TWO OTHER

TWO OTHER

"Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together." Joh 21:2　 　

two other The suggestiveness of these words is arresting. This was a wonderful occasion on which the Lord was specially manifesting Himself to a group of disciples. Every phase of the doings of that morning is full of light and glory. The risen Redeemer and Ruler was showing men His interest and power in the commonplaces of their lives, and in the greatest responsibilities thereof. He touched their daily doings with light and glory, those of fishing, and preparing breakfast. He gave them the grandest conception of their fellowship with Himself in His work of gathering together in one the sheep that were scattered abroad. Who were the men? They were Simon Peter, and Thomas, and Nathanael, and James, and John - all outstanding figures. But there were "two other," and they are unnamed, and I believe purposely unnamed. They represent the anonymous and hidden multitudes of faithful souls, whose names are never published in human documents, and whose deeds are never recorded in human reports. To these He manifested Himself, as surely as to the others. Those "two other" represented the majority of the saints. Let all such remember that of His fulness they also receive. Manifestations are needed for fidelity in obscure places of service, and they are granted. To all His own, He always comes with unveiling of His glory, with ministrations of His grace and truth.

SEEK THE YOUNG CHILD TO DESTROY HIM

 SEEK THE YOUNG CHILD TO DESTROY HIM

"Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him." Mat 2:13　

 

 They are still doing the same today. In America the people that Satan works through use noble intentions just as Herod. They destroy Him in America by making His arrival day a holiday instead of the spectacular mind boggling event it was at the start. God taking on flesh and what that meant to Him as far as joining mankind in that way was just as earthshaking as it should be for us. America has taken Herod's action to a new level. They refuse the mention of His name and of God the Fathers also. They have banned Him from the school. They have thrown His Book out of the library. The Koran gets more attention than the Bible. They have diminished talking to Him on the school property. No wonder guns have replaced Bibles there. These kids have no hope so they commit the most horrendous crimes against themselves and others. And America thinks this country is the model for other countries. We are the model for disaster not hope. The America of hope and dreams was taken over years ago. The other countries look at our ignorance and laugh.

GOD'S HOSPITALITY

GOD'S HOSPITALITY

 

"and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God."  3Jn 1:6　

 

If in his second letter John dealt specially with the subject of those to whom NO HOSPITALITY should be extended, but in this he commends HOSPITALITY, and shows what its nature should be. There were those who "for the sake of the Name went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles." These were to be received and welcomed, and "set forward on their journey worthily of God." Two interpretations have been given of this phrase. One is that these men were to be treated as the VERY MESSENGERS OF GOD, and so worthily of that fact. The other is that those who tendered them hospitality were to do it AS GOD WOULD DO IT, "worthily (commendably) of God." Most probably both views are correct, both ideas being involved. In harmony with the whole spirit of the letter the 2nd is the more obvious. What a PATTERN AND TEST is here of HOSPITALITY! What kind of a host is God? How does He treat His guests? When we have answered those questions, we shall have discov­ered the NATURE of the hospitality we ought to extend to all those who go forth for the sake of the Name. To those who receive the hospitality of God, He gives of His best, He gives lavishly: He gives of pure delight. His concern is forever for the HIGHEST WELL-BEING of His guests. He opens His home to them; He spreads His table before them; He admits them to familiar conversation with Himself; He places at their disposal all His knowledge, and all the riches of His grace. If we are to ENTERTAIN "worthily of God" these are the lines upon which our HOSPITALITY must proceed. It is one of the things which CONSTANTLY CHEER AND HELP those who go forth for the sake of the Name.

SAND CASTLES

SAND CASTLES

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves." Jas 1:22

 This letter of James is pre-eminently ethical, practical, forceful. In it there are more references to sayings in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1) than in all the other letters of the New Testament. All this is of great interest when we accept the view, which is almost beyond dispute, that the man who wrote the letter was a brother of the Lord. He had lived with Jesus in all the early years in Nazareth. While it would seem that he did not join himself outwardly to the disciples until after the Resurrection, there are evidences that in the company of Mary, these brethren were much with Jesus in the central period of His ministry. All this would suggest that, looking back, and thinking of all those years, this man was impressed with the harmony there had always been in the Lord, between His teaching and His life. Thus he argued, and rightly, that a faith which was not expressed in deeds was of no value at all. This does not mean that he was in any way ignorant of the deep spiritual mysteries of Christian life. If in these words he urges us to be doers of the Word, we must remember that the Word he refers to is that which he has just described as "the inborn word" (v. 21). He was referring, not merely to any written Word, nor to his Lord as the Word incarnate alone; but to the Word of God received into the soul through the written Word, and by the Word incarnate. That Word is only of real value as it is obeyed, as what it enjoins is done. There is no profit, but rather the reverse, in hearing, if there be no doing. Cf. Luke 6:49.

