Watervall Church
Necessary for the Kingdom!

​I arrived at a small village church in Northern Mpumalanga of South Africa. It was September 2018 and a special holiday was being observed. It was Heritage Day. People came dressed in traditional clothing representing their various tribes. Tradition was their focus.

I was surprised when I drove onto the property. The structure had been partially destroyed during a storm that came through that week. I thought to myself, "Is there anyone here?" It didn't look as if any activity would transpire there. I got out of my car and walked to the open door and found a group of people under the final remaining roof.

Stepping inside I was aware of a strong odor. I had not seen a floor mixed with dirt and dung to give it a finished look and stability. But I learned this is the "dirt floor" in their huts also. This group could not afford a nice wood floor. But their love of Jesus was contagious as the children sang a special song just for the pastor. It was in English! They captured my heart!

I opened God's Word to Revelation and read the following description of saints in heaven.

Removal of the RestrainerThe End Times continue to be a topic of discussion among many people. We believe that the rapture of the church is coming soon due to the signs explained by Jesus himself. But when does the rapture happen? There are many answers about that event among many strong Christian theologians. Consider the following

2 Thessalonians 2:5–7 (ESV) Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him nowso that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrainsit will do so until he is out of the way. 

• 1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV) Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
• 1 Corinthians 6:19 (ESV) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

The Restrainer Is the Holy Spirit: Notes from John Walvoord
Who is it, after all, that really restrains sin? The answer found in the Bible is that God is the one who restrains sin. In Genesis 6:3 it is declared that the Spirit of God was restraining sin in the days of Noah. It was predicted that instead of striving with sin God would judge it in the flood.
In the Book of Job it is recorded that Satan wanted to afflict Job, but God had built a hedge about him. Satan testified that he was restrained by God from trying Job. When Satan accused Job of serving God because God had been so good to him, God took down part of the hedge and permitted Satan to take away all of Job’s property and all of his children in one day. He left Job only his wife and his own life. When the Lord called Satan’s attention to Job’s faithfulness in affliction, Satan said it was because God had preserved Job’s health. Then God permitted Satan to afflict Job’s body, but not to take his life. Satan then brought severe physical affliction upon Job, and Job was in torment in his body. But in it all Satan could not go any further than God permitted him. Satan was restrained by God Himself.
It would not be possible for any believer to do any work for God if it were not for God’s protecting hand. It is God who restrains. God may use varying means. He may use the government which maintains a certain amount of law and order. In the end, it is God who does it. It is God who provides protection for the Christian.
More specifically, in this present age it is the Spirit of God who provides protection. As it is revealed in Genesis 6:3, the Spirit of God strives with men and opposes Satan and his program and his hatred of the children of God.
While the Holy Spirit has always worked in times past, on the Day of Pentecost the Spirit of God came in a special way. Christ, who had always existed and was always present in the world, came into the world, was born of the Virgin Mary, and in a special sense left the world when He ascended and went back to heaven, even though He said, “Lo, I am with you always.” So also the Spirit of God came on the Day of Pentecost and now indwells the church and is present in the world. The Spirit will return to heaven at the rapture.
The most natural explanation of the taking away of the restrainer is to identify this particular action with the time when Christ will come to take out His church. If the Spirit of God indwells the church and the church is taken out of the world, then the Spirit of God will also be taken out of the world. This does not mean that the Spirit will not continue working in the world in some way; but it will mean a reversal of Pentecost. Just as the Spirit came on Pentecost, so He will leave when Christ takes the church out of the world.
The very removal of both the church and the Spirit from the world will release the world to sin as it never has before. The presence of believers in the world exerts a great influence upon the wicked world. Christians who have stood for civic righteousness and law and order will no longer be in evidence. For the time being at least, there will be no one except unsaved people to run government. The net result will be that evil will be manifested beyond anything known in the history of man. The “mystery of iniquity” is, of course, already working as mentioned in verse 7, but the Holy Spirit is now restraining sin until He is taken away at the translation of the church. When this occurs, it is revealed in verse 8 that “then shall that Wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”
There are, then, three good reasons why the Day of the Lord and the tribulation time could not have begun in the time the Thessalonians lived: first, the apostasy had not come; second, the man of sin had not been revealed; and, third, the Spirit of God had not been taken away. In a large sense, those unfulfilled conditions are still true today. While there is apostasy in our midst, the man of sin has not been revealed, and the Holy Spirit has not been removed. All of this constitutes real evidence that the tribulation time has not come and that it cannot come until Christ comes and takes His church home to glory.
 
We know this commentary will give you some thoughts to consider. I am thankful for the life and teaching of Dr. Walvoord. Pray for Christ's coming as you serve Him today.
 
Cathy and Danny Sartin
___________________
Walvoord, J. F. (2007). The Thessalonian Epistles (pp. 77–78). Galaxie Software.
Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention.   
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.

Derembwe, Zimbabwe

The tap is flowing!

Life has now changed for the small village of Derembwe. For the first time in their history they now have a functioning well that has a tap for water. The delay due to Covid-19 stopped all work one week after hitting the water you see pictured. The government stopped all travel within the country. The gusher that hit in December had to be capped until further notice.

