Bible Trekking – Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Trekking to Christmas (Part two)

December 11, 2025

Jeremiah 31:15 is another verse that predicts events of the birth of the Messiah. It mentions Rachel weeping for her children. This is fulfilled in the massacre of the children under two years of age mentioned in the gospel of Matthew. We will discuss this more when we reach that passage. This is the aftermath of the visit of the astrologers.

Biblical prophecy often speaks to the current time and to a future where the interpretation is slightly different. This is the case in Hosea 11:1. it appears to be discussing the fact that Israel was brought out of Egypt by Jehovah and is going to be sent into exile from the Promised Land. In the New Testament, the story changes and the one coming from Egypt is Jesus, the actual Son of God. Joseph was told to take his family there in response to Herod’s coming attack on the children of Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2 is the source of the prophecy that tells that Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, but it tells more if you read on. Bethlehem was still a small village like in David’s day. It is now much larger but still considered a village. The one to be born there is from the distant past. Not a bad description for someone who is fully God and completely human.

During King David’s time on the throne, he was told by the prophet Nathan that Jehovah would reward him with the Davidic Kingdom being eternal. 2 Samuel 7:16 is where you will find this promise. Even when the kingdom of Judah was destroyed the prophecy held true.

In the book of Luke, we are introduced to Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth who wanted a child and were unable to have one. While serving in the Temple a messenger from Yahweh delivers the news that they will have a son, and his name is to be John.

John is the one that we know who came before Jesus. His father is told that he will be the Elijah that was predicted. Being an old man he has difficulty believing this message. I hope I will have an easier time believing in the Lord when He gives me this kind of good news. I might not be better than this Levite.

In Luke chapter one in the twenty-fifth verse Gabriel, the messenger that we saw earlier, goes to a girl named Mary. The message to her is that she will also have a child. His name is to be Jesus which is the Greek for the Hebrew name Joshua which means Yahweh is Salvation.

The birth of the baby is shown in Luke chapter two. Remember that the prophecy told of the birth in the town of Bethlehem. This is the boyhood home of King David. The prophets never told us about the manger that the baby would be laid in after He was born. The swaddling clothes is another detail that was not written about earlier.

Did you notice that the shepherds are spoken of in Luke but not the wise men. Matthew tells us about them. Chapter two talks about their visit to King Herod. He knows nothing about a newborn king. He is interested. This new baby is a threat to him. Notice that the number three is not even mentioned.

As you read further you see the number three applies to the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh that they brought for the baby. When they meet Mary and Jesus they are now staying in a house. There are no shepherds, no stable, and no sheep, or other animals.

These are astrologers that represent a king. They are not kings. They follow the signs of the stars. That is how they knew about Jesus. God wrote His birth in the heavens years before man was even created. That is the kind of God I want to believe in and worship. How about you?

Trekking to Christmas

December 9, 2025

Let’s look at the story of Christmas as recorded in both the Old and New Testaments. The life of Christ is first shown in Genesis and continues throughout the Bible. We will read the prophets that predicted the coming of Jesus and what they said about him, and then proceed to the gospels that tell how these prophecies were fulfilled.

Our trek through the birth of Jesus begins in the little book of Malachi. In chapter 3, verse 1, a messenger is to be sent before the Lord comes. Then, in chapter four, verses five and six, he says that Elijah will be that messenger sent to bring the hearts of the children back to their parents. In Luke 1, we will see this fulfilled in John, who is called the baptizer.

Let’s walk back to Isaiah 7:14 and read the prophecy that a virgin shall give birth to a son. The fact that a woman who had never been with a man sexually could have a baby is amazing to all of us. His name is “God is with us.” The virgin birth is critical for this to come to pass. The child must be God and man. God in soul and spirit, and man in body. To be a man, He must have a mother and father. God is His father and a human woman His mother.

Isaiah 9:6-7 is one of the most quoted prophetic passages about the Messiah. A male child will someday be born. He shall be our ruler. He will be wonderful, and a counselor, or it could mean he will become a wonderful counselor. We all need counsel at some point. He will also be God and will be mighty. In addition, He is our Father, but not an earthly father. This father always was and will remain forever. He will bring peace as we allow him to rule in our lives. He will take over David’s throne in Israel but will expand it to the entire world. Jehovah God has guaranteed this and will see that it comes about.

