Another cold day

Another cold day. I finished reading Luke and am about to start reading Acts again. It is so good to be able to read the Bible on my computer.

Faith and Zachary are here. I really appreciate them.

I am really looking forward to seeing so many of you at the Society for Pentecostal Studies at the 2014 SPS Annual Meeting, hosted by Evangel University, being held here in Springfield, MO, March 6-8, 2014.

Every day I am thankful for the many wonderful promises in God's Word. God is so faithful to them.

Are you ordinary people?

I have finished reading Matthew and I have jumped to Luke and I am impressed again how the Lord used very ordinary people whom God enabled to do extraordinary things.

In fact God's choices have not always been the ones you would expect. David's brothers didn't expect him to do anything great, he was the youngest and as far as they knew he had only taken care of sheep. They probably didn't know about him being able to kill the lion and the bear.

When we come to the New Testament we see that John the Baptist's parents were very ordinary people who had gone for years just doing their duty without anything spectacular happening. Zachariah didn't even have the faith to believe the angel who prophesied the birth of John.

The disciples of Jesus were not extraordinary people but yet God used them and sent his angels to some of them and brought about great events through them.

In the early Pentecostal movement I saw God using ordinary people to do extraordinary miracles. You can read about some of them in my biography that Lois Olena put together.

If you are discouraged about your ordinary life, take heart! You are exactly the kind of person God is looking for.

Some thoughts on Joseph

I heard Byron D. Klaus, D.Min. of AGTS
speak last night.

Here is his outline:

Joseph: Man of Integrity
Matthew 1:18-25

A Righteous Man (v 19) Joseph does not use h is privilege inappropriately.

A Level-headed Man (v 20-21) Even with disaster in the making, Joseph does not over-react but keeps his focus on God's direction.

An Obedient Man (v 22-24) An amazing response by an ordinary man.

A Discerning Man (v 1:20;2:13,19) Spiritual maturity that is revealed in a very complex set of circumstances.


My thoughts on Joseph:

Joseph was quick to obey the angel's direction to take Mary as his wife and later to take Jesus to Egypt. All of this was in fulfillment of prophecy.

Later Jesus said that it was his custom to go to the Synagogue on the Sabbath and as a child he had to be brought into the Synagogue by his father first to be circumcised and to have the sacrifice the law called for the first born son.

As Jesus grew he would be taught the law by his father (scripture mandated that parents were to teach their children the law at home) and his father had to see that he learned to read and write. Joseph was the one to lead his family to the festivals in Jerusalem as well.

Joseph was not only a righteous man but he was one who knew God.

Jesus as the Messiah

Some Jews argue that if Jesus was the Messiah He should have fulfilled all the prophecies in the OT including those in Ezekiel 38. Actually, Jesus fulfilled all that was necessary to bring salvation and to make it possible for both Jews and Gentiles to be part of the Church, the body of Christ. He will fulfill the rest in His Second Coming.

It's cold outside but warm in my heart

I am thankful I was able to stay indoors during the last three days of extreme cold. The kitchen staff brought me my lunch each of those days and I am really grateful to them for bringing me good portions that were ready to eat. It was also good to be able to get out today and take the bus to the Community Center to eat and then to exercise on the New Step for half an hour after eating.

I am so thankful that in these times where I was alone I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and was blessed as I prayed in the Spirit. I have started reading the New Testament again and I have read about 10 chapters in Matthew so far. I also did some reading in Psalms and Proverbs.
I have a list of people I pray for and I am always looking to God for Him to bless and guide them all.

I was very happy to have my daughter Faith and her family come over and take care of things that needed to be done here and to provide a nice supper of pizza. Very good pizza!

Last Sunday churches in this area were closed because of the extreme cold. I am looking forward to next Sunday when the temperature should be about 50 degrees and church services should be open.

May the God of Hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13














If anyone has access to old audio tapes or video tapes or any that have been converted to digital files I would appreciate getting a copy of them. I want to make a collection of my sermons and teaching on Youtube. Thank you.

Happy New Year 2014 from Dr Stanley M Horton

Video New Year's 2014 greeting from Dr Stanley M Horton.



I would like to share my favorite verse with you today:
May the God of Hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13