Open for Worship in the House of God Purity 772

To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of a green mountain under a clear blue sky with an almost angelic cirrus cloud formation comes to us from a friend who recently visited the Lake Placid area in New York State. For those curious about the location of this scene, our friend was kind enough to caption the photo, and with their information and a Google search, I can tell you that this is Baker Mountain, which is 2,454 foot— is a, is a 2,454-foot-tall mountain in Essex County, which is east of Saranac Lake. We are presuming that our friend was somewhere on the shores of Lake Placid, but a Google Maps search of Baker Mountain could cause you to doubt because there is more than one body of water near Baker Mountain, including including McKenzie Pond, Moose Pond, and Moody Pond. So where they were exactly is still unknown, but if you're adventurous, I have given you more than enough clues if you want to follow in their footsteps to experience this view for yourself. Well, it's Friday, and I'm thanking God for the day, for safely bringing me to my travel destination in Bethel, Maine, and for providing me with an unprecedented opportunity to worship and praise Him. I am staying at Sudbury Inn in Bethel, Maine for the next 3 days, leaving on Sunday. Uh, no Bible study with the Zinkatis this week as we are on the road. For those envisioning a trip to the Maine seacoast and guys with strange Maine accents pulling in lobster traps, let me gently burst your bubble. Bethel is in an area of the state that I will call Barely Maine. I call it that because Bethel is only a short drive from the New Hampshire border, and I suppose because we are near the unorganized territory of South Oxford and minutes away from the Mahoosuc Mountain Range, you could also think of this area as Barely Maine, as in I hope I don't get mauled by a grizzly. Because that would be totally— that would totally mahusuk. Uh, forgive the dad joke pun, but I am traveling with my wife and the youngest pair of my stepkids, and that's what we do. Anyway, uh, we are all together to attend the River Rock Music Festival, uh, a Christian music festival for 2 full days of Christian music and fun. Tammy Lynn attended the festival last year and was very enthusiastic about her having her family experience it So here we are. Anyway, anyone familiar with the dynamics of blended families interacting with teenagers replicating experiences and traveling for family vacations, I'm asking for prayers, and I don't think I have to explain why. Anyway, as the word Bethel means house of God, I am in the house and I am ready to worship. I am ready to praise the Lord. The River Rock Music Festival seems like it is going to be a first for me. When I think of 2-day music festivals, I can't help but think of Woodstock, the Woodstocks, or Lollapalooza, and think of wild times with alcohol and drugs in abundant supply. I never attended any of those concert events because I was too timid. For those in my past, that makes be hard to believe, but it's true. There was something about surrendering to a long event with the promise of drugs, large crowds, and loud music that caused me to say no. Uh, hearing reports of bad venues, bad weathers, inflated prices, and violence and discord at some of the— those events made it easy to say no to ever going to one. As I grew older and less wild, I wanted to have fun and knew that other people could really mess that up. But today and tomorrow's festival seems to be a far cry from those rock and roll extravaganzas. First, I was shocked to discover that not only is this event Christian, it is really Christian, that there is no alcohol or smoking allowed at this event. That's different. I guess I shouldn't be really surprised, really. Drunkenness is prohibited according to the Bible, but Unfortunately, according to various surveys done over the last few years, many of those who identify as Christians don't have a biblical worldview and walk the walk, or walk the walk of a Christian discipleship, and don't live much differently from their non-Christian neighbors. So that's good. We will worship today with far less inebriated concertgoers than normal. I would say none, but as a former addict, I know that A determined person can bring drugs into any venue and enjoy their effects in all environments. Marijuana, pills, and psychedelic drugs can be ingested and enjoyed and go beyond detection. So some people today could choose to exercise their freedom from the law and take it as a license to sin. I doubt that anyone would. I would do that, but, uh, but I know it certainly is possible. And if I see someone who is lost in the music today, I will have my suspicions. As the man in our small band of worshipers, I have the unspoken responsibility of making sure everyone is safe, and it is a responsibility I take seriously. So as much as I intend to fully enter into worship, I will undoubtedly keep an eye on our surroundings. I know the evil that men can do, and I know