When we look at Matthew and Luke and the story of Jesus’ birth, we will read the lineage of Joseph and Mary. Isaiah 11:1 says that David’s kingdom will be cut off. Judah was still in existence at that time. Later, it was conquered by Babylon and mostly destroyed. When Nehemiah and Ezra tell us about the Israelites returning to their homeland, they have no king. The Medes rule them. Isaiah encourages them by stating that a branch will grow from this stump, meaning a new ruler will someday come from the Israelites. This was the man we call Jesus Christ, who is the Jewish Messiah.

We read Malachi’s prophecy about the predecessor to the Messiah. In Isaiah 40:3-5, we are told he will straighten the path for God’s ultimate messenger. The glory of the Lord will be seen by everyone. What do all these words mean? John is coming to guide us in becoming the kind of people who will accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. We read John’s words and can see how the Baptizer’s ministry was crucial to many of the disciples of God’s son, choosing to accept Him. The plot thickens.

Stay tuned, and we will continue with the rest of the story and go through to the birth of the baby that will change the course of the world. I hope you join me in a couple of days.

Written in Red

December 8, 2025

The Devil’s gonna try

November 30, 2025

This is what he did with me. When I graduated from high school, Immanuel Baptist Church forced Pastor Hamilton to resign. I quit going to church. I went to a couple of other churches with friends, but I saw the same things there. Hypocrisy and people who thought they were always correct.

Today I know the word for that. Dogmatism is “the tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others.” To me, it means that their opinion is right no matter what.

The video I hope you just viewed says “the devil’s gonna try to get me outa that church, cause he can’t get the church outa me.” Anne Wilson, in her “Sunday Sermons” song, wants us to realize that Satan wants to separate us from Christ.

He uses whoever he can to do this. They may be church people. It might even be your parents or best friends. He will use anyone that he can to make you doubt that Jesus loves you and will keep His promises. Satan has come to kill and destroy us and the church.

Remember how he tempted Jesus after His baptism? Even Simon, who was called the Rock or Peter, told Jesus that the prophecy of His death would not happen. This was when the famous saying, “Get behind me Satan,” was first used. Try not to be like Peter in this regard.

I’ve been trying to think of any time that I might have been used to lead others away from what the Lord was calling them to do. If I have done that to you, I am sorry. If you can, let me know what it was that I said or did that discouraged you from following Christ.

Following Him is not always easy. It is the best thing that you can do. Not everyone will understand your decisions. Often, I cannot explain things I do except by saying, “God told me to do that.” I know that many use this excuse to try to keep from accepting the consequences of their actions.

That is not what I want to do. If my words or opinions offend you, I would ask you to talk to God about it. You don’t believe there is a God and reject the idea of a man named Jesus being the Savior of all people. I can understand why what I write and say makes no sense to you.

If I did not believe in gravity, I would still wonder why things fall. If I did not believe in love, I would wonder how two different people can live together for fifty or more years. If I didn’t believe in electricity, I’d be typing this on a manual typewriter.

Without a belief in these things that most of us have proof that they exist, life would be more confusing and dangerous. We cannot provide you with proof that Jehovah exists and that Jesus rose from the dead and lives today. I can only ask you to do what I did. Ask Him to prove to you that He is real. He did it for me. But be ready. The proof is overwhelming.

Love potion no. 1

November 14, 2025

Do you recognize the song “Love Potion No. Nine?” It originated in 1959, recorded by The Clovers and returned in 1964 by The Searchers when it reached #2 and #3 on the charts. Many other groups have released it. A young man goes to a gypsy and asks for something to improve his love life.

The question I have is “What is Love?” Is it a feeling? Can you get someone to love you if they do not want to? Can you fall in and out of love? These are questions that a lot of people have asked over the years.

Just so you know, I am talking about the Biblical view of the word agape’ that is translated in the King James Version (KJV) of the scriptures. There are five words in the Greek language that are translated love. I like to transliterate, which means I will be substituting agape’ for love in the verses I relate to you.

I will try not to confuse you with this substitution. One of the most used definitions of agape is in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, where it says that love is patient, love is kind.

My question when someone asks me if they are in love is, “Are you patient with them?” Patience is what few of us have with others. If we want patience, we want it right now. That is counterproductive. When you are loved with Godly love, they will wait on you to speak, to make decisions, and to meet them in places.

If they are impatient, it is not agape that they have toward you. I started to say, if they feel agape’ love, but agape’ is not an emotion. It is an action. The D.C. Talk song “Love is a Verb” talks about this kind of love. “I don’t care what you say. I don’t care what you’ve heard. Love, love, love is a verb.”

