A Belief That Shows Up, A Belief That Shares – Purity 1837
Purity 1837 12/11/2025 Purity 1837 Audio Podcast
Purity 1837 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a two-tire pathway cutting its way over a snow covered road, through a snow covered forest, comes to us from yours truly as I captured this moment yesterday while working, as the snow fell, because I was struck by the silent beauty of it all as I drove my way over Pheasant Lane in Hillsdale NY.
Well, It’s Thursday and I share todays two-tire pathway as a visual reminder or encouragement to get on or the stay on the path of Christian Discipleship where there won’t always be a crowd to cheer you on your way but where you can be sure that you’ll never walk alone.
Yesterday’s snow flurries turned to drizzling rain in the early evening hours encouraging Upstate New Yorkers to get off the roads and to go home where it is safe. However, yesterday was Wednesday night, the night I host the Celebrate Freedom Support Group at Starpoint Church, and I don’t cancel that meeting unless we have a major snowstorm. So after working in Columbia County, I made my way north through the drizzling rain and commuted to the church successfully despite the annoying visibility issues caused by the night, rain, wind, and traffic. I promise our participants that I will be there every week with few exceptions and I attempt to keep true to my word because I know how important a weekly recovery meeting can be to some’s walk out of the darkness.
When you go into recovery, sometimes you are barely holding on and you need your meetings to make it another day. So I show up, because others, like my mentor, Bob Costello, showed up for me when I needed it most. So I “leave a light on” and tell those who do show up that I am genuinely happy to see them, because I am.
With that said, recovery ministry can be a real heartbreaker and a test of your faithfulness, because one week – like last week – you can have a crowd of people show up where there is standing room only, and then the next week, like last night, you get a little more that half a dozen, and believe me sometimes you get zero, ask me how I know.
As much as I stress the importance to making a commitment to come to every meeting, a great deal of our participants, for one reason or another, are “50%’ers” meaning they only show up every other week, if that. The numbers can also be deceiving because even on the nights we have a full house, that usually happens when a new comer or a long absent participant will make a one night appearance. Ironically, even though our meeting was busting at the seams with people, that big gathering doesn’t seem to be enough bring people back. Some come and never return. That’s recovery ministry. For every story I could tell about how people have shown up and gotten set free, I could tell you about 10 times the amount of people who did a couple meetings and never returned, or did one meeting and never came back, or I can tell you about the vast number of people who registered for the group and who have never stepped a foot into the building on a Wednesday night. That’s the heartbreaking truth, many people know they need help, but for whatever reason, don’t stay to receive it.
But with that disappointing news reported, some people did show up last night and we spent evening encouraging and supporting one another and celebrating our freedom in Christ. Although the stats on success stories are less than the stats of people who never show up or walk away, the success stories are worth it. The success stories are stories of God working in people’s lives to help them to do the impossible and for that reason I will continue to show up and serve others by encouraging them to trust in the Lord and to ask Him for help. I share my story and I things I have learned about life with God because The Lord gave me a whole new life and I love it and want others to experience what I come to know about life in the Spirit.
Speaking about sharing our stories, the Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah devotion for today speaks about sharing our faith and I am posting it on the blog today to encourage all of us to tell others about what God has done for us. David Jeremiah writes:
“A BELIEF THAT SHARES
Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. – Luke 2:17
As an atheist, David Lepore ascertained that most Christians didn’t really believe what they professed. If they really believed the Gospel, he thought they should be far more excited and eager to share it with everyone and anyone. Since becoming a Christian, Lepore has done just that. He found that his faith compelled him to share the message of Jesus. He now works with the Australian Bible Society to get the Gospel into as many hands as possible.
The shepherds of Bethlehem were like that. Once they received good news from the angelic messengers in Luke 2, they immediately responded by believing. Furthermore, their belief compelled them to share the news everywhere they could.
Do we truly believe God became human to die for our sins, rise again, and prepare an eternal home for us? If so, we’ll be unable to stop telling the news, just as Peter said in Acts 4:20: “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (NIV).” – David Jeremiah
I wanted to be part of the people who were doing it on the ground, talking about the importance of Scripture and letting people know that there are people who don’t have it.
David Lepore
Amen. Just as Peter said, I can’t help speaking about what I have seen and heard.
God has revealed Himself and confirmed the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to me in so many ways that I have NO doubts about the Christian faith as being God’s plan for mankind.
