Sunday March 2, 2025
17:57 HRS
76°F Sunny and breezy
Bible Verse: PSALMS 119:10
“I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.”
PSALMS 119:10
-Morning-
Sunday is church day.
I attended church service at the Ocala Farm Ministry this morning. It was a light congregation- smaller than it was a couple of years ago when I had attended. Chaplain Bob was so inviting! His smile was the light of the room!
Before the service began, I wrote about a recent experience. I wrote:
“As I walk in, I observe immediate fear and condemning curiosity. Sinners,scared of the unknown. The one woman prostrated her eyes and averted them, as to not meet mine. She does not want me here, because she is not happy with herself. She sees that I am a Mirror. I am reminded of JAMES 1:22-24.
JAMES 1:22-24
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”
My current anger with society is directed at people like she. “Stop it!” is my attitude. “Stop sinning by expressing fear towards me! Stop being scared of the unknown! Yes, fear the Lord; however, God is not, “unknown”.
Indeed, we may not see the Lord’s face; but we do KNOW him. Do you have no faith in His son’s message?
The anger I observe is not a sin, but is a symptom and an expression of their hidden sins, which they even refuse to admit, (or confess,) to God! (See PSALM 119:6-7.) “
Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all your commands.
I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws.”
I remember: “Love the Lord, your God, first, with all your heart; and have no other Gods before me.”
“Love the Lord, first…” is the most important commandment! (Even according to Jesus!)”
Church Service Starts.
“Good Morning!” Chaplain Bob greeted us from the pulpit. Then, he quickly corrected himself, “…or ‘good noon’! (he commented on how he was a half an hour late for service today.) He happily proclaimed that, yesterday, he and his wife, Dee, had celebrated thirty-two years of marriage together!
He welcomed me into the congregation, saying, “Chip is here! He studies the Bible a lot and takes a lot of notes. Maybe you will be on his list where he sends blogs and things. Sometimes, I need an interpreter to read it, but,…”. Bob left it at that.
Chaplain went on to proclaim, “If you have no fear of death, what could you fear in life?!?” Then, he asked, “Ronnie, do you have a story for us?”
“I do!” Ronnie answered. He approached the pulpit and embraced Chaplain Bob in a to which Bob responded, “Squeeze a little harder; crack my back!”
Ronnie, wearing white gloves, told how his family had driven him to Walmart to get him some underwear and a pair of Sketchers.
Then, Pastor Doug had a short message for us. He stated that Jesus gave us peace between God and us. Jesus told us to show good will towards men. “Not peace between you and your fellow man, but peace between you and God.”
Doug read from the book of LUKE, chapter 10, verses 30 through 35.
“In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’”
Luke 10:30-25
Pastor Doug explained, “WE are the ones robbing and beating the man who the Good Samaritan helped! Christ is the Good Samaritan- the Redeemer! “We are to forgive others as the Lord has forgiven us!.”
After that, Chaplain Bob made a statement, from which I copied him saying, “You don’t even like me; why should I help you?” This rhetorical question began a thought process for me which was quickly interrupted by paying attention to the next speaker from the pulpit, Dee.
Dee shared how the women’s Bible study was studying the book of REVELATION and cross referencing it, therefore, “owning the knowledge, not just having someone tell us; but we owned it!” Dee referenced how men do not attend the Bible study; yet, when they do, they do not stay long.
This made me curious why this church does not have a Men’s Bible study.
Dee referenced the book of DANIEL, chapter seven, along with MATTHEW 16:14-16 and MATTHEW 12:1-8.
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
Matthew 16:13-16
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.
Matthew 12:1-8
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.
Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Dee told us, “Our ultimate work in life is to be like Jesus for the rest of the world.” “Jesus seeks to save lost people.”
Then, Rachael, “…had something a little quick.”
“Who is the authority?” She rhetorically asked. “Who do we follow?” She bought up D.O.G.E. and, “The List of Five Things”. “Who are we working for?” Rachael asked the congregation.
I admit, Rachael’s “…a little something quick,” inspired me to continue us writing a piece I have been working on (in my head,) concerning working, “for,” a boss or a company as opposed to doing work for yourself- your own well-being.
She went-on to reference the Ten Commandments and stated, “The first four are between you and God; the last six are between you and man.”
Chaplain Bob took the pulpit again. He spoke how there is always something going on in the world. “There’s always something going on!” Most importantly, he reminded us that, “there is always a way to do the Lord’s work even though you think you have something other to do today.”
He reverenced the book of JOHN 9:1-?…. Then, he told a story of a man watching the attendant who lit the gas street lamps a long, long time ago, telling us that the observer proclaimed,
“Look! He’s punching holes in the darkness!”
Street Observer
Chaplain Bob spoke of ISAIAH, chapter fifty-five. “Without Christ, you live without purpose! You are the walking-dead; you are zombies! …. Distracted to get our next meal!” (Paraphrased)
He reminded us of one of the most powerful messages found in the book of JEREMIAH:
JEREMIAH 29:13
‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Chaplain Bob then told the story of the man who was blind for thirty years before Jesus restored his sight. To recap his telling of the tale, here, would not do his sermon justice! “Was it worth it? (Being blind all this time to, now, see…) I don’t know!” Bob professed.
One amazing thing Chaplain Bob pointed out was this question: “Was it worth it? …. Being blind for thirty years to come to this moment?” (seeing all of the beautiful colors of the world, etc,…
“What was the first thing he saw? … …. Jesus!
“I was blind; but, now, I see!”
“Changing the human heart toward the miracle of eternity is the most beautiful thing in the world!”
Chaplain Bob Miller
“We are a peculiar people.” Chaplain Bob encouraged us. “Every morning, I wake up, and I thank God!” He happily proclaimed!
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
1 PETER 2:9
He referenced 2 CORINTHIANS 4:3.
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.”
2 CORINTHIANS 4:3
We held, “The Last Supper,” by humbly and graciously taking communion. Bob recognized the Love Jesus had for His father, even knowing that his own father had condemned him to death. “None of u s will experience that kind of love!” He informed us.
One thing I noticed about today’s service which is different than any other church service I have ever been to in my life is that we did not pass a plate around asking for money. Indeed, tithing is important; but the fact that we did not, today, shows that the Ocala Farm Ministry is separate from most other churches, because most churches focus more on donations than on The Word. The Ocala Farm Ministry is so focused on The Word of God that profit from money is farther from their agenda, so the real work of Jesus does, by deed, reign within the body of the church!
