Web Chapel

Author: MrSteveSlusser

  • Fellowship Redefined (2020)

    Fellowship Redefined (2020)

    And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:42

    The ministry to “shut-ins” has changed through the years. I remember as a youth delivering cassette tapes to the homes of folks too sick to attend meetings of the local church. That short visit and perhaps a phone call was as much fellowship as these dear saints would get in a week.

    Cassette Tapes became CDs. CDs became MP3s. MP3s have become live streaming. While many fellowships simply stream, which is like having a private TV channel, some use interactive streaming with tools like ZOOM (R} [http://zoom.us].

    We have been separated by distance and quarantine and medically necessary isolation for half of 2020. My wife and I have visited fellowships around the country, and even the world. My wife loves to attend a Women’s Bible Study hosted over a thousand miles away. The study is followed by at least an hour of “catching up” as the ladies talk like they were in the fellowship room drinking tea. The same is true for several Sunday and Wednesday meetings of the local church.

    This Lord’s Day we plan to Break Bread in remembrance of our Savior with folks from several countries and a few time zones. We will join in prayer, and listen as the Apostle’s Doctrine is preached. Then, we will all unmute our microphones and enjoy fellowship with one another. For many, that is all the interaction they will get this week, but it is enough encouragement to keep them going for another long week of being alone.

    Yes, it is different. But, I think it beats a cassette tape and a rushed visit.

    With inexpensive smart phones and affordable data plans, the only thing keeping some folks isolated is the knowledge and confidence to join in. A visit or two (with masks and clean hands) may be necessary, but we can make it possible for true shut-ins to benefit from fellowship redefined. No cassette tape required.

  • Web Meeting Basics

    Online meetings have grown in popularity in virtually every sector of society. Education, corporations, small business, and families now “meet online”.

    Over twenty years ago I met in a little room at a Kinkos®️ Copies for classes being hosted in Dallas Texas and attended all over the country. Today, a meeting like that can be hosted from anywhere and attended anywhere that the internet can be accessed. The only technology needed today is a phone. This technology now makes it possible for people from anywhere in the world to meet together without travel.

    There are many ways to host or attend an online meeting. Their are advantages and disadvantages with any of them. Here are some of the current ways to host or attend a meeting. **Disclaimer: Other than owning a few shares of ZOOM, I have no financial connections with any of these hosting services. Reviews are my observations and opinions. You should read the terms and conditions before using any hosting service,

    VOICE ONLY (Conference Call)

    This is the simplest way to meet. This is just voice, no video. Twenty years ago I interviewed with a board of directors for a position. I believe it cost about $50 and required an operator to set it up and connect everyone. Today you can conference as many as six phones with your cell phone’s existing account. Carriers vary on the limit and if there is a fee.

    Conference Calling works well for small groups, but if your group exceeds your phone provider limit you will need a hosting service. We have used FreeConferenceCall.com for board meetings. You can join the meeting by dialing in or using VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). The host can see the attendees on their computer screen and “mute all” to avoid extra sounds introduced by guests. This works well for listening to a sermon or Bible Teacher. Guests can be allowed to un-mute to ask a question or add a comment. Think of it as a private radio station with call-in privileges.

    See Meeting Etiquette (below)

    AUDIO-VIDEO STREAMING

    This is the simplest way to host a meeting if the guests are not going to present anything or speak. The host needs a a camera, microphone, internet, and a host.

    SELF-HOSTED

    If you have high speed internet, you can install software on your computer and host the meeting yourself. Camp Horizon has used BroadWave Audio Streaming Service software for years. There is a free version for non-profits. This is for audio streaming only. The audio/video version is called BroadCam. There are many other software programs that do this, the point here is to provide you with general information.

    This can work well if you have high speed internet, good band width, and low latency. Use SpeedTest.com to test your connection speed. Latency is how long it takes to send and receive a signal. Look at the “ping” value. Everyone who connects streams through your computer. Imagine connecting ten computers to your home or church network. This may work okay. But what about twenty-five? Now you may suffer buffering issues (drops in video and audio). Skype Conference Calling has a similar issue.