that Satan would love to cause strife at such an event that is designed to give God glory. Today's festivals, uh, festivities run from 11 AM to 10 PM, and the lineup of Christian musicians and speakers include Netumbo Mutumbo, Sean McMahon, Philip Mumford, Jonas and Becky Woods, Dave Pettigrew, Pursuing JC, Tina Griffin, John Reddick, Jason Gray, Riley Clemens, and Big Daddy Weave. So if you are in the area of Barreley, Maine, I invite you to come on, come on out and worship with us at the River Rock Music Festival at Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine. If not, I hope you have a quick work, a quick day at work today and a wonderful weekend. Where you experience the beauty of all that God has provided you with, and that you take a moment or two this weekend to thank the Lord and give him praise. Uh, today's Bible verse comes to us from the New Living Translation Bible Promise Book for Men. This morning's meditation verse is Psalm 62:5, and it says, let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. Today's Bible verse assures us that we can quietly wait before God because our hope is— lies in him. Although I will be at a venue today surrounded by Christian music, there is a lot to be said for spending time, quiet time with the Lord. Quiet time for prayer and Bible study are the foundational disciplines of the Christian disciple, and it is our time with the Lord that can help us to have peace in the world regardless of the raucous or wild circumstances that we may face. Although I am not really into crowds, I am hoping in the Lord, not the security of my situation, to give me peace. In Christ, I am assured that I am secure in him. My hopes for good outcomes and safety are not solely based on my ability to manipulate circumstances and to make wise decisions with where I go and what I do. While we should all be wise and discerning with the things we expose ourselves to in this world, the truth is that in this world broken by sin and subject to the influences of the powers of darkness, there is no safe place. History has— uh, history tells us of the evil that men do and the sudden death that can come at the hands at their hands or to other situations like accidents or natural disasters. In the Final Destination movies, the unseen specter of death seeks to take back the lives of people who have escaped death. In those films, we see the characters make every effort to remain safe, but in the end, for nearly all the characters, death manages to make its way through their defenses and take their lives. But for the Christian, death has lost its sting. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So no matter what, the Christian really is going to be okay because the Lord is with them. It is in the Lord that we have our hope. Only when we forget this fact of our spiritual reality can we— can fear, anxiety, or depression come in and invade our lives. So spend some quiet time with the Lord to remind yourself about who you are in Christ and how your hope is assured because your hope is in the Lord. As always, I invite all to go to mtforchrist.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 continue sharing from Clinton Arnold's Powers of Darkness. And, uh, as promised, uh, today we will be sharing from the section of his book called, called— dun dun dun dun— Jewish Magic. So if you want to see what Jewish magic is all about, uh, go to mtforchrist.org and you'll be able to see that excerpt from Clinton Arnold's book at the end of today's blog post. As always, we encourage a life of Christian discipleship and we offer our teachings from 2021 to help you with that in your walk. Uh, we did classes for Victor Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, and Freedom in Christ, and they're all available on the podcast and our YouTube channel, both called M.t. for Christ 247. Um, and like I said, we don't have Bible study this weekend, but if you want to check out one of our old episodes of Bible study with the Sencottis, they are available on the podcast and the YouTube channel as well. So I want to thank everyone for listening, uh, and I think I should pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us safely here to Maine. And Lord, we look forward to the, uh, the worship that we're going to enjoy today at this Christian concert. Lord, we just pray for our— your, uh, your protection and guidance as we go about our day, to, to care for one another and to fully enjoy your presence at this event. Uh, Lord, we pray for all the people listening as well. We pray for you to go before them today in their work days, um, and to give them cause to thank God it's Friday, and, uh, more than just the, the end of the work week. Uh, Lord, we just pray for you to come alongside them in their prayer requests and to guide them in the way they should go. Lord, we pray for you to open all of our eyes to what you want us to see today. And, uh, to lead our feet into the things you want us to walk in. We pray, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.