In my broken walk through life, I have been an agnostic, an atheist, and a Buddhist. My studies and experiences had me examining all the options and my efforts resulted in me seeking to become god in a sense as I was deceived into believing that I could attain some level of enlightenment that would cause me to transcend all suffering and have godlike wisdom and power…. Talk about delusional!!!
But the lie was a “good one” in that it had its own logic, and it made me feel superior to others. I had completely rejected the Christian faith that I was taught about in my youth and had no contact with a church or true Christian believers. Left alone I would have continued doing my Buddhist practices to have some measure of peace while I continued to do things my way in terms of the flesh under the guise of what some gurus called “crazy wisdom” – which meant you could get drunk and sleep around with impunity…. Really spiritual, right?
But God took me out of that darkness in a way that only He could. He used a gospel radio to open my eyes to the truth of God’s love, mercy, and grace. In a single day, I went from being a chanting, meditating Buddhist to being a born-again Christian.
But that was only the beginning….
Because I was such a skeptic, I still sought to be assured that what I suddenly believed was true. I sought the Lord in His word and anywhere else I could look to make sure that I hadn’t made a mistake.
Don’t get me wrong though, as soon as I believed, I was telling anyone who would listen about the truth of the gospel!
“You don’t have to earn it! Salvation, forgiveness, and peace with God is a free gift to anyone who puts there faith in Jesus! Say this prayer to make Jesus your Lord & Savior! It will give you eternal life! It’s true! Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life! It’s all true.”
I could say all that because I knew it was true from day one of my new life. I said it confidently because it is true, but I still investigated my faith because I wanted to further understand it and to learn how to truly live as a “real Christian.”
That was 15 years ago, and during all that time – God has shown up in my life repeatedly, and yes literally, to lead me further into His truth and love and to lead me further out of the darkness of my past and the lies of this enemy controlled world.
So yeah – I share a message nearly every day to encourage people to put their faith in Jesus and to follow the Lord, not because I learned a lot of stuff about God but because I have gotten to know more about Him personally as He has helped and guided me as a loving Father and friend since the day I first believed.
So, do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you really?
If you do, tell somebody about Him. Tell everyone and keep telling everyone because this knowledge, and your relationship with God, is the most important thing about your life.
Keep seeking to know God more because there’s lots to learn but make sure that you aren’t just studying a subject and are instead getting to know and love your best friend.
We have a friend in Jesus and people need to know that He can be their friend too.
——————————————————————
For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
——————————————————————
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. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Prayer – Waiting On the Lord.
Hebrews 4:14–16 (NLT) So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Today’s verses fall under the fifth point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Prayer.
5. We can approach God boldly through Jesus, our high priest, who understands our needs.
Today’s Bible verses exhort us to come boldly to the throne of Grace where we will receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it most.
So where is this throne of grace where we can talk to our High Priest. While I am sure there is one in heaven, we aren’t there yet. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enter into a place where we can receive God’s mercy and grace – that place, of course, is our prayer life.
That’s the throne of grace that Paul, who I believe is the writer of Hebrews, is telling us to come to. No matter where we are we can be ministered to by our Great High Priest when we pray.
So, if you need help and mercy or just want the benefit of divine wisdom and love, humble yourself and talk to God in prayer.
———————————————————–
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 336
Into what, then, were you baptized? – Acts 19:3
These disciples at Ephesus had come to Christ as Savior under John’s preaching about the Lamb of God Who would take away the sins of the world. But they had never been baptized into membership in the Christian church. So they were baptized by Paul (v. 5). It is important to recognize that the important thing that matters here is the intent of the baptism. (Note the words, “into what?”—i.e., for what purpose). John’s baptism emphasized repentance; the positive emphasis on the baptism of the Spirit was missing. Christian baptism is a symbol of the Spirit Who gives life. So, today, when a Roman Catholic is received into the faith, the question of his baptism arises. He was baptized for remission of original sin—a wrong intent. So, if a valid baptism like John’s was an inadequate substitute for Christian baptism, surely a Roman Catholic baptism is invalid too. He must be baptized again. The same would hold true for former cultists who become converted to Christ.[1]
The MT4Christ247 audio podcast is available on YouTube, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, iHeartradio, Podbean, Audible, and many more podcast platforms!
Subscribe to The MT4Christ247 Channel on YouTube!
Email me at m.t.clark@mt4christ.com with any questions, or comments, or to inquire about our Christian Life Coaching or Prayer Ministry Services.
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
Support MT 4 Christ Community Freedom Ministry!
To Give via Pay Pal Go to the MT4Christ Donations Page
Or Give Via Venmo or the Cash App by scanning the QR Code below:
[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 344.
Leave a Reply