disciples

His Name Was Alan

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His name was Alan and his most outstanding attribute was that he loved his Savior. His number one vocation was sharing the gospel and his favorite conversation topic was Jesus. The best teachers are the ones who have an intimate knowledge of the subject they teach. Alan was the greatest Bible teacher I have ever known. The life he lived taught us that the Lord is our Shepherd and we need not want any more than that.

There was a man named Barnabas, he loved Jesus. His vocation was to be an encourager to his brothers in the Lord. His conversation was, “You can do this with Jesus’ help, so get up let’s go.” Barnabas never wrote any great books, but when John Mark and the Apostle Paul were discouraged, he was there to encourage them. Today we can read Mark’s Gospel and Paul’s Epistles because of the encouragement of Barnabas They learned to walk through the valley of the shadow of death with no fear. Because Jesus was there with His rod of protection and comforting staff.

Jesus commanded us to go into the world and make disciples. Alan and Barnabas probably never consider themselves disciple-makers, but they were. Neither of them ever led a weekly discipleship group. But they both taught many to walk in paths of righteousness for the sake of the good name of Jesus.

I don’t think that Barnabas or Alan ever sought to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. They were servants. They loved God with all their hearts and they loved their neighbors as they loved themselves. Jack McVeigh called Alan a gentle fruit tree. We can read in the Bible about the fruit that Barnabas bore for God, but we will never know how many people Alan reached for Christ. But I do know this, my heart was blessed by this man who was a gentle fruit tree. His name was Alan, now he has walked by the still waters, found rest in the green pastures and will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Douglas Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

More Faith

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In the movie Jaws, three men were hunting a huge man-eating shark. One of the men, Sheriff Brodie came face to face with this extremely large and hungry shark. When this happened, he said, “We are going to need a bigger boat”.

In the Bible, Jesus taught His disciples that they would face great trials and persecution. He also taught them that they would have to learn to forgive others without reservation. These teachings of Jesus must have seemed as overwhelming to the disciples as the huge, hungry shark did to Sheriff Brodie. So, the disciples said, “We are going to need a bigger faith.”

In Luke chapter 17, the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus then told them that if they had even a tiny bit of faith, they could do great things. Wow, that is a tremendous promise. That is what most of us want. We want to be known as someone who has done great things and we want to do these things with just a little faith.

As Jesus continued His teaching about faith, He explained the characteristics of a faithful person. He shows us in the Bible that those who are great in their faith are servants. He says that a faith-filled person is actively working for God’s glory. And we learn that there is no faith without works. A faith-filled person is not self-centered; they never seek gratitude but serve only for the glory of God.

A person of great faith knows that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ for good works. A faithful person’s mind is always on Christ and these words are always in their heart, “not unto me O Lord, not unto me, but unto You belongs all honor and glory and praise forever and ever, Amen

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

email-pvementendsministry@gmail.com

Resurrection Morning

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It was early on Sunday morning. The sun had not yet broken over the horizon. It had been late Friday when they took Jesus’ dead body down from the cross and put Him in the tomb. It was almost time for the Sabbath to begin so they had no time to prepare His body for burial.

Now that the Sabbath was over some women were coming to anoint His body with spices. The tomb had been sealed with a heavy stone and soldiers had been assigned to guard it. As the women walked to the grave in the gathering light they wondered how they were going to get into the grave to see their Lord’s body for what they thought was the last time.

As the tomb came into view they were shocked. The stone had been moved and the soldiers were gone. They rushed to the tomb and looked in. The body of Jesus was gone. In the tomb, they saw what they thought was a young man dressed in a long white robe. They stood there perplexed and astonished.

The young man said, “Don’t be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He’s not here, He is risen. Look, you can see the place where He was laid He’s not here. So Go and tell His disciples and Peter that He is alive. He is going to meet them at Galilee and you can see Him there just like He said. Then the ladies ran to tell the disciples that Jesus was Alive

Jesus Has triumphed over death, hell, and the grave. This is why we celebrate Resurrection Sunday.

Follow Jesus and See What He Will Make of You

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At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus asked two fishermen, Simon and Andrew to be His disciples. He called them by saying,” follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” These were two ordinary men who were destined to remain ordinary until they trusted Jesus. Then He made them into extraordinary men.

When most people consider what Jesus said to these men they usually focus on the words, “fishers of men”. However, you miss the point if you focus on those words. Jesus used these words because they were fishermen, and they understood the terminology. Jesus will always speak to us in ways that we can understand.

As we consider what Jesus said to these men I think that the most important words in this sentence are, “I will make you.” It is important to realize that Jesus has a plan and purpose specifically for each of us. You see, He made Simon and Andrew fishers of men. If you are a carpenter He might make you into a builder of men, or a welder may become a mender of broken men.

An old preacher used to say; “bloom where you are planted.” That is good, but I say that we should also use the tools that are handy. Whatever and wherever you are God is exceedingly and abundantly able to use you. He does not want you to be something that you are not. He just wants to make you the best at what you are.

In 1 Peter 4:10, we read; “Everyone should use whatever gift he has received to serve others.” God is calling out to you with a promise. He promises to make you into an extraordinary person. But you must be willing to trust Him with your life. You must choose to follow Him and let Him use your tools and your talents for His glory.

