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Terlingua Ranch Community Church, HC 65 Box 229 (Church Road), Alpine, TX (2026)

03/30/2022

It is with mixed emotions that I must inform you that this may be my last post on this page as the Terlingua Ranch Community Church. The church trustees have released me from my position as Pastor as of today. In a way I am relieved as I have been receiving signs that some major change was about to occur in my life path and there have been times when this responsibility has weighed rather heavily on my shoulders. I always knew that I was filling in here until someone more in line with people's expectations came along, being well aware of my limitations and unorthodox approach to Christianity. Yet I have experienced a great deal of personal and spiritual growth as a result of taking on this position of leadership, and I am grateful for the opportunity and calling the Lord provided for me here. I have seen a great deal of growth and progress for the church and its membership during my watch and hope this will continue under the new leadership. I love all those who have blessed me with their support and trust as your Pastor, and hope to continue to enjoy warm relationships with you all. I have no judgments regarding those who made this decision, that was not my job at any time and is certainly not my job now. I wish them well in all their righteous endeavors. I know they will learn a lot from this experience as I have. I give grateful thanks to the Lord I love for always looking after me, and supporting me even in times of difficulty and when I made mistakes. I don't know if the new leadership will continue this church page. I am confident that the Lord will always provide a source of inspired messages for those who knock and those who seek.

Much Love,
Hat Bailey

03/27/2022

Message for 3-27-22
Can a Man Serve Two Masters?

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Who or what do you serve? Is money your master? Or is it status and prestige, or simply the good opinion and flattery of others who have status and prestige. Or is it simply the good opinion of the crowd. Is it carnal pleasures, the fine things and seeming security that money can buy? Is it something as simple as mere convenience? If it means a possible struggle or hard work will you go along to get along. Will you comply or make compromises with popular opinions or unjust “laws” even if they seem unethical or wrong to you?

I’m sure you are aware of what you will encounter if you go against the popular worldly view, aren’t you? Jesus warned us about that in the book of John.

John 15:18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”

Let me ask you this. Is the “government” or its leader your master? As the founders of this great nation in the Declaration of Independence stated: “... all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
The advice of the scriptures teaches that graciousness, the willingness to avoid pointless arguments, contentions and violence, is the path of the humble Christian, to “go the extra mile.” Yet there is a limit even to this as described in the words of the founding document I just cited above. There may very well come a time when what is required is unjust, unethical and in violation of the just laws of love and of reality. The only answer at that point is ‘I will not comply,’ a humble refusal to do what you know to be wrong, and to rely upon the promises of the Lord Who alone is your only true Master.
Acts 5:27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”
…..33When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.

The authorities were prepared to put them to death over this refusal to obey the constituted authority. Yet they were indeed under Divine Protection and this did not happen.

In fact the “power” of these authorities was nothing compared to the Authority that the apostles chose to obey. When they were first arrested they were put into jail by that “authority” yet a Higher Authority easily set them free.

17Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20“Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
21At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23“We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.

The authorities of this world are put in place by what Paul called “the god of this world” who makes king, queens and presidents.
2Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

This is the “god” who appoints and controls the top authorities of this world and that dark influence seeps down even as far as the local levels today, as the world has become steeped in materialism. Do not doubt the control this insane “god” has over the affairs of this world. This was how he could offer Christ all the kingdoms and power of this world after the forty days of fasting in the wilderness. He had them to offer. However this is not the kind of kingdom Jesus wanted or needed. His kingdom was based on obedience through love, trust and understanding, not on coercion, and fear of the threat of violence, or bribery and blackmail.

Nevertheless our Father is a God of allowing. We are allowed to give our power to these creatures, if we choose to believe their lies and blasphemies and fair sounding but false promises. These have been broken over and over, yet people still choose what they are familiar with as they did of old. When they petitioned Samuel for a king he warned them what this would mean, yet he respected the choice of the people. At first he was tempted to believe this was a rejection of himself.

Samuel 8:7And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

Today we are faced with the defacto requirement to be a corporate church under the rules of the legal, but in my view unlawful, authority of the IRS. Otherwise we are told we cannot have a bank account and there may be adverse liabilities for our church trustees. Personally I have refused to comply with requirements that in my own view are unethical and unlawful, even though accepted by most people. I had hoped that the Terlingua Ranch Community Church would never be a 501c3 organization under my watch. Yet it appears this is what most of our leadership feels is expedient. For myself I do not accept their jurisdiction and will continue to say what the Lord inspires me to say whether it is pleasing to any earthly authority. If this makes you uncomfortable then I urge you to find another pastor who will teach those things that do make you comfortable if that is the will of the people and I will accept it. I’m not going away unless I am asked to do so, and I will not abandon this little flock. Every man and woman must always do their best to follow the guidance of their conscience and that precious Holy Spirit of Truth. If this is done sincerely you will in no wise lose your reward. Neither will I judge or condemn you for it. This is my promise to you and my message for today.