    Recommendation: If your group is small, this can work.

    LIVE STREAMING SERVICES (Stream Only or Stream with Guest Interaction)

    A simple and popular way to stream is FaceBook Live. Guests can chat (typed messages) and express their emotions. The server handles the load, so you only need enough internet bandwidth for yourself. The limit is one hour. You can record it for guests to watch later.

    Several providers offer limited free meetings. If you use them often or exceed the maximum guest limit you will need to purchase a subscription. I have used almost all of the top service providers and currently prefer ZOOM. I have also had good experiences with GoToMeeting, and FreeConferenceCall.com (also does screen sharing). Read the fine print. Be careful about auto-renew subscriptions (paid those dues), try the free version first if possible.

    There are hardware devices like Meevo that use their own streaming service. This is quite nice (I need to add this to my Christmas List). It is great for streaming a conference or other group meeting.

    ADVANTAGES

    • The server handles the bandwidth.
    • The host has a dashboard to mute noisy guests.
    • The host can alternate video and screen sharing for song lyrics and presentations.
    • Guests can see each other if they have their camera turned on.
    • Paid subscriptions do not usually have limits.
    • Good cross-platform performance (Android, Apple, PC, MAC)

    ONLINE MEETING ETIQUETTE

    • If you do not have fast internet. Call in rather than using VOIP. Get the instructions for muting and unmuting.
    • You can watch video on one device and call in from any phone, even a land-line.
    • Stay muted unless you are talking (or singing together).
    • Use the text “chat feature” to comment and ask questions when possible.
    • Use the Raise Hand feature when available and let the host recognize and un-mute you.
    • Hosts, watch the chats and hands. The person controlling the dashboard should not be the moderator or primary speaker, but it helps if they are together.
    • Headphones & Microphones are helpful.
    • If you cast the video to your TV, do not use that device for a microphone.

    Enjoy your meeting!

    ADDENDA. ZOOM MEETING TIPS

    We met for worship and in our home we used three devices. I was not the host. The host can mute all, and allow (or not) all guests to “share”. I had default share privileges (anyone could have done this. )

    #1. I connected a phone to our TV which gave is a big screen and the camera showed us around out little table.  (NO AUDIO)
    #2. I dialed in on another cell phone and placed it on the table before us. Easy to tap/toggle the mute. NOTE When you dial in you need the meeting ID, maybe a password if that was enabled, and optionally, your guest ID. If you do not enter that ID your voice and video are two guest (not linked). It is only important if you want your video (or profile picture if you have video off) to show when you speak.
    If you are using the ZOOM app on your phone or tablet and choose dial-in audio your meeting ID and Participant ID are entered automatically.
    If you want to use a landline or other device, you will be prompted for the Meeting ID then the Participant ID. Look below the list of dial up phone numbers (on your video device) for those ID numbers. Enter those and your voice and video device are linked (one participant).
    #3. I used a tablet (NO AUDIO) to SHARE SCREEN and put The Little Flock hymnbook up during singing and the Scriptures up during speaking (if the speaker did not have video or was a call in)
    NOTE: The active speaker becomes the active video unless the user has switched to gallary view (not available on the phone app). If they do not have video, everyone sees a phone icon, so I put up the Bible when there was no picture.

    GROUP SINGING

    Even with low latency, there is a delay between devices. If multiple folks are not muted, you get a caucophony of sound. It is better to have different guests/families take turns leading the song and muting all others. Another option would be to stream only the instrumental music.

  • These Three

    These Three

    So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
    I Corinthians 13:13 (CEV)

    This diagram and the lesson which follows show how faith, hope, and love relate to the mind (intellect), will, and emotion of man – which in turn corresponds with the soul.

    And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.    1 Thessalonians 5:23

    When we read that God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:27) it does not refer to merely a physical representation, but the character and attributes of God. As God Himself is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, so man is also a tri-part being: body, soul, and spirit. Even as God is more complex than we can imagine, man is also more complex. The soul (or sometimes called the inner man) is in turn tri-part: mind (intellect), will, and emotion.