Douglas @Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Email- pavementendministry@gmail.com

The Chosen Ones

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Jesus personally called the men He wanted to be His disciples. These men were Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the Son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot. Now we know that Jesus walked this earth as a man, but He was The Great I Am. Therefore, He knew all there was to know about these men He wanted to be His disciples.

Judas was a thief who would sell his soul for thirty pieces of silver. Thomas doubted that Jesus could rise from the dead. James and John were called the Sons of Thunder, probably because they had violent tempers. Peter well, we all know that Peter denied he even knew Jesus. When Jesus called these men, He knew about their past. He understood their current actions and He knew what they would do in the future. Yet He called them anyway because these were the ones, He wanted.

The disciples were all chosen by Jesus despite their sins and failures. The Bible teaches that there is a way that seems right to men, but the ways of men always end with death. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When Jesus called the disciples, they all repented and followed Him for eternal life. All except for Judas, who chose the way that seemed right to men and lost his soul.

There is good news for you and I. Jesus is still the Great I Am. He knows about your past, your future, and what you are doing now. And yet He still chose you. Jesus has called out to us because we are the ones that He wants. You and I are chosen despite our sins and failures. He does not call us because we are good or holy. He doesn’t call us because we are righteous and just. He calls us because we are sinners in need of a Savior and He is that Savior. So now you have a choice to make. Will you choose the way that seems right to men or will you choose to follow Him?

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Email- pavementendsministry@gmail.com

Wasted

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The men were laughing and talking as they enjoyed the meal. When the door opened, they turned to see a woman enter the room. In her hand, she held a beautiful alabaster box. The container itself was very valuable and the men knew that the oil it held was worth more than they could earn in a year. Maybe, they thought she is going to give it to Jesus for His ministry.

They watched as she moved to where Jesus sat. The Master closed His eyes as she stood over Him. Then the disciples gasped as she did the unthinkable. Cracking the container open, she poured all of its contents onto Jesus’ head. The precious ointment soak His hair and ran down His head. Mixing with His tears, it flowed through His beard and soaked his clothes. The sweet smell of this extravagant action filled every corner of the room.

The disciples were furious. They could not understand how anyone could be so wasteful. They thought, “We could have sold this perfume and fed many poor people. We could have expanded the ministry. We could have done great things with the money.” Sadly, they have allowed the smell of money to overwhelm the precious aroma of this woman’s sacrifice.

But Jesus said; Leave the woman alone. She has done a great thing for Me. There will always be poor people, but in a few days, I will not be here. You call her extravagance wasteful. But by pouring this precious ointment onto me, she is preparing my body for burial.

Most of the disciples truly loved Jesus. But they had not yet learned that the purest form of worship is an unreserved sacrifice. Anything that money can buy will soon be forgotten but what this woman did will be honored wherever the gospel is proclaimed. Her audacious gift teaches us that a life broken and poured out for Jesus is never wasted.

Matthew 26:6-14

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Email-pavementendsministry@gmail.co

The Power of the Simple Gospel

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The Apostle Paul was a simple man. To the Corinthians he said that he had decided that he would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the One who was crucified. He came to them in weakness, timid and trembling. His message and preaching was very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches he relied only on the Holy Spirit.

Paul was not an attractive man; he did not draw crowds because he looked good . When he spoke he was blunt and to the point so people did not gather around him for his charismatic character. It is thought that he may have had a physical deformity, so his appearance may have caused people to avoid him.

He was not a big shot preacher. If he were here today he probably would not be invited to speak at the annual preaching conference nor would he be appearing at the denominational convention. And yet this simple man, while he was in chains, had the opportunity to stand before kings and governors and preach Christ and Him crucified.

It is true, Paul did not have a church growth plan, but everywhere He went strong churches grew. He did not have a disciple making plan, but his disciples took the Gospel into all the world. He was not a dynamic preacher but his preaching is still impacting the world today.

Paul was an intelligent and highly educated man, but for him it was the foolishness of the cross and not the wisdom of man that was important. He gladly poured out His life for the Gospel and counted it a privilege to suffer for the Savior.

This is my challenge to all of you. I hope you understand that the just shall live by faith. You must never be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. The scandal of the Cross is our only hope of eternal life.

To the preacher who wishes to please God I say this; put away the how to preach books. Throw away that resume that you planned to send to the bigger church. Stand wherever you are and preach with the power of the Holy Spirit. Understand this, your purpose and goal is to take the Gospel into all the world and it is not human wisdom but the power of God that will save the souls of men.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

email-pavementendsministry@gmail.com

American History

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These fundamental objects of the Constitution are in perfect
harmony with the revealed objects of the Christian religion.
Union, justice, peace, the general welfare, and the blessings of civil and religious liberty, are the objects of Christianity, and always secured under its practical and beneficent reign.


The state must rest upon the basis of religion, and it must
preserve this basis, or itself must fall. But the support which
religion gives to the state will obviously cease the moment religion loses its hold upon the popular mind.


This is a Christian nation, first in name, and secondly because of the many and mighty elements of a pure Christianity which have given it character and shaped its destiny from the beginning. It is preeminently the land of the Bible,of the Christian Church, and of the Christian Sabbath……..


The chief security glory of the United States of America has
been, is now, and will be forever, the prevalence and domination of the Christian faith.


( From the book, “The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of United States.” By Benjamin Franklin Morris)