dribbling exhibitions, using up to six basketballs! Recently they visited Ilse’s homeland, Latvia, and have now returned to their home in Vermont. Once again, for those who haven´t read this story, allow me to introduce my friend Matt Luneau, who, along with his wife, Ilze, and family attend our son Dan's church in Swanton Vermont. Here is a story worth reading, about some people who feel it is more important to obey God, rather than men. Please follow it to the final segment...