Edwin R Eby

Menno Simons was an Anabaptist religious leader in Freisland. Today this area is a province of The Netherlands. Menno was an influential leader of the Anabaptist movement but he did not found the Mennonite Church. The Anabaptist movement was begun by Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz and George Blourock in Zurich, Switzerland, eleven years before Menno renounced the Roman Church.

Menno’s followers were first nicknamed Mennists and later became known as Mennonites. Menno had hoped and begged that people would not use his name to identify themselves. His plea was that they name Christ.

Michael Sattler was an early Anabaptist martyr. He was born in Stauffen, Germany about 1490. Michael entered the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter’s near Freiberg, Germany where he probably became its prior. During the 1520’s, Michael left the monastery. This was probably due to theological differences and disgust over the depraved lives of the monks and priests.

Thanksgiving Day as known to North America is a harvest festival. As celebrated in the United States and Canada, it is traditionally a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude.

Truth is urgent. Urgency in passionately preaching the truth is urgent. Jesus urgently and passionately taught the will of His Father in Heaven though it cost His life. Paul urgently and passionately declared the whole counsel of God until he was pure from the blood of all men.

Criticism and compliment are opposite. Criticism is disfavor toward. Compliment is favor toward. Neither is innately amoral. Both potentially stem from attitudes of love or hate. Both can bless or curse—the implications heavily dependent upon both the giver and receiver.

Daniel was not at home. Daniel lived imprisoned in land that was not his choice. It was the king of Babylon’s country. It was a rich land indeed— the wealthiest of the age—the most powerful of all earth kingdoms, but it was not Daniel’s home. No doubt Daniel’s choices were many and his accountability only personal. Daniel was a eunuch, why not celebrate?

They say Easter is a symbol of new things.

Folks seem to take extreme pleasure in new things—new cars, new houses, new tools, new machinery, new clothes, new books—new, new, new. There is no end of “new stuff” of carnal value. Carnality certainly finds great satisfaction in the carnal new. Economics rely upon them. All new things of carnal value await a destiny of infernal fire. Soon, they will pass away. Then whose will these new things be?

Five pillars of reformation era theology influenced our forefathers. 1) sola scriptura (Scripture alone), 2) sola fide (faith alone), 3) sola gratia (grace alone), 4) solus Christus (Christ alone), and 5) sola Deo Gloria (glory to God alone).

Noah was in his 600th year, when torrential precipitation burst from the skies and erupting waters from deep in the earth began purging the rampant, contiguous, human corruption of the day. Sinners had been sinning blatantly, evidently just as unashamedly as today. It appears God warned Noah of this approaching catastrophic event some 120 years in advance and as far as we can tell about 30 years prior to the birth of Noah’s three sons therefore making the boys in their nineties by this time.

Peter had a friend named Simon who lived in the city of Samaria. Simon was quite wealthy but Peter was poor—that is by tangible criterion. Peter didn't mind.