    While the image of God in man may have suffered tarnish and decay it is still there in every man (person). It is often taught that faith is ‘simply believing’. However, saving faith is more than just accepting the gospel as true (purely intellectual). It is a function of the heart which involves also the will of man (hope) and emotion (love). May this short study help us to understand what it means to be “sanctified wholly”.

    INTELLECT
    Faithless men often accuse believers of having thrown away reason in favor of faith. This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, it is more reasonable to believe the Word of God than to reject it!   It has been rightly said that it takes more faith to be an atheist than it does to be a Christian. All of creation is stamped with the fingerprint of an intelligent creator. He is the origin of intelligence and has included that in His image which He stamped upon man. Reason and intelligence set man apart from all the rest of God’s creation. This has given man the inherent ability to know. Whether by information gathered through his senses or by revelation (God’s Word) man can come to know that “God is, and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). It is not knowing about God, but knowing Him (Philippians 3:10).

    WILL
    The ability to choose and the courage to strive toward a goal are both functions of the “will”. The will of man is affected by both information (MIND), and desire (EMOTION) and can reciprocate by affecting them through choice. Even if the mind of man may be convinced of the truth of the gospel, true faith is also an act of the will. There is an old saying, “a man convinced against his will is of the same mind still.” Even so, the will of man alone is not enough to save (John 1:13). The New Birth is the work of God.

    EMOTION
    God’s love for man is not because of what He knows about man (intellect), but in spite of it. Love for man is the result of His desire (WILL) not man’s performance. God experiences joy and sorrow as well as anger and peace. Man experiences these as well. Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-40). His response was the law and the prophets hang on two commandments: 1) Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself.

    We now turn our attention to these three words: Faith, Hope, and Love.  We will observe how they related to each other and to the heart of man (the inner man).

    FAITH
    Faith is listed first. Contrary to the idea of many unbelievers faith is not the opposite of reason. In fact, faith is based upon reason and information (intellect). Paul says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17 and Galatians 3:2 & 5). The writer to the Hebrews devotes a large section on faith. Faith in God is believing and acting upon the promises of God (the Word of God). It is never “blind trust”, but based upon a long history of God’s faithfulness to His people.

    So then, the basis of faith is primarily intellect and will. The Gaither’s used to sing a song titled “God Said It, I Believe It, and that settles it!” There are many like Agrippa that may be intellectually convinced (Acts 26:28) but reject the truth. Others are like the man who asked Jesus to heal his daughter. He had the desire (will) without the intellect, yet he prayed “Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

    HOPE
    The Biblical term hope does not include any idea of uncertainty or wishful thinking. Hope in the Biblical sense is to anticipate something with surety and with joyful anticipation. Hope is based upon facts (intellect) and results in a feeling of expectation (emotion).  If one truly believes then they cannot help but hope. For some it is the expectation of life in the presence of the Savior upon their death to this world. For others of us it is the expectation of the “Glorious Appearing” (the second coming) of our Great God and Savior before our life on earth is done (Titus 2:13).

    LOVE
    Love has at least two components, 1) Affection (that feeling of love that escapes full definition) and 2) Commitment. The Love of God (agape love) is well defined as “God’s Loyal Love”. It is more than affection, though that is certainly a part of love. Love is an expression of the will of man.   Affection may draw a young couple to the wedding alter, but it takes a lifetime of commitment to keep them married. The disciple whom the Lord loved (the description that he gives himself – John 20:2, 21:7 & 20) wrote “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). His kindness draws us to repentance (Romans 2:4) but to respond to that love is an act of the will.

    In summary,

    Faith is a function of both knowing and committing. To know without committing (resting upon the Truth) is not belief. Hence the related terms believing and trusting weigh heavily upon the will.

    Hope is based on intellect but with joyful anticipation. To know the Truth without it affecting your emotions is not normal. Any parent knows that you do not give a child good news of a future event too soon. Otherwise, they will burst under the excitement of waiting for “it” to come.

