When I (Keith) was a young boy, our family would take a week each summer to load up the car and set out on a road-trip to go visit with relatives. Our road-trip often led us to see relatives living several states away from our home in Virginia Beach, Virginia. During one of those lengthy car rides, Mom turned to my two brothers and I and, in an attempt at dispelling the boredom, said, "Hey boys, let's play a game. Let's see who can spot the most license plates from different states."
All of us were spotting and calling out different state license plates when Mom pointed at a car and announced, "There's one from Missouri: The Show-Me State!" I hadn't heard that before so I immediately asked her, "Why do they call Missouri 'The Show-Me State'?" She smiled and replied, "I guess it's because the people from Missouri want to 'see the proof' before they believe what someone tells them."
What Mom said in the car that day came rushing back to the front of my mind when our Sunday School teacher introduced us to the man in The Holy Bible, "doubting Thomas." Christ Jesus' own disciple refused to believe despite seeing Him perform miracles and hearing Him proclaim His own death to come, the grave where His body would be laid, and His resurrection back to life that would happen "on the third day". Thomas doubted because his faith was weak.
The instant that the apostle Thomas became branded "doubting Thomas" came soon after Christ Jesus had been resurrected. "Doubting Thomas" became his brand from that point on. Our Lord had already appeared to some of His disciples, "But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen The LORD. But he, Thomas, said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe (John 20:24-25)."
As an "unbelieving Believer" in Jesus being raised from the dead, Thomas said, "Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe (John 20:25)." His presumptuous words notwithstanding, Thomas' days as a doubter would soon come to a screeching halt. Jesus had a plan, already knowing that Thomas would react the way he did. Thomas, an "unbelieving Believer" at this point, would get help to become a "believing Believer" in The LORD Jesus Christ and would also be the one to provide a powerful lesson of "faith" for his fellow-disciples as well as for all Believers in Jesus Christ who were to come, all the way from then-to-now.
In John 20 we read, "And after eight days again His disciples were within (the upper room), and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My LORD and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed (John 20:26-29)."
Thomas' encounter with The Risen Savior was dramatic, to say the very least! The LORD Jesus Christ challenged Thomas to put his hand into the opening in His side - the place where the soldier had thrust his spear into Jesus' lifeless body after He had died as He hung on The Cross of Calvary. Immediately upon taking Jesus' challenge, Thomas was stunned to the point that all he could say was, "My LORD and my God." Jesus then acknowledged Thomas' declaration of faith, his new-found belief, that Jesus is indeed The LORD Jesus Christ of God... The LORD Jesus Christ IS Who He said He IS and DID everything He said He would do.
As a result of Thomas' conversion from being an "unbelieving Believer" to becoming a "Believing Believer" Christ Jesus pronounced a special blessing, but not upon Thomas. Jesus blessed those who, unlike Thomas, will believe in Him without having seen Him or having experienced what one might refer to as a major miracle in their life first. Jesus declared that Thomas came to "see" Him as The LORD before he would believe, but blessed are they that have not "seen" and yet believe.
"Afterward He (Jesus Christ) appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided (rebuked) them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen. And He (Jesus Christ) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach The Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after The LORD had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they (Jesus Christ's disciples) went forth, and preached every where, The LORD working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen (Mark 16:14-20)."
As a team and family of Toward The Mark in these final days before Christ returns, we are focused and intentional to follow The Holy Trinity as we go, "... into all the world and preach The Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15)." Please know that Bren and I pray for you daily that the lives you encounter, whether in person or by phone or online, will experience The LORD Jesus Christ in and through your Life. We pray that, as you go into the world in the coming months, The Holy Spirit will leave in your wake "believing Believers" in Jesus Christ... Believers who see your "unshakable faith" in God's Word and The Way in The LORD Jesus!
It is our heartfelt desire that this letter will help to "challenge" and "encourage" our Christian brothers and sisters, each of us in the family, to share personal testimonies of faith, all for the purpose of "winning souls". "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise (Proverb 11:30)." Please let us know if there is any way we can further assist in your personal faith-building campaigns.
We love you and are humbled by your eternally-appreciated visit here with us. Each time we see the number of blog downloads go up, we rejoice. We are ever-grateful to receive our Father's love through your support and sharing in our work spreading The Gospel of Jesus Christ and The Gospel He preached.
As a ministry family and team here at Toward The Mark, our mission and vision is to lead everyone we come in contact with into the saving knowledge of our wonder-full King Jesus Christ! As that great day of our Lord's return draws closer with each passing day, who do you know that may need encouraged by this blog message you can forward on to them this week?
"The LORD gave the word: great was the company of those that published it (Psalm 68:11)."
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.
This blog channel, along with the complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other Bible-based resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Sponsorship Family. We'd like to invite you to come on-board, to become a part of the TTM Family as well, by becoming a monthly financial partner. Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools that are available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, who desire to know more of the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us, as we, "...press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)
see and hear, follow and share, more from our TTM team:
~ Keith and Brenda "Becoming God's End Time Executives" BetweenTheLinesTTM Podcast
~ Special "WHAT THE DEVIL DOESN'T WANT US TO KNOW" Video on Rumble
~ The Shealys and Toward The Mark Videos on Brighteon
~ From our 1st-ever Audio Book "LETTERS FROM THE FRONT"
Mail tax-deductible contributions by check or money order made out to:
Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!
To help you further your fight to victory through the battles that confront every one of us in these turbulent times we live in, get your copy of our book, " LETTERS FROM THE FRONT." In this collection of 12 letters written from the front lines of battle fought in the spiritual, natural, and theater of the mind, Keith's Scripture messages will build your faith and help you reach God's full potential for your life."LETTERS FROM THE FRONT"
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