Monthly Archives: July 2013

Redeeming the Time – Making the Most of the Moment

Posted on July 16, 2013 by if4es

In Ephesians, we are exhorted to buy back the time, or as the Holman Christian Standard Bible puts it: “making the most of the time, since the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%205:15-16&version=NKJV;CEV;HCSB;MSG;NIV

Life is not to be wasted: no frittering away time with cheap sins and silly chatter. Get to the Good News.

This need not be boring. Is God boring? Is God bored? God is interested in your life and thinks about your life all the time. Are you boring? God is constantly supervising a universe that could easily implode were it not for the fact that He sustains the constants and restrains evil.

God is active is redeeming people today. Are you?

Are you redeemed? Are you out of the slave market, or are you always looking for another dollar and another way to serve yourself? Are you confused by all the options that the modern world offers you? OR … Are you free to serve the Living God?

Jesus is calling sinners to repentance. Are you calling sinners to repentance? There are two options, sin or repent and call sinners to repentance. If you think there is such a thing as holy selfishness, you are wrong. If you want to draw near the Lord, labor to share His Name with others. It is not a heavy load.

Jesus is the root of all joy. So when you share Jesus, you are sharing joy. If someone rejects joy by rejecting Jesus, you can keep your joy because you are being honored by suffering the same rejection that they gave to the prophets. If your message of joy in Jesus is received, you have the joy of sharing the Love of your life with another and growing the family of God.

If you receive Jesus as your joy, all of heaven rejoices with you and you will probably want to share Jesus with others.

Are you happy? Are you joyful? Jesus likes it when you look to Him and when your eyes meet His in the secret place, He will smile at you. The smile of King Jesus will give you LIFE!! Oh, friend, don’t look to your own resources. Look to Jesus. Don’t waste your life on lesser things. Let every little detail of your life serve to glorify God.

If you are a carpenter, build up the Kingdom. If you are a plumber, drain away the old ways. If you are a doctor, bring healing. If you are a government employee, admininister justice with mercy. If you are a missionary, go in the power of the Lord and help others find peace with God.

You say, Oh, but you don’t know how much I have to do each day!

Let God help you through the day and you will find your load lighter.

You say, Oh, but you don’t know how much I have sinned and how far I am from God’s mercy!

Did you know that you cannot escape God’s mercy in this life. Seek Him while He may be found. Cry out for His help! He will come to you in a moment.

Do you not understand?

Pray for wisdom.

Are you sick?

Pray for healing.

DO NOT GIVE UP.

Jesus loves you.

Every moment, focus on the work God is calling you to do. In those slow times, pray for others or simply thank Jesus that you have found rest for your soul.

My heart is happy because I got to talk to someone about Jesus today. This is my mission in life: to talk to people about Jesus and to listen to God’s heart about those I see. He loves people. So I usually have something to talk to Him about. I must confess, sometimes, I find it hard to be quiet, so I will go do that now: be still and know that He is God. He will be exalted among the nations. He will be exalted in the earth.

Categories: Evangelism, Good News, Prayer, Revival | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What is IF4ES?

Posted on July 16, 2013 by if4es

IF4ES is an International Fellowship for Everyday Saints.
… OR

Mert at Park

Mert at Park


IF4ES is an intermittent fool for the eternal Savior.
IF4ES is about instituting freedom for enduring studies.
IF4ES is about initiating friendships for emotional stability.
IF4ES is a bunch of internet files for expressing salvation.
IF4ES is a bunch interesting forums for evangelical service.

We meet in restaurants, on busses, in church buildings, in homes, on the web, on the street, on college campuses. Wherever you find 2-3 Christians, you will immediately forage for the everlasting Sovereign. I.e. We are about witnessing to the Good News of Jesus.

If you met me in the community somewhere, I may have given you a booklet or Bible. I may have given you a DVD or New Testament in your language or another book to point you to Jesus. If you met me at church, I may have urged you to pray for the nations. Perhaps you received a prayer booklet or other reminder to pray. If you met me elsewhere, you may think I am weird. What matters though is that I follow Jesus. If you are not currently attending church, please check out the “Find a Gathering” link at the top of the page and find a church near where you live. If you think I should add a church to the list, email me, and I might do that.

If you will look to Him, you will find Jesus is already looking for you. Has He found you? Are you founded upon Him? Perhaps you would like to know how you can have peace with God.

Let me encourage you to write me to request a New Testament or to read through the following Books of the Bible online: Luke, John, Acts, Romans at one of the links above or download the YouVersion app (or contact me for a paper copy if you so desire). Each time you read, pray that God would show you something about Jesus and what He would have you obey. When you hear or read something you think is helpful, give thanks and apply it to your life as simply and as quickly as possible. If something seems relevant to life and if you have truly learned it from the Holy Scriptures, who can you share it with? Truth is never meant to be kept to yourself. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I live in Washtenaw County, and would be happy to meet you if you can contact me.

Jesus died on the cross to take away your sins.
He was buried according to the Scriptures.
On the third day, he rose again according to the Scriptures and was seen by many people.
If Jesus is alive, it makes all the difference in the world!
Jesus IS alive! He lives!! You can face tomorrow. There is hope!

Talk to Jesus about the bad things you have done and the good things He has done for you. Ask Him your questions and ask Him for Help each day. Dedicate your day to him when you get up in the morning. Dedicate your sleep at night. Consecrate your meals to Him. Offer your work to Him as a life of sacrifice. Live for Jesus 100%!!