Saying something three times shows that your thought is complete. There is nothing else to say about that. Right, Forest? I often use the phrase, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” Three phrases complete the thought.

Another question I like to ask is, “Are you kind to them?” That usually generates a weird look and/or a “huh.” God’s type of love is the one where you want to be kind. Not the one where you use them or take advantage of them. They are not your possession. You love a friend with agape’ love. The love that most of us think of is the Greek word Eros. This is sex. I’ve talked about lust before. That is not love; it is physical desire.

If sex is what you thought this column was about, you were wrong. I am sorry, you do not need my instruction in how to sex more often or with someone new. That is not who I am. I want you to have a better relationship with either a husband or a wife or people you have nonsexual relationships with.

That is the end of Love Potion no. 1. We will continue with what love is as no. 2. Those contain, “It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” I know I may have lost some of you with patience and kindness. You may not want to come back for the next dose of God’s love potion.

Fear

November 12, 2025

This is the second part of a trilogy and possibly even an entire book. The first column was entitled “Stupidity.” It was published on Duloigroup.org on October 25th this year. It was triggered by a quotation from the 1951 movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

God has been speaking to me about that article and convinced me I need to go further with these thoughts. There will be at least two others. They are fear and anger. I am beginning to understand that these three things are the cause of all the world’s and our personal problems.

Fear has been causing me a lot of difficulty lately. My wife, daughter, and two grandchildren have been involved in automobile accidents recently. I’m becoming more afraid of their safety on the road. The only one seriously injured was my oldest grandson.

The causes were inattention, substance abuse, or just plain stupidity. None of the wrecks was caused by my family. Two were simple rear-end collisions. One driver stayed, and the impaired driver fled and was later apprehended. The third involved the next most dangerous vehicular crime, running a red light.

This happens every day. That is why I am afraid. Our lawmakers and law enforcement need to do something. Either the courts tie their hands or they don’t care. That scares me. I make this opinion known at the poles, as you should next year.

The news terrifies me. We fight a war against crime, terror, and fear every day, and I have a difficult time watching that unfold several times each day. My fear is caused by stupidity and a lack of caring, both in myself and others. It isn’t just what may happen to my family that concerns me.

I know that you have fears, as well. They may be for the loss of a job and income, loss of a spouse through death or divorce. There are millions of things that we can be afraid of. The one I am most concerned about is not doing what Jesus asks of me. My desire is that this is one of the things on your mind. Let’s both attempt to keep it from becoming a fear.

Think about the problems in your life. There are concerns brought on by events happening around us. Someone at work may have worries that you pick up. People often complain about their bosses and other aspects of their jobs. As Christians, we need to pray about these things and ask Jesus to remove from us these fears brought by Satan. Getting rid of these fears should reduce our anger.

Do something

September 24, 2025

Someone’s name comes to my mind, and I talk to Jesus about them. It may be a friend or even someone like the President. I speak to my Lord about what this person needs. I do not ask about their desires. He may not tell me what the need is. Other times He gives me ideas of things they have said that triggers my thoughts

Since I am talking to the creator of the universe, I ask Him to give this to them or do it for them. This is what prayer is: communication with Holy Spirit. If you are not a believer and He is not your Lord, the only words He will receive from you are a request for forgiveness.

This does not appear to be much on my part. But I do something, I pray. If you are not someone who talks to God or Jesus frequently, it may sound strange. For those of you who know Him like I do, it is familiar.

When I see a person standing by the side of the road with a sign, I ask Him to give them what they need. I do not ask Him to give them money. They want money. This may be what they do for a living. Many of these are professional panhandlers. I’ve spoken of them before.

They need a desire to change the way they make their money. They need to do something constructive with their lives. And that isn’t to teach others how to beg. Many professional fundraisers do this for a living. They receive a portion of what they take in for charities as their pay.

In college, I worked for some of these people. One time I sold tickets by phone for a circus. We told the patrons that it was to help underprivileged children attend the event. I did very well at that. I stopped when I discovered that less than five percent of what they donated was used for these tickets.

When I say to do something for someone else, I want you to do it for them. If your motivation is merely for yourself, it isn’t for them, is it? We all do things for ourselves. I am talking about not thinking about what it will do for you.

There are always things that you can do to benefit another that do little or nothing for you. Pick up the check at lunch. I have family and friends who do this for us. It is appreciated. We return the favor or instigate the act. I often purchased meals for customers when I was in sales. You know what they say, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.”

