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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Holy Bible has these encouraging words of exhortation on prayer: “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chron 7:14. Every believer has the privilege to engage in an intimate conversation with our Lord and a divine responsibility to pray for our people in need. Our humble request is that we will commit this year to Pray for our nationIndia. May I draw your attention to mark specific time in your family and church to pray systematically every month for different states in India as pointed out in our 2019 Calendar. You can make this prayer more creative by collecting necessary data to educate and inspire your team to pray for our leaders and the pressing needs in each state. Let us pray for God’s comfort for bereaved families of the 40 Indian soldiers who were killed in the Pulwama terror attack. There is a great need to unite our hearts in prayer for Christians, Pastors and Churches in our country who are persecuted for their faith. MacDonald in ‘Wise Beyond Description’ says that we can never be as wise as God is, but that doesn’t excuse us from drawing on His resources and exhibiting wisdom in our everyday lives. We should be characterized by the wisdom that is from above, a wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, “full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (Jas. 3:17). We must walk in wisdom toward those who are outside the faith (Col. 4:5). In ‘Seeing the Double’ Peterson explains that God Himself practices this art all the time. God sees you not only as you are now—weak, selfish, sinful—but also as you can be strong, confident, loving. He sees you with all your wonderful potential as a brand-new person because of what Jesus Christ will do for you. The old things pass away and everything becomes new (see II Cor. 5:17). What God created you to be, you can be. What you want to be, God can make you. R. Stanley in his article ‘What is missionary praying?’ highlights on praying for the five groups of people in the missionary work. Apostle Paul lists these groups in Romans 10:14,15 as — Senders, Goers, Hearers, Believers and Worshippers. We are happy to introduce the Resource Page (see page #34) which has information that is beneficial to the readers. If any of you want to share the information of a service or product that is useful. Please contact 9492440070 for more info. Request to pray and support the renovation of the Studio into Conference Hall. Soon this place will be available for conducting Prayer meetings, BibleTeaching Seminars and Worship Services. We wish all the best to all the students who are writing their final exams and the Lord grant wisdom and good health to excel in their studies. Our sincere thanks to all the partners in the ministry of Back to the Bible for your sacrificial support that makes it possible to provide all the Bible Teaching resources available. The Lord Bless You
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Contents jan–feb2019
Pray for all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
3 Designed For Your Need 5 The Master’s Minority 6 How to Hear from God
Read 1 Timothy 2:1-4
8 Take My Life, and Let it Be — Devotional Thought on a Hymn 9 Letters from Readers
7 Young Challenge 19 YOUTH | Gird up
22 What to Pray for
20 To Walk Where Jesus Walked
24 Be Active in Facilitating
26 Bio | AC Gaebelein & BH Carroll
11 Wise Beyond Description | Shared Attributes of God
30 We Believe — Man
13 Tears and Tear Bottles 15 Seeing Double 16 Missionary Praying
36 Creative Bible Learning
34 Resource Page
In gratitude and love I will, in my hours of fear and desolation, say after thee, My Father, I cannot understand what thou art about but in thee do I put my trust.
35 Life’s Greatest Decision
37-38 Faith Partner Form
32 The Waiting God All creation is filled with evidence of divine wisdom. All His works express His wisdom.
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Engaging the Bible Everyday JAN – FEB | 2019
Revelation 3:7-13
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irst of all, He says, “Thou hast a little strength” (Rev. 3:8). He speaks then to a minority group, not to a majority group. The world usually measures strength by numbers, but this is not the Lord’s method. The Lord deals here with the remnant. It is through remnants among His people that God has done some of His greatest works. We read in Isaiah 1:9 that the Lord would have destroyed Israel like Sodom and Gomorrah had it not been for a remnant, a minority group that stayed true to Him. The Lord started the Church with 12, then there were 120, then on another occasion there were 500. The Day of Pentecost saw 3,000 added to the Church, but this was still a small number compared to the world at large. In the early foreign ministry of the Church we find Paul and a few associates canvassing the world with the Gospel. God apparently has always worked through a minority group.
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Now what is the message that the Lord has for this minority group who believes the authority and inspiration of the Scriptures and who gladly bows to Christ’s personal lordship? The message for these is “Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it” (Rev. 3:8). We hear so much today, almost too much, about closed doors. We must not overlook the open doors that are before us. We must honor Christ, recognizing that He has absolute control of all history and that He has been given a name that is above every name. Final authority lies with Him, and full and complete power to accomplish His aims resides in Him. So when He promises that an open door is before us and no one can close it, we should obey Him and enter. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Rom. 8:31). CL
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From the Series: “Celebrating the Word of God”
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son…” (Hebrews 1:1-2a)
radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.”