03/20/2022

Message for 3-20-22
Service...the Mark of Humility and Greatness

Luke 22:24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.

By this criterion given by the Master, greatness consisted of how willingly and humbly one served. We consider Jesus to be the greatest of those who have trod this earth, and it is very clear that His whole life was based on selfless service to others. His service was of immense benefit to all who have or will live on this earth. By this same measure our Father in Heaven is truly and unimaginably great, because He serves every living being in the universe and without Him there would be no universe. No flowers, animals, blue skies, or anything that makes life pleasant and possible.

I decided to speak on this aspect of truth today because of something my friend Michael mentioned to me some time ago. He said a wise Episcopal priest once told him there are two different reasons people attend church, and it can be summed up as to whether they come wearing a bib or an apron. Those with the bib come because they wish to partake of something that will please them or make their lives better. Those with the apron are here because there are opportunities for service to others.

This was something that I could really resonate with because when I first came here I actually had no intention of attending a church. I felt, as many Christians do today that I don’t need to be in a church to worship and appreciate God or His Son. There are places in nature or sacred spots where one can commune with God. The scriptures are available to us all to study, and I had seen how differently most churches interpret various passages and judge one another for their supposed “false teachings” or differing interpretations.

But as I met and became friends with Beechie who was attending this church I thought, well, there might be a social benefit to me to come and meet a few more local people. As you can see I was not exactly altruistic in my motivations. I was asking myself how it could benefit me. What I had to gain from attendance wearing my “bib.” But a funny thing happened. A need came up.

Paul Rashot who had been leading the music took a job with the Sheriff’s department and they needed someone to lead in song. Well, I had led music before long ago, and I stepped in. When Ernie became pastor he wanted me to conduct the meetings, I had some experience with that, so I began to do that also. Then when Ernie took a Summer job in Colorado there was no one to give the Sunday messages, so I stepped up for that. Now you see me today the unlikely pastor of this little congregation. I had discovered by this time that I needed the church, because worshiping God was not just a matter of praise, prayer and song, but of being of service. Unexpected blessings followed. A growth in my own depth of spiritual connection to the Divine, in my own poor gifts and abilities, in bonds with other loving and believing souls.

Most leaders in this world show little desire to bend their dignity and position through humble service, but the greatest servant did something much different.

John 13:2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Today we call Jesus the Prince of Peace, the greatest spiritual teacher who has ever lived, our Elder Brother, our King. However He never demanded any special title or personal praise or adulation while He was here. He was meek and humble and advised the same kind of humility among those who followed Him.
Matthew 23:8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

The Biblical account clearly shows that the saints, or members of the Christian congregations in the years following His ascension, followed the same path of loving and humble service.

2 Corinthians 9:12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

Some of Israel’s kings were self indulgent and demanded the best of service, keeping the lion’s share of the wealth of the land to themselves and building their great lavish palaces. One exception was the righteous king Hezekiah.

2 Chronicles 31:21In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

It is pretty easy to see who is worthy of trust and support in this world if you are alert to see who is sincerely attempting to be of service to others without the self serving greediness so often seen in those who think the world owes them a living.

Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? 13“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

14The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight. And again in Matthew 6 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
If worldly wealth had been Jesus’ ambition He could have had all that this world can offer, but He refused all that, living the simple life of one who owned nothing. At one point He said, “The foxes have dens and the birds their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:58) He blamed no one for that, knowing that it was by His own choice and He was here to serve others, not Himself. His heart truly was always where His treasure was located.

Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Martin Luther King Jr….."Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

What gives more meaning to life than being of service to those we love? Or to Something that is larger than ourselves? We also love to be served and it is our give and take that is the true communication between souls. May you be blessed with opportunities for humble service to God and man and reap the rich blessings that follow. This is my sincere prayer and my message for today.

03/13/2022

Message for 3-13-22
Peace On Earth

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

So what is peace? Is it not a mind that is still, a mind that is not anxious, perfectly quiet and fearless despite any outward appearances that might tempt one to be fearful?

John 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Now the truth is that God is in control of all things, all powerful, omnipotent and that He is a God of love, our loving Father in Heaven.

So knowing this truth, from what do you think Jesus meant us to be free? When someone truly has complete and total trust in God, what is that person's state of mind? Will such a person be free from temptation? If you truly know that God is in control of all things would you suffer from fear, from even the smallest amount of anxiety?

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you.