For me this was not true. My lunch was free as well. The company paid me to do this for them. They bought my meal. I did give up my lunch hour off the clock to enjoy a meal with them. When I was in purchasing, I accepted the pleasure of dining with my vendors. I used the time to get to know them better.

This was part of what I refer to as my ministry. I was a workplace minister for over forty years. If you do not know what this is, I will explain it. God called me to the gospel ministry as He does every born-again believer. He did not want me to be a pastor or evangelist, as some are called.

My service was to those that I encountered in the work-a-day world. I talked to coworkers, others I met during the workday, and even people I encountered off the clock and on weekends. I still do that. I am doing that now by writing these columns for you.

I am asking you to do the same. Do something for someone else. It can be family, friends, or people you don’t even know. When you are eating out, does the desire to overtip hit you? Do it. Have you heard of servers getting $100 tips? Sometimes they don’t know it until they take it off the table. Do something. Even if it is just $20 or talking to God about them.

MY BEST FRIEND

September 17, 2025

I’d like to talk to you about my best friend. In this case, I am not speaking of my wife. I will tell you about her first. Then I will explain why another best friend surpasses even her.

We have been together for over fifty years. That is a long time. We met while I was in college, and we were married two weeks after I graduated. Our marriage is not perfect. We have good days and bad. Most are the former. The latter have been fewer as time goes on. I am staying with her because I want to. She completes me.

While we are close and I have shared my life with her for fifty years, there is a friend I have known for longer. His name is Jesus. I’ve known Him for sixty years. He has known me since before I was born.

He is the creator God. You may have heard the names Jehovah or Yahweh. This is who He is. Those names literally mean, “I am that I am.” In the book of Exodus, He gave Moses that name after Moses saw the bush that burned but was not consumed. (Exodus 3:1-15) He did that to get the man’s attention.

Abraham is referred to as a friend of God. (James 2:23) He had a son, Isaac, who had two sons, Esau and Jacob. They were twins, but Esau was born first. Jehovah chose Jacob to have twelve sons, changed his name to Israel and made the children of Israel his descendants.

He wrestled with Jacob. Remember that? Jacob was running from his brother Esau because he took the birthright that Esau did not even want and sold it for some soup. When their father, Isaac, was going to die, the older brother wanted what was his. They were both as selfish as we were. Jacob ran for his life and fought God in a dream. He was physically injured from that spiritual contest. (Genesis 27:1-28:19)

Moses went onto the mountain and conversed for forty days. (Exodus 32:1) The Israelites became discouraged and rebelled against Jehovah. He was with them, but they were jealous because their leader would rather spend time with Him than do what they needed and wanted him to do for them. (Exodus 32:2-7)

My friend, Jesus, teaches these things to me from His books. He had other friends write them down for us. Other followers of His have saved them for thousands of years. We now have them collected in one volume that we call The Holy Bible.

Holy means separate. It means better than other things. What these people have written surpasses the knowledge and wisdom of men. Our friend, Jesus, came to this planet to die for us. Because He wanted us to eventually be with Him when we die, as we must. Our bodies are not eternal. They are temporal or temporary.

If you are His friend and have accepted Him as Savior, Lord, and friend, you are already with Him in a place outside of time and space. We do not know this until we leave our physical bodies. Many songs and writers have told us that loved ones are waiting for us to come where they have gone ahead of us.

This is not true. In our human thinking, we cannot see that Heaven, where Yahweh lives, is all around us. It is in a dimension that most of us do not see, hear, feel, touch, or even recognize until we leave our bodies. His followers experience His presence even now through Holy Spirit.

Our spirits died when the first humans sinned. They rebelled against Him, and if we continue to reject Him, we will be separated from the Holy One forever. That is a long time. (Genesis 3:1-6) Much longer than fifty years. Our friend told us that our spirit needed to be reborn. He said this to a man named Nicodemus, and it is recorded in some of the books I spoke of earlier. (John 3:1-7)

I urge you to look at these scriptures that I have given to you. Have you read them? Do you study them to know who He is and that He is your friend who is closer than any brother? Discover my best friend and yours. Do it today, if you have never met Him before.

You may already know Him. You might have made Him your Savior years ago. Have you given Him control of your life? This is done minute by minute and hour by hour every day from now until you realize you are in His presence. Join us.

Come home

September 7, 2025

I just listened to the song “The Cross” and I am thinking that we should go home to the empty tomb. The cross is a symbol of death. The tomb is a place of finality. The empty tomb is our reminder of eternity and life.

Come home to the risen Jesus. God incarnate, who wants you to rest in Him. Jesus’ words during His ministry on Earth were words of encouragement. He spoke of love not condemnation. He asked us to be better than we ever had been before. We are taught to be kind and considerate of others.

Judgement is reserved for the Father. (Matthew 7:1) Jesus’ ministry is forgiveness and service. He gave those instructions to us, His followers. Let’s walk in His light, (1 John 1:7) not sit on our fears and expect others to do the job for us. The empty tomb is a reminder of life.

Do not let anyone tell you that anything is beyond you. He has not asked you to be afraid. We are to be brave and courageous. (Joshua 1:9) I heard a saying about suicide. “It is a final solution to a temporary problem.” Our country is not going to hell in a handbasket.

You may be going to hell. Unless you have decided to come home to the empty tomb. Jehovah came to this Earth because we needed a Savior. (John 1:14) He was the ultimate sacrifice. Understand that the Hebrew system of sacrifices was created to show that it was a waste of time and resources.

When Jesus was being tried, convicted, and executed for being the King of the Jews, they were sacrificing lambs for Passover. (Matthew 26:2) That is why resurrection Sunday traditionally falls after this Jewish celebration. Joseph and Nicodemus placed the dead body in Joseph’s new tomb. (Matthew 27:57-60, John 19:38-42)

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning are the three days that are the sign of Jonah. This is the only example that Jesus would give the Sanhedrin. (Matthew 12:38-40) Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and on the third day he was puked up on the shore. Why do you think the Ninevites repented?

A bleached white Hebrew wanders their streets screaming that Jehovah will destroy them. (Jonah 2:10-3:6) Of course they believed him. If he had not spent the last three days in the fish no one would have noticed another crazy Jew. If Jesus had not spent three days in the tomb and come out of it, you and I would be locked in ours for eternity.

Come home to the empty tomb. Leave your grave clothes behind and become a new creature. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is what the Christ has done for you. It is not a new story. That is why I have given you the scripture references so that you can check my reasoning with the Bible. By the way, BIBLE is an acronym. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Don’t leave here without it.

The rich, young ruler

September 3, 2025

I’ve written two previous columns about characters in the New Testament. These were about Barnabas whose name was Joseph, and the other Josephs that are mentioned. Today I want to discuss what we know about this young man and his questions for Jesus. (Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-23)

What I am going to tell you is not 100% affirmed in our scriptures. The three gospels that tell of Jesus’ encounter with the man give us a small amount of information. We are told he is young.

He asks Jesus what he must do to reach Heaven. Obeying the commandments is the answer. He tells us he is a committed Jew when he says he has kept these from his youth. He is told he has only one thing left to do. He should sell everything he owns and give it to the poor and follow the Savior. He left dejected because he was very wealthy.

I take this to mean that he is someone in authority. Hence, we refer to this man as the rich young ruler. We do not ever hear of him again in the gospels. Or do we? Remember Joseph of Arimathea? He is wealthy and a leader of the Jews with the clout to be given the body of the Messiah.

He is assisted in the burial by Nikodemus, another Jewish leader that became a follower of Jesus. This is a guess that these two men may be the same. The gospel writers may not have included this because it was well known in their day. They also knew that Bar-Nabas name was Joseph as well.

Bar-Nabas was the Son of Encouragement, and this led him to donate the proceeds from the sale of some property. That means he was wealthy enough to have something to earn money with. He was active enough with the Apostles to bring Saul to them and tell of the conversion on the road to Damascus.

Many scholars believe that Joseph or Bar-Nabas, was the writer of the book of Hebrews. This author spoke with authority and can be easily seen as one with a Hebrew background and a reputation in the community. He might have been described as a rich young ruler that the Jerusalem residents knew about. It is not hard for me to believe that these two Joseph’s are the same man and could have been the one who asked Jesus what he needed to do to reach heaven.

I’m not going to tell you that this must be accepted as truth, or you are not a Christian. Often, we accept other doctrines with little or no Biblical proof. One that some object to is the concept of the rapture of the saints at the second coming. There is also some that refuse to accept the concept of a future coming again of Christ.

In my opinion the scriptures tell us that we must accept that Jesus is Jehovah in human form or incarnate. Our belief in His life, death, and resurrection is also given as necessary in the New Testament. These are the requisite beliefs for salvation. Think, pray, and study about these three men and see what Jesus tells you.

Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Walk With a Servant

Category: Bible Trekking