When You think of Me, Remeber Jesus – Purity 1222

 When You think of Me, Remember Jesus – Purity 1222 –
Purity 1222

Purity 1222 12/15/2023 Purity 1222 Podcast

Purity 1222 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the slightly askew oil painting, “Ball
at Sunset, 1990” by Scott Prior (https://scottpriorart.com/)
comes to us from yours truly, and a generous donor to the Spring Field Museums,
as I captured this work of art during my visit there last weekend.  The information card for this painting (it’s
a painting!) states “Scott Pryor, who lives in western Massachusetts, is
inspired by his family and everyday events. The artist works from life as well
as photographs. He creates intimate and magical scenes with ordinary objects,
revealing that beauty can be found in the simplest moments.”  This painting reminds me of summertime,
childhood simplicity, raising my kids, and for some unknown reason, maybe
because of the emotion it brings up, my wife and our countryside home.  I had to look twice at the information card
because Prior’s work really does look like a photograph.  If you have the means, please support the
artist by going to  https://scottpriorart.com/ – While I can’t
make any claims about Prior’s faith life, I dare say we are kindred spirits of
sorts as my sharing of the “photo of the day” was inspired to encourage my
friends to see the beauty in the simplest of moments and to get to know the God
that put all of it into being.  

Well, It’s Friday, thank God,  and I will be rejoicing at the end of the day
because I will be reunited with my beloved wife, TammyLyn, and will possibly go
see the Christmas with the Chosen: Holy Night – movie as we are quickly
approaching Christmas.   When we think of
Christmas, we should remember Jesus. We really shouldn’t have to “Keep Christ
in Christmas”  as that is what the
holiday is all about. Jesus, the Light of the World, The Newborn King, is what
we are to remember at Christmas.   

And as disciples of Jesus, that really is what we
want people to remember when they think about us. When people think of me, it
is my hope that somewhere in their thoughts or comments there is something
about Jesus. Whether they love or hate me, it is my sincerest wish to have the
Lord glorified by my life.  The blog, the
podcast, the YouTube channel, and the ministry work I do is all intended – to not
point to me – but to point to Jesus, as He is the One who gave me life and
affected the transformation that has happened to me over the last 13
years.   My ministry name MT4Christ or
MT4Christ247 is not intended to highlight M.T. Clark – it is supposed to
highlight Jesus, and it is supposed to be a play on words and an encouragement
to you, dear friends, to “Empty” yourselves “For Christ”, to fill you with the
Holy Spirit and to lead you into the love and freedom of Christ and God’s
purpose for your life.   That’s it,  

Last night, I gave honor to my departed friend and
brother in Christ, Bill Hamm, by going to His memorial service. I was actually a
little late in arriving because I wanted to pay my respects in a suit, to try
to convey my feelings of respect and love for Bill, and how serious I felt
about the loss of his departure. Silly perhaps, but that’s the way I felt, and
even though I was a little late I was able to get there in time to hear Bill’s son,
Jeremey deliver Bill’s eulogy, which was sweet, tender, funny, and inspiring
all at the same time as Jeremy gave testimony to his father’s simple yet deep love
for his family and friends, his nonnonsense working man’s integrity, and his faithful
witness for Jesus Christ.

When I think about Bill Hamm, I remember Jesus
because our relationship had Him at the center as Bill and I were two sinners,
transformed into saints, who were just humble students of our Savior and tried
our best to follow Him. 

After the service, I greeted Jeremy and Bill’s widow
and expressed my condolences and my deep friendship with their father and
husband, and I was humbled by something  Rebecca related to me that took me by
surprise.  She told me that: “In one of
Bill’s journals, Bill had written: “M.T. Clark = Jesus”.  I of course laughed and made light of
it.  But I was actually deeply moved by
it, and looked at Bill’s flower-surrounded memorial photo, and laughed and
shook my head as The Lord moved the events of last evening to have Bill “speak
to me”.  Speaking to Bill’s photo, I
said: “Okay, Bill, you get the last laugh. 
Here I come dressed up in a suit to honor you, and you turn the tables,
and honor me! God bless you brother.”  

Bill and I had served in the church together, walked
through my recovery and serving in the Celebrate Freedom together, and in some
of the last days of our friendship, Bill had honored me by attending the last
class I taught at Rock Solid Church, Freedom in Christ, and he apparently had
listened to the podcast too.  Bill’s note
in the journal wasn’t saying I was Jesus. The fact that Bill wrote “M.T. Clark”
and not “Marc Clark” speaks to that. 
M.T. Clark is the new creation in Christ.  So Bill’s note was in affect saying, “The
reason there is an M.T. Clark is Jesus”.  Bill saw me come into the church in 2011 and
he saw “Marc” (or as some called me to their children “Mr. Marc (SMH)) and Bill
saw firsthand my journey into becoming the person I was as I left Rock Solid
Church. He had seen the transformation. Like one of the Magi at Christmas time,
He had witnessed “the birth of M.T. Clark” and when Bill thought of me, he
apparently remembered Jesus and because I went to honor Bill last night, the
Lord arranged for me to know it. 