    Love is both affection and commitment. To truly love God is not just to be drawn by His Goodness, but to desire what He desires and to want what He wants. Why is it “the greatest”? Our intellect and wisdom do not impress God. But when we love we are most like Him who “loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). It is not our love for Him, but His love for us (1 John 4:10). He demonstrated His own love for us in giving His Son (Romans 5:8). When we love God and love our brothers, we represent to the world what He is like who said “by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, because you love one another” (John 13:35).

  • Milestones

    How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:1-2

    For as long as there have been roads and paths there have been markers along the way. This ancient practice of marking a journey has become a metaphor used to indicate expected events on a given path in any number of disciplines. Ms. Kitty and I became grandparents this year – twice. There are probably more developmental milestones in the first year of life than in the next ten years combined. Who knew that blowing bubbles was a developmental milestone? It has been an exciting year for our family and for many of our friends (2014 was a big year for babies).

    Many have commented upon the progressive opposition toward the man of Psalm One. He does not walk, then he does not stand, and finally he does not sit.

    He does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. From the first sin in the garden until now, it all starts with questioning the goodness of God. The true revelation of God is rejected and the wisdom of man is embraced. I am reminded of the young King Rehoboam that refused the advice of his father’s wise counselors and instead turned to his young friends (1 Kings 12). The path he chose resulted in the division of Israel. Instead, the righteous man is encouraged to walk “circumspectly” (Ephesians 5:15). He takes great care. He is ever watching the path before him without ignoring the dangers that may be beside or even behind him.

    He does not stand in the path of sinners. The danger of lending your ear to the wicked is that you may stop moving forward and join them on their path. There were men who had travelled with Jesus and the disciples but turned back. John says, they went out from us (1 John 2:19). They stopped moving forward and took a stand against the apostles. The progress is from rejection of the revelation of God to the resistance of His Truth. This is often the state of unbelieving man.

    And finally, he does not sit in the seat of the scornful. While we may think of sitting as a passive position, it is actually not. In ancient times the teacher sat, kings sat, and even now judges and others in authority are “seated”. These have progressed from rejection and resistance to open hostility to the revelation of God’s Truth.

    Now what does this have to do with babies and milestones? It usually escapes our notice that the development in this passage is the reverse of normal human development. I just saw a picture of my grandchild sitting up. Her cousin was standing on her own quite recently, but now she is walking. Those are milestones in their physical development.

    The man who rejects the Truth (God’s revelation of Himself) is actually reversing the natural order of things. This is precisely what the serpent did in the Garden. Man was to rule under God and over the Garden – including the beasts. He was to rule with his wife. However, it was all reversed when a beast caused his him and his wife to question the revelation of God. He followed the counsel of the wicked beast. This placed man below the authority of the beast – reversing the natural (created) order. What man sees as progress is in fact digression.

    The righteous man begins meditating and delighting in God’s Word. Babies sleep, eat, and watch (repeat). One of the first milestones is the recognition of their parents. Then they follow the parent with their eyes, and eventually smile and laugh (or even squeal with delight).

    His next milestone is to be planted near nourishing and refreshing waters (standing). This is a time of growth and strengthening. It should not be rushed.

    HIs final milestone is that The LORD knows his way (walking). The righteous are in motion, walking in the counsel of The LORD.

    Where on the path are you now?

     

  • Saint Nicholas: Yes Virginia …

    GUEST CONTENT: stonestruestory@gmail.com Carla Estell

    Our family celebrates Saint Nick’s Day each year with filled stockings.  It is usually the official start of the Christmas Season in our home.  Carla Estell has written an Ebook (PDF) about Santa Claus and the true meaning of Christmas.  If you print it double-sided it makes a book, or you can print it single sided and cut the pages in half to form a little book.  Hey, it’s free!  Share it and be sure to include Carla’s contact information.

    You can also check out their family website: http://stonestruestory.org/

    Here is the link to the storybook (2MB) http://mrsteve.me/1CZdFgG