<html><head></head><body><div><div><div>Acts 1;21-26<div><br></div><div><b>21. So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,</b></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;Beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us—</b></div><div><b>one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”</b></div><div><b>23. &nbsp;And they put forward two, Joseph called Barabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.</b></div><div><b>24. &nbsp;And they prayed and said, “Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men; show which one of these two thou hast chosen</b></div><div><b>25. &nbsp;To take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place.”</b></div><div><b>26. &nbsp;And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven disciples.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>The phrase, <i>“go out, and come in” &nbsp;</i>is used in scripture to describe one who ‘goes out to war and returns with victories’. &nbsp;(see, 1 Samuel 18;13-16). It is applied not only to David the commander of a thousand Israelite warriors, but, in our text today it is also referring to Jesus.</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord told Peter to put away his sword in the garden. &nbsp;So, the kind of warfare Jesus was doing was not battling&nbsp;worldly armies of Israel’s enemies, but rather battling Satan, and his host of demonic forces who opposed the kingdom of God (through the leaders of Israel, Judas Iscariot,&nbsp;and to a lesser degree,&nbsp;Rome and all sinful flesh). &nbsp;His warfare was not to shed their blood, but his own. &nbsp;He did it to deliver us from serving the forces of darkness to make us warriors of light.</div><div><br></div><div>As a new pastor in Marlette, Michigan one of my parishioners was an elderly man named Johann, who could not speak English at all, only German. &nbsp;My German is terrible. &nbsp;We communicated through the liturgy of Word and Sacrament. &nbsp;This language we both understood, the consecrated body and blood of Jesus for our forgiveness and eternal life. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He was a poor man born in Austria. He&nbsp;was captured by the Germans early in WW2, made a soldier in Heer&nbsp;Wehrmacht, the Nazi Army. &nbsp;He was sent to the eastern front to battle Russians. &nbsp;He was captured and was given the choice of remaining a prisoner or becoming a soldier in the Russian Red&nbsp;Army. &nbsp;He chose to fight against the Germans whom he once served.</div><div><br></div><div>He switched sides, so have we. &nbsp;Christ has captured us who were once his&nbsp;enemies, His mercy and love compels the new life in us to serve him and fight against our former loyalties. Now with Christ, we too <i>“go out and come in” </i>daily, moment by moment,&nbsp;as we battle against our former captors;&nbsp;sin, death, and the devil.</div><div><br></div><div>Please take time to read Psalm 121, I promise, it will be a blessing to you.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, open the eyes of our faith to see the enemy at war with our soul and spirit in the battle ground of our flesh, still trying to command our service. &nbsp;Grant us increase of faith and knowledge of the truth, that we in&nbsp;freedom (which&nbsp;Christ died and rose to give us), would deny ourselves daily and ‘go out and come in with him’. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</div><div><br></div><div><br><br><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>

Acts 1;21-26
21. So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,22.  Beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”23.  And they put forward two, Joseph called Barabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.24.  And they prayed and said, “Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men; show which one of these two thou hast chosen25.  To take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place.”26.  And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven disciples.
The phrase, “go out, and come in”  is used in scripture to describe one who ‘goes out to war and returns with victories’.  (see, 1 Samuel 18;13-16). It is applied not only to David the commander of a thousand Israelite warriors, but, in our text today it is also referring to Jesus.
Our Lord told Peter to put away his sword in the garden.  So, the kind of warfare Jesus was doing was not battling worldly armies of Israel’s enemies, but rather battling Satan, and his host of demonic forces who opposed the kingdom of God (through the leaders of Israel, Judas Iscariot, and to a lesser degree, Rome and all sinful flesh).  His warfare was not to shed their blood, but his own.  He did it to deliver us from serving the forces of darkness to make us warriors of light.
As a new pastor in Marlette, Michigan one of my parishioners was an elderly man named Johann, who could not speak English at all, only German.  My German is terrible.  We communicated through the liturgy of Word and Sacrament.  This language we both understood, the consecrated body and blood of Jesus for our forgiveness and eternal life.  
He was a poor man born in Austria. He was captured by the Germans early in WW2, made a soldier in Heer Wehrmacht, the Nazi Army.  He was sent to the eastern front to battle Russians.  He was captured and was given the choice of remaining a prisoner or becoming a soldier in the Russian Red Army.  He chose to fight against the Germans whom he once served.
He switched sides, so have we.  Christ has captured us who were once his enemies, His mercy and love compels the new life in us to serve him and fight against our former loyalties. Now with Christ, we too “go out and come in” daily, moment by moment, as we battle against our former captors; sin, death, and the devil.
Please take time to read Psalm 121, I promise, it will be a blessing to you.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, open the eyes of our faith to see the enemy at war with our soul and spirit in the battle ground of our flesh, still trying to command our service.  Grant us increase of faith and knowledge of the truth, that we in freedom (which Christ died and rose to give us), would deny ourselves daily and ‘go out and come in with him’.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”



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