I received word yesterday that they are back at work and the water is flowing for the village. The final steps will be the installation of two 5,000 liter tanks which will allow them to irrigate fields for planting.

Life has now changed for these people. Thank you so much for your prayers! Our God is so good.

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
_________________________

Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention.   
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.

The Swiss Alps
Tranquil, serene and beautiful!

Cathy and I sat on the grass to soak in this beautiful location. It reminded us of the Sound of Music. Rich green grass with the snow covered mountains as the backdrop of Allmannsried. 

The view alone brings a measure of splendor, calm and peace. The crisp air and beauty causes us to take a deep breath and feel relaxed from the cares of life. Boy do we love those moments!

Christ gives us a deeper and more vivid peace that is hard to describe. As Jesus prepares to leave earth he talks of that peace. A special peace that the world cannot give to you.

John 14:27 (ESV)
27 ePeace I leave with you; fmy peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. gLet not your hearts be troubled, neither hlet them be afraid.

Cathy is holding a lamb which is the picture of Jesus as described by John the Baptist. The lamb of God! May you experience His peace today.

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
_________________________
e  ch. 20:19, 21, 26; Luke 24:36
f  ch. 16:33; Col. 3:15; [Eph. 2:17; Phil. 4:7]
g  ver. 1
h  2 Tim. 1:7
  The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 14:27). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention.   
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.

Cathy and I walked into a reformation prison in Italy and were captured by the things we saw. Pictured to the left is a small portion of the prison walls that were full of pictures and scripture written by the inmates. They used their own blood to write on the plaster. You see a picture of the cross of Jesus. They were being tortured for heresy that was outside the teaching of the church.

In one of the rooms was a torture rack used to gain confessions from the prisoners. I had seen many pictures of those tools but never saw one in person. I took a picture but it came out blurry.

I was transported back to the jail cell for Peter in Rome. I feel certain he had seen it many times during his time in prison. He used that image to warn us of people who will distort the Bible.

Peter ends his writing to the church with a powerful analogy. He talks of a torture rack that was commonly used in Roman prisons. The Greek word used is the name of the torture rack. The word is translated "twist" to leave a clear picture of what people will do to the Word of God.

2 Peter 3:16 (ESV)
16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. oThere are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, pas they do the other Scriptures.

Has it ever occurred to you that people would distort the Bible to make it say what they desired? Today has been very confusing as people take Bible verses and attempt to prove their view of a difficult issue. They twist the Word out of its natural position to get the result they want.

When we open the Bible together we are always reminded about the torture rack. We need to let the Bible say what it says without twisting the words to fit our personal desires. That means we have many scriptures to wrestle with and clarify. We are glad that the Bible is here and is able to speak clearly when we listen carefully.

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
___________________________
o  [Heb. 5:11]
p  [Isa. 28:13]
  The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Pe 3:16). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
​
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention.   
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.

Lightning hits with a flash that is very unsettling. It is followed by a thunder clap that rumbles in our hearts and minds. It helps create fear and apprehension. Then comes the relief that it did not hit your location.

Objects who are in the path of a lightning strike experience an electrostatic discharge that carries blistering heat and destructive properties. It can cause your heart to skip a beat as it strikes with great speed and unpredictability.

God has a special use for lighting. It is essential in the nitrogen cycle for the air. Nitrates are formed in the atmosphere and fall to the earth with the rain. That fertilizes the earth and enhances the growth of plants and other organisms. God is so amazing!
 
But he also visualizes the return of Jesus in comparison with lighting. It will be so unpredictable but highly visual around the world. His coming will be a true celestial event. It will be in a flash.

27 lFor as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be mthe coming of the Son of Man.
 
30 Then rwill appear in heaven sthe sign of the Son of Man, and then tall the tribes of the earth will mourn, and uthey will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven vwith power and great glory.
 
We continue to be in awe of the design of God. There is very little activity in our life and world that is not given a purpose by the Lord. We are thankful for His provision.
 
Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
_________________________
l Luke 17:24
m ver. 3, 37, 39
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 24:27). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
r Dan. 7:13
s [ver. 3]
t Rev. 1:7; [Zech. 12:12]
u See ch. 16:27
v ch. 26:64; Mark 9:1; [ch. 25:31]
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 24:30). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
 Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention.   
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.

Pruning your life!

Remove the dead wood. It was very instructive for us to live in a vineyard this past June and July. The farm workers pruned the vines in preparation for next years crop. You notice in the picture that the vines seem almost naked. They have been cleaned of all the dead wood. You can see on the ground branches that have been removed to make room for new growth in the spring.

This pruning process goes on each year. There is also a time when the vines become unproductive and have to be removed and replaced by new vines. The whole procedure was fascinating. It breathes new life into the comments by Jesus Christ about vines, branches and abiding in Him in John chapter 15..

It causes us to ask what items in our life are fruitful and useful? What needs to be cut out of our life so we are valuable for the Kingdom of Christ? Notice that some branches become so productive that they become a part of the vine. I think that would be a goal for all of us who follow Christ!

Maybe the season has come for you to prune and cleanse the many activities that consume your life. The vines almost feel scalped. Maybe we need to seek the simple life that lets us abide in Christ more of the time. Pray for guidance from the Lord!

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
________________________
​Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention.   
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this email in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.