We all have one life to live on this side of eternity
and what we will be remembered for matters. Without Christ, your hobbies, preferences,
interest, and accomplishments won’t amount to anything, only those who make
Christ their Lord and Savior move on to eternal life and if we have received
the gift of our salvation, we really should use our lives to honor God the
Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  

So keep walking and talking with God, and don’t care
if people love you or hate you for it but be sure to do what you can to
encourage people to know, love, and follow Christ, and that someday when they
think of you, they remember Jesus.

——————————————————————————————–

Today’s
Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.

(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google
search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s
work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This
morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Church Discipline.

1 Corinthians 5:11 (ESV)
¹¹  But now I am writing to
you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty
of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or
swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

Today’s
verse fall under the fifth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s
section on Church
Discipline

5. Do not fellowship with one
who will not repent.

Today’s verse advises us
to not fellowship with those who are guilty of wanton sin and claim to be a Christian.   Get a load of that list – sex immoral (that’s
anyone having any type of sex – outside of a marriage between one man and one
woman), drunkards (oh yeah, let’s party), greedy and swindlers (the materialism
in the American church may make you blush), and those “revilers” ( those angry
people who criticize all the time).  

Okay, shots fired at the
church, men and women down!  Considering
the local congregations and the things I see and have seen in the building
known as the church it is surprising that we get together at all because if we
followed this principle, over half the people gathered in the church building
would be prevented from crossing the threshold.  

While I completely understand
how we want to encourage people to come to church and to “consider following
Jesus” , our faith is supposed to be evidenced by our changed lives and if we
welcome in people who agree nominally, in the name of, but not in the spirit of,
Jesus and disobey virtually everything the word of God says about Christian
living, we really need to consider if out “loving the sinner” is the tactic we
should take.  While we don’t want to be
legalists, we certainly don’t want to convey that regular unrepented sin is “okay
because you have been forgiven”. That’s an error that can have serious
consequences here on earth and possibly in eternity as other verses in the Bible
indicate that people with this list of sin in their lives are fooling
themselves to think that they are actually “in Christ”.  

So, listen to the Lord and
don’t associate with people in known sin, but at the same time listen to the
Lord in case He wants to use you to bring them back into the grace of His love
and to guide them to repentance.   Light
and darkness do not have anything to do with one another, but ours is also the
faith of bringing people out of the darkness to live forever with the light of
the world. So shine the light of Jesus and allow Him to move people to be born
again, repent, and live.  

——————————————————————–

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we are sharing from “God is in the Manger-
Reflections on Advent and Christmas” – By Dietrich Bonhoeffer.   

As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own
private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.

God is in the Manger – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

ADVENT WEEK THREE –  REDEMPTION

DAY
FOUR

Look Up,
Your Redemption Is Drawing Near

Let’s not deceive ourselves. “Your redemption is
drawing near” (Luke 21:28), whether we know it or not, and the only question
is: Are we going to let it come to us too, or are we going to resist it? Are we
going to join in this movement that comes down from heaven to earth, or are we
going to close ourselves off? Christmas is coming—whether it is with us or
without us depends on each and every one of us.

Such a true Advent happening now creates something different from the
anxious, petty, depressed, feeble Christian spirit that we see again and again,
and that again and again wants to make Christianity contemptible. This becomes
clear from the two powerful commands that introduce our text: “Look up and
raise your heads” (Luke 21:28 RSV). Advent creates people, new people. We too
are supposed to become new people in Advent. Look up, you whose gaze is fixed
on this earth, who are spellbound by the little events and changes on the face
of the earth. Look up to these words, you who have turned away from heaven disappointed.
Look up, you whose eyes are heavy with tears and who are heavy and who are
crying over the fact that the earth has gracelessly torn us away. Look up, you
who, burdened with guilt, cannot lift your eyes. Look up, your redemption is
drawing near. Something different from what you see daily will happen. Just be
aware, be watchful, wait just another short moment. Wait and something quite
new will break over you: God will come.

You know what a mine disaster is. In recent weeks
we have had to read about one in the newspapers.

The moment even the most courageous miner has dreaded his whole life
long is here. It is no use running into the walls; the silence all around him
remains.… The way out for him is blocked. He knows the people up there are
working feverishly to reach the miners who are buried alive. Perhaps someone
will be rescued, but here in the last shaft? An agonizing period of waiting and
dying is all that remains.

But suddenly a noise that sounds like tapping and breaking in the rock
can be heard. Unexpectedly, voices cry out, “Where are you, help is on the
way!” Then the disheartened miner picks himself up, his heart leaps, he shouts,
“Here I am, come on through and help me! I’ll hold out until you come! Just
come soon!” A final, desperate hammer blow to his ear, now the rescue is near,
just one more step and he is free.

We have spoken of Advent itself. That is how it is with the coming of
Christ: “Look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing
near.”

Bonhoeffer’s Advent sermon in a London church, December 3, 1933

Now when these things begin to take place, stand
up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Luke 21:28^[1]

—————————more
tomorrow————————

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, “Freedom in Christ” series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

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Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship