They (the Pharisees) answered and said unto him (Jesus), Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. 

Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself,

Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

John 8:39-47

…let the word of Christ dwell (take up its life) in you richly…

On an occasion when the renowned 19th-century evangelist D.L. Moody shared his faith with a stranger, this man aggressively told him to “mind his own business.” Moody quietly replied, “That is my business.”*

Another popular anecdote often recounted by Moody goes as follows:

A layman (or DL Moody himself) approached a woman and asked if she knew Christ. When the woman recounted the interaction to her husband, he was annoyed and asked, “Why didn’t you tell him to mind his own business?” She answered: “You would have thought it was his business.” *

And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Acts 11:26

The disciples were publicly called Christians, because this was their chief business.**

What is your chief business?

*D.L. Moody Life anecdotes – Public Domain

**WE Vines Expository Dictionary of Old & NT Words – pg 87.

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. Matthew 18:11; Luke 19:10

Lost – apollumi – its meaning comes from two words: the first (622)* – to cut off/to amputate; the second (3039)* – to grind to powder.
Hence in the active voice; to destroy, to perish, kill.**

The wages of sin is death.

The soul that sinneth, it shall surely die.

Physical death is separation from the body. Spiritual death is separation from God.

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…

*Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – Greek Ref. 622 & 3039.

**WE Vines Expository Dictionary of Old & NT Words – pg 380.

How can it be that two men, both who claim to be Christian, can differ so much in their interpretation of Scripture?

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. I Corinthians 1:10

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. I Corinthians 2:9-16

Could it be that one or both men are destitute of the Holy Spirit?

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but
holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. II Peter 1:21

Since the Holy Spirit authored the Word of God, He will never lead contrary to His Word. Those who contradict Scripture are false teachers and unbelievers.

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?*

That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that** (when) ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,…….Ephesians 1:12 &13

…let the word of Christ dwell (take up its life) in you richly…

*What does it mean to believe? See blog article; The Gospel According to Scripture.

** “After that” you believed is an accurate translation, but there are some who have abused the passing of time between believing and receiving the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 says; But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. In other words, if you do not have the Holy Spirit in you, you are not a Christian. Therefore we must conclude that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer at the moment of regeneration (the moment one is born from above), “when” one truly believes*.

So what is the point? Not everyone who is trying to tell you what the Scripture says and means is a true believer. Since the Holy Spirit is ultimately the author of Scripture, He will never lead contrary to the written Word of God in spite of what some may claim. Contradiction of Scripture (Scripture is the only basis for Christian belief), is the mark of an unbeliever and a false teacher.

Do you see huge discrepancies throughout professing Christendom? Perhaps it is because many are destitute of the Holy Spirit. Ask God for discernment and compare all teaching, to the written Word.

Could it be that bitterness develops when the Christian refuses to see the hand of God in everything in his or her life?

And we know that all things work together for good* to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Which one is true of you?

*Good in Scripture refers to that which accomplishes God’s purpose.

…let the word of Christ dwell (take up its life) in you richly…

William Shakespeare’s MacBeth – Act V Scene 1 – AI Overview

In Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 1, Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking and obsessively trying to wash imaginary bloodstains from her hands. While she once confidently told her husband, “A little water clears us of this deed,” her guilt later makes her realize that no physical cleaning agent can remove the metaphorical spot of her sins.

When the doctor observes Lady MacBeth in Act 5, Scene 1, he concludes that her sickness is mental, not physical, saying “More needs she the divine than the physician”. He indicates that only spiritual help, not a physical wash, can remedy her guilty conscience.

Lady Macbeth cries, “Out, damned spot!” and realizes that the stain is permanent, highlighting that the guilt is in her mind’s eye rather than on her skin. The play emphasizes that the blood is a symbol of irreversible moral guilt, meaning there is no solution to cleanse her hands.

The central tragedy is that no one can tell her how to cleanse her hands, because she is dealing with the psychological consequences of her actions.

Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?  Proverbs 20:9

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

Teach all nations…..

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:18-20

Last month (April 2026) leadinghorsestowater.net received hits from over 120 different nations. By far and away the United States had the most hits and there were some countries with only one. It is gratifying to know that we are able to reach around the world with the message of salvation from Scripture through a simple blog. While we do not know who you are, if you are a Christian, we look forward to the day we meet face to face in His presence. We pray that you will know the hope (confident assurance) of His calling, the riches of His inheritance, and the power (sustaining power) of His resurrection in your life (Ephesians 1:18-20).

Beginning at Jerusalem (at home)…….

Then opened he (Jesus) their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Luke 24:45-47

We have lived, worked, and sown seed (the Word is all good seed) in the Sioux City, Iowa area for over thirty years. If you are a blog regular or visitor and are looking for a church home in our area, we invite you to visit Heritage Baptist Church in North Sioux City, South Dakota. Heritage Baptist is located at 205 Louis Avenue. Our services are at 10 & 11 am on Sunday morning and at 7 pm on Wednesday evening.

Heritage Baptist is not a traditional Baptist church. Visitors are usually advised not to give monetarily to Heritage until they come to understand what this ministry is all about. Heritage does not practice Faith Promise giving. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. II Corinthians 8:12

Heritage Website: www.heritagebaptistnorthsioux.com

…let the word of Christ dwell (take up its life) in you richly…

In my darkness Jesus found me,
Touched my eyes and made me see.
Broke sin’s chains that longed had bound me,
Gave me life and liberty.

Chorus:

O glorious love of Christ my Lord, divine
That made Him stoop to save a soul like mine.
Through all my days and then in heaven above,
My soul will silence never.
I’ll worship Him forever
And praise Him for His glorious love.

O amazing truth to ponder.
He whom angel hosts attend.
Lord of Heaven, God’s son what wonder
He became the sinner’s friend.

Repeat chorus:

O glorious love of Christ my Lord, divine
That made Him stoop to save a soul like mine.
Through all my days and then in heaven above,
My soul will silence never.
I’ll worship Him forever
And praise Him for His glorious love.

And praise Him for His glorious love.
And praise Him for His glorious love.

C 1970 John W. Peterson Music Company. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Pilate therefore said unto him (Jesus), Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?

………….thy word is truth. John 17:17

Jesus saith unto him (Thomas), I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. John 14:6

“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”

― Winston S. Churchill

There is an account given from an elderly pastor who, when looking back on his ministry, said that in the beginning he believed Christians just needed to know the Bible. As years passed his thinking changed to Christians just need to learn to obey Scripture. And then finally in his later years, he realized that what Christians really need is to know the God of the Bible.

Jesus speaking……Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.