ADVANCED PROGRESSIVE THINKING OF TODAY

ADVANCED PROGRESSIVE THINKING OF TODAY

"Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son."　2Jn 1:9　

The major theologians have pointed out that both the second and the third letters of John have to do with the subject of Christian hospitality. In this one, addressed to "the elect lady," perhaps a church, and perhaps a person, the people to whom no Christian hospitality is to be extended are dealt with. These are described as "deceivers . . . even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh." It is with reference to such that this declaration is made. They were persons who CLAIMED TO BE the leaders (there is One Leader according to Christ) (Mat_23:10 NASB); they were advanced thinkers, they were progressive. The Gnostic teachers of the time were claiming that while the Gospel of the historic Jesus might be all very well for unenlightened people, they had a profounder knowledge. Such were to receive no hospitality. In this warning, we find a principle of perpetual application. There is always room for advanced thinking, for progressive interpretation, for the things of Christ are as profound as God and life and that advanced thinking should come from the Holy Spirit using the words of Christ. We never ought to be content to remain with the first principles of truth going on to the MEAT OF THE WORDS OF CHRIST (Heb_5:12-14). We should in knowledge go on unto perfection as we are being led daily by Christ and His Spirit. But there is one infallible test for such advanced thinking, for such progressive interpretation. It is that the advanced thinking does not contradict the first principles, or deny the fundamental facts of our faith—those of the historic Jesus, that of the fact that He came in the flesh, again led by His Spirit Whom He and the Father sent to guide us in our thinking (Joh_14:26). Such advanced thinking as denies these things, is not progress but retrogression and apostasy.

WILLING WORSHIP

WILLING WORSHIP

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”   1Jn 2:15

Adam started his journey on the wrong foot and this world has not been the same. He was given ample evidence to know whose presence he was in, the creator of this world who shared ample truth with him daily to know what the difference was between right and wrong. John points out the amazing truth clear from the beginning had Adam made the right decision concerning who his leader would be and who he would adore and obey. His love went fowl at the start with its focus. The very purpose of man's creation was to glorify God by worshipping Him voluntarily in conscious rejection of sinful alternatives. See also Joh_4:23-24.

NEARSIGHTEDNESS VS TOTAL BLINDNESS

NEARSIGHTEDNESS VS TOTAL BLINDNESS

 

"For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins."  2Pe 1:9　

That is a graphic description of the spiritual condition of a Christian who fails to make advance in Christian experience. It is because of that condition that there is arrest in development. The description moves in two stages. The first describes the condition in itself, the second gives the reason of the condition. The condition is that of blindness. This is immediately qualified bv the words, "seeing only what is near." It is NEARSIGHTEDNESS rather than TOTAL BLINDNESS. Such a man sees the things of time, and fails to discern those of eternity; he sees the material facts, but not the spiritual; he sees the circumstances, but not the facts of which they are but passing expressions; in short, he sees himself and his fellowmen, but not God. This near-sightedness is destructive of a true Christian experience, and therefore makes advance impossible. The reason is that he has "forgotten the cleansing from his old sins." That is to say, he has failed to respond to all the enlargement of life and vision which came to him when he received the cleansing of his nature at the very beginning of his Christian life. What a revelation or reminder this is of the greatness of the blessing which comes to the soul when it is accepted, pardoned, justified, cleansed! That wondrous experience always means the relating of the life to the eternal, the opening of the eyes to God. In order to the maintenance of that relationship and the continuity of that clear spiritual vision, it is necessary to abide at the Cross, never to forget the awe and wonder of forgiveness. In proportion as we wander from that solemn sense of grace, we become near-sighted, and all our Christian life is arrested.

PEACE SEEKERS AND SOWERS

PEACE SEEKERS AND SOWERS

 "And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."   Jas 3:18　

The marginal reading of the Revised Version suggests the substitution of the word "by" for "for," and that would seem to be the real thought of the writer. He had been contrasting the wisdom from beneath with that from above as Solomon. The first produces jealousy, faction, confusion. The second is first pure and then peaceable. Now carefully observe that he says much more than that peace is the fruit of righteousness. That is true, and it had already been said in the declaration that heavenly wisdom is first pure, then peaceable. But here the thought is that of the propagation power of life according to heavenly wisdom. Righteousness bears fruit after its kind, and that is peace. When this is sown, still in peace, it produces righteousness again, wherein is the further fruit age; and so ever on. Those who make peace had been declared by the Lord to be blessed (born-again), as the sons of God. Here the blessedness is shown in its effect. The peacemakers are those who live by the heavenly wisdom, which is first pure and then peaceable, that is, by righteousness. These are the men who make peace. To compromise with wrong, to seek for quietness by the sacrifice of righteousness, is not to secure peace, but to make it impossible. On the other hand, to stand for righteousness, even though there must be conflict and suffering, is to sow the fruit where from peace will come. The ways of God are all severe, but they are the only ways of goodness. To do right at the cost of ease, is to make peace. To seek ease at the cost of righteousness is to make peace forever impossible.