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 grace, 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 (its 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 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.

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: John 19:31-33

Breaking the legs of the victims of crucifixion hastened their death. With the legs intact, the crucified individual could continue to push his body upward in order to breathe thus prolonging his life. With the legs broken the victim could no longer support or push his body upward to catch a breath, thus hastening death by suffocation. By the breaking of the legs the only means to continue to live is removed.

Scripture teaches that the issues of life stem from the heart. Jesus taught that what comes from the mouth comes from the heart. Jeremiah instructed us that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it.

The author of Proverbs admonishes us over and over to write on the tablet of one’s heart the Word of God and to keep one’s heart with all diligence. It is impossible to do this with a heart in rebellion to God. It is impossible to do this with a heart that justifies itself. A broken heart is one that can no longer justify its sin. A broken heart is one that can no longer support its natural state of rebellion to God. A broken heart is one that has given up all support from self-justification. A broken heart is one that has accepted the verdict of guilty before God. A broken heart is one that is ready to trust Jesus Christ and His merit alone as its only hope of salvation.

The God of Scripture is the God who justifieth (declares righteous) the guilty. Messiah Jesus took our sins upon Himself so that we may receive within ourselves the righteousness of God.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. II Corinthians 5:21

Is it the amount of time spent on things that have no eternal value?

Is it the lack of real investment in other people’s lives?

Is it the uncertainty of your relationship with God?

Is it for the lack of a clear conscience?

Is it the emptiness of your religion?

Is your life empty?

Are you alone?

Jesus never fails.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace………Ephesians 1:7.

The apostle Paul makes a profound statement in 1 Corinthians 2:16: “We have the mind of Christ.” In having confidence in God’s Word, we have access to the mind of Christ. We know what He thinks and wills. We know what pleases Him and what displeases Him. We know what He loves and what He hates. We know what He commands and what He forbids. We understand all that because He has enabled us to understand it. And so we live our lives embracing the wonder of His inexplicable grace to us.*

*From Why You Can Trust the Bible by John MacArthur, page 22-23, copyright 2025.

Yohance was a homeless man who found Christ at the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago. His observations after establishing a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ are as follows:

I hadn’t realized how far I was from Christ. I didn’t realize how far I was from God until now.

One thing I’ve learned is that I cannot trust my own thinking. My thoughts are not always accurate if they are not aligned with God’s principles.

I always knew about God and the Bible, but I never had a personal relationship with Him. I used to think that I could sin, ask forgiveness, and go right back to sinning again (no repentance), assuming that God would just keep forgiving me.

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

We pray because those who are out of our reach are never out of His.

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Matthew 13:53-56a

And he (Jesus) went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. Mark 6:1-3

Then after three years I (Paul) went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. Galatians 1:19

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

Note: Joseph is not mentioned in these passages, so it is assumed that he had already passed from this life.

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Proverbs 30:5&6