In this passage, we see that o you believe that God has the writer of Hebrews is reaching spoken? Yes, He has spoken. towards a climax. “In these last days,” he says, “the God who speaks – who Not only that, but He has has spoken in the past in many spoken objectively and the record ways – has in these last days spoken of His objective speech is the Bible. comprehensively and decisively If you never hear God speaking through His Son.” subjectively – that is, in your head and heart – you can still build your The Bible presents us with a life on the objective Word of God. By picture of the speaking God, in reading, studying and gaining inner which all of His speech was leading conviction of the truth of the Bible, to a final, complete word. It is leading you will encounter the very “speech” to a climax. of God. As well, you will find that it is the speech of God to you personally! So what is the climax?
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Hebrews 1:1-3 says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed the Heir of all things, through whom He also created the world. He is the
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1 First, He is not a prophet. He is the Son. 2 He is not the one who speaks of the creation. He is the Creator. 3 God has appointed His Son as the Heir of all things. Think of it this way. My father passed away several years ago. Let me tell you what I did not inherit from my father. If he had left a will and said, “To my son John, I leave B.C. Place, the CN Tower in Toronto, the UN Building in New York and the Eiffel Tower in Paris,” I can assure you that no one would hand those keys over to me. Even if I came with the will and pointed out that it was legal, I would be told that I cannot inherit from my father that which did not belong to him.
God has spoken to us through His Son.
But, God the creator has never relinquished His right to His creation. In other words, Jesus is different All that exists is His by right. And the than any prophet, or any internal Father has entrusted all things to His sense of God. He is different than only begotten Son. God speaking in creation. Not only is He different, but also, He is superior. Jesus did not write anything in JAN – FEB | 2019
the Bible; rather He entrusted the writing of His revelation to men whom he handpicked. And what they wrote was authentic in that it accurately portrayed everything that Jesus did and said. Secondly, what they wrote added the complete and final word of God, but it was also completely in line with and affirmed all that God had spoken in the past.
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Matthew 5:1-12 (THE BEATITUDES) It’s time to Boost-up your MEMORY & Brush-up your ABILITY.
So if you want to hear God’s voice, and you want more than a subjective sense of God speaking, or you want to get beyond what may appear to you as the silence of God, may I urge you to consider this amazing book? Application: Are you seeking to hear God’s voice to you through His Word? In the words of philosopher and theologian Francis Schaeffer, “He is here and He is not silent.” God has spoken – and we can hear – if we will but listen. Let us thank God for the incredible revelation He has given to us through the Son! CL
“…but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son…” (Heb 1:2a) (Adapted from the devotional book “Quiet Spaces” by Dr. John Neufeld. This book is now available for a donation of Rs. 50/- only).
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A Devotional Thought on the Hymn...
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1).
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ave you ever been asked to give up something that you really did not want to surrender? Maybe as a child you obediently surrendered a treasured item to a younger brother or sister; not because you wanted to, but because you knew the consequences that would follow if you failed to obey.
While selfishness is a human trait, it definitely should not be found in the life of a consecrated Christian. When the Lord asks us to give ourselves in full surrender, we seem to think we can offer Him the familiar substitutes: talents, time and money. “Here, Lord, take my hands,” or “I gladly dedicate my talents to You.” But God did not ask for our talents; He asked for us. Strange that we should even question returning what already belongs to Him. After all, He created us; then died, and arose for us. He has promised to
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lead in each step of life and has assured us of spending all eternity with Him. Why then is it so hard to give ourselves to Him? Many of us have passed over the first phrase of this song too quickly. As a result, we have stressed the content of the other verses out of proportion. It is only after the phrase, “Take my life” becomes an acutal experience that we are ready to sing the remaining verses of the song. Only then can we offer Him our hands, our feet, our voices, our lips, our money and our love. Let us not offer God these as substitutes in place of the one thing He wants and through His creation and death actually owns—us. I said, “My hands, my voice, I give, O Lord, And here’s my money too.” He said, “I cannot use your many gifts Until I first have YOU.” CL
JAN – FEB | 2019
Letters from Readers... 6 Thanks for all that you have been faithfully carrying
out for enriching the lives of believers in giving Spiritual nurture and development through the teachings of the Back to the Bible ministry for God’s glory. I overwhelmingly indebted to the practical and balanced teachings and gospel literature sent to me from 1970s. It is really a great joy to hear and study the word of God and the right type of interpretations without diluting the Biblical truths from the Broadcasts and literature of Back to the Bible. It is our delight to pray for the leaders and the staff of GNBS. — Prof. D. Manoj Chelladorai, Vellore
6 I pray continually for the ministry and its good
work. May our country men come to know the saving grace of our Lord. The cross and the resurrection of the Lord can work wonders in their lives. — Mrs Nalini Durairaj, