Which path?
How long will we waiver?

We are coming to the end of another year. Reflection on 2020 and 2021 have been unprecedented times due to the worldwide pandemic.  Our home, work, schools, church and economy has been affected!

Change is all around us and is forcing us into choosing a path that is not clear like a road. At times it seems like only a constricted path is available to us. I would go so far to say that we are in the position of forging a new trail where no one has ever gone before!

Jesus tells us that pestilences will be a sign of His return to the earth.  What will that mean for each of us? Theologically, deeply committed Christians differ on the understanding of the end times. What should we do?

New Years is the time to make changes with what we all call resolutions. We resolve to reset our lives on a path of balance, health, and fulfillment. Where is Jesus in the middle of your mind, heart, and soul? We do have decisions to make in a tall forest of competing viewpoints.

I like the way Eugene Peterson gives a contemporary view of Elijah in the Old Testament. People were at a turn in the road and the decision was simple in his mind.

1 Kings 18:21 (The Message)
Elijah challenged the people: “How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!”
Nobody said a word; nobody made a move.

We pray that your decisions become clear in this tall forest of issues. But I like how it is stated. If God is the real God, follow him!

Jesus is the way! We are thankful for everyone who walks with us down the path of faith. May the Lord give us a resolve to forge a trail together.

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
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Peterson, E. H. (2005). The Message: the Bible in contemporary language (1 Ki 18:21). Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved. This photo is taken by us in Germany.
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.

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.

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things . . . Psalm 119:18 (ESV) 

John 1:47–48 (ESV)
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, yan Israelite indeed, zin whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How ado you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

Jesus saw Nathanael sitting under the fig tree. What did this picture say to Jesus? Consider the fig tree in the culture of Biblical times.

FIG TREE
A tree (Ficus carica L.; Heb. tĕʾēnâ; Gk. sýkon, sykḗ) whose fruit has remained a staple in the diet of the ancient Mediterranean world since earliest times. The tree reaches an average height of 3–6 m. (10–20 ft.). Its large palmate leaves open in the early spring and fall at the beginning of winter. Normally the first fruit (cf. Cant. 2:13; Hos. 9:10) appears in February before the leaves appear in April/June. When the leaves appear the fruit is usually ripe. A tree produces two crops per year, one in early summer and the chief crop in the autumn. It is a dioecious tree, meaning there are both male and female varieties. The male (Lat. caprificus) grows wild from seeds scattered principally by birds and bats, while the female is planted from shoots of the cultivated trees and requires tending (Prov. 27:18). The fruit production of the female depends upon a process known as caprification: wasps hatched in the caprifig’s flowers bring the pollen from the male tree to fertilize the female flowers, from which the fig develops. Two- to three-year-old fig shoots will become young trees that bear the first or second year after planting. There is considerable literature on the cultivation of the fig in the Greek and Roman farming manuals (Pliny, Cato, Varro, Theophrastus, Columella).

The fig tree is the first fruit tree mentioned in the OT. The many other references to the fig indicate its significant role in the economy of Palestine. It was one of the food items that interested the Hebrews at the conquest of Canaan (Num. 13:23; Deut. 8:8), and the lack of suitability of the wilderness for the fig was a major complaint (Num. 20:5). The fruit was eaten as a delicacy fresh from the tree (Isa. 28:4), or dried individually or in strings, or pressed into cakes (1 Sam. 25:18) for the winter months. Dried figs in cakes were also used as a medicinal poltice (2 Kgs. 20:7 = Isa. 38:21).

The most common reference to the fig in the OT is metaphorical. It is generally used to depict peace, prosperity, and God’s blessing (“they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,” Mic. 4:4; 1 Kgs. 4:25; Hag. 2:19; Zech. 3:10; 1 Macc. 14:12; cf. 2 Kgs. 18:31; Isa. 36:16; Joel 2:22), or God’s judgment (“the vine withers, the fig tree languishes,” Joel 1:7, 12; cf. Ps. 105:33; Jer. 5:17; Hos. 2:12 [MT 14]; Amos 4:9; Nah. 3:12; Hab. 3:17). Other metaphorical uses occur in Judg. 9:10–11; Isa. 34:4; Jer. 8:13; 24:1–8; 29:17; Hos. 9:10; cf. Amos 8:2.

In the NT also the dominant use of the fig tree is metaphorical (Matt. 7:16 = Luke 6:44; Jas. 3:12). It depicts the imminent end of the world(Mark 13:28 = Matt. 24:32 = Luke 21:29). The most problematical passage is Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:12–14, 20–22 = Matt. 21:18–22). Because this account frames the cleansing of the temple, it appears that Mark regards it as an act of prophetic judgment on the temple cult for promising but not delivering true piety (Jer. 8:13; 24:1–10; cf. Matt. 7:15–20). In Luke 13:6–9 Jesus tells a parable about a barren fig tree that reflects the realistic features of farming in 1st-century Palestine. Luke does not provide an interpretation to the parable.
Bibliography. F. N. Hepper, Baker Encyclopedia of Bible Plants (Grand Rapids, 1992), 110–14; H. N. and A. L. Moldenke, Plants of the Bible (1952, repr. New York, 1986), 103–6.
CHARLES W. HEDRICK

Hedrick, C. W. (2000). Fig Tree. In D. N. Freedman, A. C. Myers, & A. B. Beck (Eds.), Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (pp. 460–461). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

Have you been under a fig tree lately? Where do you pray privately? Do you worship Christ each day? Do you meditate on the Word of God? The difficulties of the 21st century come at us each day. We need a private time of reflection and worship.

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
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y  Ps. 73:1; Rom. 9:4, 6
z  Ps. 32:2; [Zeph. 3:13; Rev. 14:5]
a  ch. 2:24, 25
  The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 1:47–48). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ps 119:18). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
​Copyright © Danny Sartin. All Rights Reserved.
Bible Nuggets are written for pastors, youth leaders and missionaries who desire to go deeper still in God’s Word. 
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.

A Kingdom Leader is aware of their strategic position spiritually. As a disciple of Jesus there will be people who desire to talk with you about the Lord. Having an open door for access is vital for those who are interested in the story of our Lord.

So what difference does the Lord make for you? Does your daily walk challenge your thinking, feelings and heart? Others know that you are a person of faith and will often seek an opportunity to talk and sort out the issues of life. Are you available to those people who look to you?

John 12:20–23 (ESV)
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Perhaps He was then in that part of the temple court to which Gentile proselytes had no access. “These men from the west represent, at the end of Christ’s life, what the wise men from the east represented at its beginning; but those come to the cross of the King, even as these to His manger” [STIER].

Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 152). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Do you have a desire to listen to other's? Do you invite their questions? Are you willing to give some of your time for discussion? Or is your door closed behind a beehive of activity?

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
________________________
 
  The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 12:20–23). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Copyright © Danny Sartin. All Rights Reserved. Photos taken by Cathy and Danny Sartin in Africa.
Kingdom Leadership is written for missionaries and ministers serving our Lord in various parts of the world.
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.

Lilac Breasted Roller
Spectacular Aerial Tumbler
In 2008 we first visited the dark continent of Africa. It was a mysterious place with exotic animals. But we were stunned by the variety, beauty and creativity of everything!But this bird stood out! It was perched conspicuously in the open woodlands, chasing insects for food and those aroused by bush fires.

Our photo highlights the white face, the rusty cheeks, the lilac throat and breast. In flight it shows electric blue wings' The spectacular aerial tumbling is for courtship and mating. They breed in swift flight which is called "a flight on the wing."

Cathy loves to speak of God's exquisite paint brush every time we encounter one. Look at what God can do!

Those who live in America should consider watching for the hummingbirds. Their migration comes through the Mid-South area in September. They are beautiful. See God's handiwork and be encouraged.

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
__________________________

Copyright © Danny Sartin. All Rights Reserved.
Spiritual Safaris 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.

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
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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.