The words "Fear not" are used sixty two times in the bible. God might just be telling us something to which we need to listen. Here are five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Free your mind from complexity, Live simply.
4. Free your mind from covetousness, Give more..
.
ISAIAH 26:4 Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord is everlasting strength:

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.
--Alexander Graham Bell

We have seen too much defeatism, too much pessimism, too much of a negative approach. The answer is simple: if you want something very badly, you can achieve it. It may take patience, very hard work, a real struggle, and a long time; but it can be done...faith is a prerequisite of any undertaking.
--Margo Jones

We are not here to do the easy thing, which is to make decisions made obvious by sight and agreed to by everyone, but to base our lives upon an inner knowing that is not dependent upon the senses of the body, nor the arguments of learned men. It is a willingness to trust in the deep inner knowing that is unseen, truths that lie behind the veil of mortal forgetfulness and limitations.

Why are we so fearful and anxious so much of the time. Do we truly know that our sins have been forgiven and through the worthiness of the Lord who loved us so much He was willing to die for us we can call upon our Father in Heaven for all our needs. Or do we allow doubt and false humility rob us of our promised blessings?

Knowing that your perfect innocence and forgiveness have been assured and is irrevocably guaranteed by the Son of God, will there be any room for false guilt?

God will not desert His beloved and innocent child despite any appearances to the contrary. Do we really believe this? Do we Know it? This is the beginning of real faith and trust. For those who truly trust gratitude and thankfulness are strong in their hearts.

ISAIAH 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

PSALM 125:1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.

PSALM 91:2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

If you ever want to know just how close you are to Knowing the Truth that shall set you free, simply ask yourself how much of your time you spend worrying, and how much time you spend being grateful. If there is even the smallest twinge of anxiety you know that you do not yet have the faith that amounts to knowing, but still have doubts in your mind and heart.

Now to doubt is to be human, and all of us indulge in it at times don't we? Yet there are steps we can take to develop the faith that we have. When those nagging voices of the carnal mind come tormenting and pointing out appearances that seem to indicate that you are not taken care of and perfectly nurtured, do you remember to rebuke them in Jesus name and turn your thoughts to the many blessings that have been yours in the past. Including those that came unexpectedly at the last minute and made all your worries for nothing.

This is a true story. I have told it before, but it is worth the retelling. I hope you appreciate it for the important message it teaches.

It happened every Friday evening, almost without fail, when the sun resembled a giant orange and was starting to dip into the blue ocean. Old Ed came strolling along the beach to his favorite pier. Clutched in his bony hand was a bucket of shrimp. Ed walks out to the end of the pier, where it seems he almost has the world to himself. The glow of the sun is a golden bronze now.

Everybody's gone, except for a few joggers on the beach. Standing out on the end of the pier, Ed is alone with his thoughts...and his bucket of shrimp. Before long, however, he is no longer alone. Up in the sky a thousand white dots come screeching and squawking, winging their way toward that lanky frame standing there on the end of the pier. Before long, dozens of seagulls have enveloped him, their wings fluttering and flapping wildly. Ed stands there tossing shrimp to the hungry birds. As he does, if you listen closely, you can hear him say with a smile, 'Thank you. Thank you.'
Most of them would probably write Old Ed off, down there in Florida as a bit of an odd bird himself. That's too bad. They'd do well to know him better. His full name: Eddie Rickenbacker. He was a famous hero back in World War II. On one of his flying missions across the Pacific, he and his seven- member crew went down. Miraculously, all of the men survived, crawled out of their plane, and climbed into a life raft. Captain Rickenbacker and his crew floated for days on the rough waters of the Pacific. They fought the sun. They fought sharks. Most of all, they fought hunger. By the eighth day their rations ran out. No food. No water. They were hundreds of miles from land and no one knew where they were.
They needed a miracle. That afternoon they had a simple devotional service and prayed for a miracle. They tried to nap. Eddie leaned back and pulled his military cap over his nose. Time dragged. All he could hear was the slap of the waves against the raft. Suddenly, Eddie felt something land on the top of his cap. It was a seagull!
Old Ed would later describe how he sat perfectly still, planning his next move. With a flash of his hand and a squawk from the gull, he managed to grab it and wring its neck. He tore the feathers off, and he and his starving crew made a meal - a very slight meal for eight men – of it. Then they used the intestines for bait. With it, they caught fish, which gave them food and more bait....... and the cycle continued. With that simple survival technique, they were able to endure the rigors of the sea until they were found and rescued (after 24 days at sea...).

Eddie Rickenbacker lived many years beyond that ordeal, but he never forgot the sacrifice of that first life-saving seagull..... and he never stopped saying, 'Thank you.' That's why almost every Friday night he would walk to the end of the pier with a bucket full of shrimp and a heart full of gratitude.
PS: Eddie started Eastern Airlines. Before WW1 he was race car driver. In WW1, he was a pilot and America' s first ace.

A number of important lessons can be learned from this simple true story. Lessons about how important the gospel principles of hope and faith and trust in our Father in Heaven are, and how they can lead to miracles. How important it is to give thanks and remember in gratitude blessings given, and to learn how good it feels to pass them on to others in simple ways. It is also a lesson for us all to take a moment before we judge and criticize some older person for doing something a little out of the ordinary, for how can we know who they are, what has happened in their lives, and the important things they may have done or accomplished. So, I also want to thank you for also taking a moment to contemplate the importance of these thoughts. May they bless you with some of that peace that passeth all understanding. This is my humble prayer and my message for today.

03/13/2022

Monthly Church Business Meeting Notes for 2-27-22

03/07/2022

Don't forget to turn you clocks forward before next Sunday morning!

03/07/2022

Message for 3-6-22
The Baptism of Fire

Matthew 3:11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

We all know what the baptism of water is, this is the baptism for which John the Baptist is named. He was the forerunner or the one sent to prepare the way for the Messiah's greater mission, but what is this “baptism of fire?” Sounds like it could be kinda painful, right?

The symbolism of water baptism, the purifying character of water, the burial and resurrection that is recapitulated by this simple rite is very familiar. However fire is also known for its role in purification.

Malachi 3:1“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
Here the ancient prophet Malachi speaks of this “messenger” by which we understand he is speaking of John the Baptist, who will prepare the way for the Lord. Immediately after that will come the Lord Himself, the long awaited Messiah. The prophet asks:
2”But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.”
Fire can burn away the dross, the unworthy, all the contaminants to bring purity.

The Holy Spirit will bring an inner testimony, for those willing to listen, which will convict the soul by opening the inner eyes to see all that we have denied about ourselves. This can be a very painful process in some ways, as it burns away all that is false about ourselves. The only thing that can soothe the pain of this process is great inner humility as we begin to realize that it is not about judging ourselves or others for what was done by the false self, the carnal mind or ego, but is simply a willingness to let it go, and see clearly all that is wrong that we have done in our ignorance and pride and then to give ourselves the precious gift of complete forgiveness that we have been given and are also expected to give to others. This burning is as painful in some ways as an actual contact with its literal counterpart. The lake of fire and brimstone that is spoken of in figurative way as the punishment of the unrepentant comes to mind.

There is that which truly real about you, and what and who you really are, and then there is the false and the unreal. We tend to think of the ego and its home, our bodies, as ourselves. This is actually and truly not the case. It may help to realize that what we see now is not even our true body. It will be revealed in the day of resurrection after this false, corruptible or shadow body is stripped away and replaced with what is real.

I think one of the greatest examples of this baptism of fire is represented by the story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who became Saint Paul as we discussed in our Bible study this morning. As you will remember this man Saul, who considered himself a devout and righteous Jew went about persecuting what he saw as members of an heretical religious sect. Even going so far as to aid and abet those who murdered the saintly Stephen. He even got authorization to go to Damascus and bring prosecution against the members of the Christian community there. However something remarkable happened on the way there. In Acts we are told the story in his own words.

Acts 22: Then Paul said: 3“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
Acts 9:1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
Can you even imagine what was going on in this man's mind at this time? Was not this a baptism of fire? His conscience was burning with the realization that all that he had taken for righteousness was actually evil, that he was not the wonderful and valiant servant of God that he had taken himself to be. For three days he was in this awful condition.
10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
This man had become a purified golden instrument in the Lord's hand to bring many to salvation and hope. The Lord had indeed fulfilled the prophesy of Malachi that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with purifying fire.
In time each of us must endure this purification process. You can do it the easy way or you can do it the hard way, it is up to you. The longer we refuse to see the truth about ourselves the more painful the process may become. Make it easier on yourself by first of all requiring yourself to seek for universal forgiveness of all those who you have considered to be your enemies, or to have acted unfairly to you. This will prepare your mind to be compassionate also toward yourself when much that you justified in the past is revealed in all its ugliness to you, and perhaps to others, who could clearly see the mote in your eye while denying the beam in their own.
Better yet is to actively seek out and watch carefully your thoughts and actions for those things which are unworthy of a child of the Living God, this is not pleasant, however when done in the right spirit it will be revealed to you that it really wasn’t you that did these things, but the evil spirit that a sleeping human allowed to take over his vessel. Often this happens because the sweet human spirit that God created flinches in pain from the traumas of this world and goes into that state of the justification of sins. Closing our spiritual eyes to what we are doing that is harmful and destructive. Sometimes starting with the small, and then growing if we allow it to continue ruling our emotions, thoughts, and finally our actions.
May our own individual baptism of fire come soon and thoroughly burn away all unrighteousness that we may truly “..mature to the full measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 1:23) is my sincere prayer and my message for today.

Terlingua Ranch Community Church

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