International Fellowship for Everyday Saints is not so much about organizing a new denomination, but about prodding people in all existing denominations and religions to ardently pursue the Living God by obeying the risen Jesus Christ as Lord over all.

These posts seek to take everyday matters and orient them around the Hope that we have in Jesus: He is Lord and He will come back to reconcile all things in Himself to God the Father. We believe the Son of God, i.e. God the Son, is the only way to meet the true God. It is not shirk to call Jesus God or to say God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ Jesus. Nor is it arrogance for Jesus to assert all authority in heaven and earth. Nor is it pride or triumphalism for Christians to walk in the Light of that power. These statements and commands are found in the Word of God. I am a mere slave of the Word.

If you ever find anything in the Bible (and particularly the commands of Jesus) that I am not obeying, please do not hesitate to communicate that with me in a direct and gentle manner. I want to learn and grow.

Humility is measured by the degree to which one conforms to the suffering of Jesus on the cross. I, Mert Hershberger, do not want to be found lacking on the last day; so I will gladly embrace suffering, whether emotional, physical, or financial, as an opportunity for the dynamic expression of Christ to be at work in me.

Key verses of mine: Psalm 2:8, “Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession. … if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22

Please email me at mertaka (at) everybody (dot) org if you would like to correspond with me.

You may also write to me at
Bro. Mert Hershberger
P.O. Box 981215
Ypsilanti, MI 48198-1215

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The basis for the following invitation is Job 19:21, 23, 25-27.

“Y’all, pity me, pity me, my friends, for God’s hand has touched me. Who then shall give that my words would be recorded and printed in a book? I myself know my Redeemer: The Living and The Last-He will stand upon the dust. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, from my flesh I will see God, Whom I myself will see for myself. Him my eyes wil see and not a stranger. My heart faints within me …” (MERT: my English-rendered translation)

Later Job’s “friends” were thus moved by God to give to support him when they realized that his poverty was permitted by God to allow them to be generous. If you contribute to this ministry, I will eagerly pray for you. Even if you don’t give, I will pray for you, if you ask. Philippians 3:12-14. If you are not feeling like a saint, please do not share your finances with me unless you are trying to repay a debt. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and to be in right standing with Him, then the finances will be found.”

Monies given are used to pay for the communication of the Gospel, including such things as Bibles and Evangelistic DVDs.

If you are interested in contributing to the ministry entrusted to me of building up the saints for works of service and evangelism among least reached and least prominent people and nations (particularly those living in Washtenaw County), you may do so at the following site:

https://ccc2.securesites.net/index.php?option=com_catalog&view=node&Itemid=6&id=117:if4es

Anyone who contributes $50 or more to the ministry and leaves their address in the contact information, will receive 1 poetry book titled “Peasant Perfume: Poems, Proverbs, Prayers, and Parables” when the book is published.

If you cannot afford to contribute anything, but would like to pray for me, please do so. If you would like to curse me, remember, there is no sorcery against God’s people! Beware. God is my defense. The blood of Jesus atones for my sin and for the sin of all who repent and turn to Jesus.

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New Saudi Weekend Honors Sabbath: Will Bless both Jews and Arabs.

Posted on July 5, 2013 by if4es

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia recently opened up the way for Saudi’s weekend to come more in line with Jewish and Christian interpretations of the weekend: Friday-Saturday rather than Thursday-Friday. Most markets around the weekend follow the Jewish or Jewish-Christian pattern of taking the Sabbath (i.e. commonly called Saturday) off.

Take a poll!

Bloomberg’s article on economic implications:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-23/saudi-arabia-changes-weekend-to-friday-saturday-spa-reports.html

More significant than the economic implications though are the implications for how this is a partial fulfillment that the earth is the Lord’s & everything in it. The Lord chose the Jews and revealed the Sabbath to them as a day to work and rest. I encourage everyone to take time to do that: to rest from all work. What is interesting about this, is that it is a sign that Arab peoples are reconciling with the culture of the Jews, even if the motive is temporal financial gain. What will this lead to, but Life from the dead … when they honor the Sabbath which remains: the finished work of Jesus on the cross!

Jesus, Isa-al Masih is the real establisher Sabbath. He is Lord of the Sabbath. He is the Sabbath, or rest of completion in that he enables us to relax in Him. We no longer need to worry about anything. We are now free to work productively and be happy because we are no longer slaves to sin. Maybe one day all Saudis will be liberated from all oppression of all sinful desires, but first it helps to have the law conform to the Law of the Lord.

If you do what blesses the Jews, you will be blessed. Jews are being blessed as they follow a form, how much more will they be blessed when they follow the Lord with their whole heart!! Muslims in Saudi Arabia are prospering a little financially as they serve God with their lips and actions while their hearts are far from Him. Consider what would happen if they loved the Lord in both soul and spirit, with their heart and their whole life:

1. They would find salvation as they trusted the Word of God, as they became slaves of the Word of God (Kalimattullah).
2. They would spread the Good News of Jesus rather than the laws of the desert.
3. They would reconcile fully with Israel.
4. They would stop funding the spread of false teaching.
5. They would labor to free Muslims from honoring Muhammed as the Greatest and give that Honor to the Lord alone.
6. They would work harder and value hard work as befitting good fruit for good lives.
7. They would find happiness in life.
8. They would see the desert bloom.
9. They would cease calling down judgment and building Mosques for the LAW.
10. They give in ways that bless Jews and Christians around the world.

If you are a Christian or Jew, consider praying for the full salvation of Saudi Arabia.
If you are a Saudi, consider praying to God for a full revelation of the Sabbath.

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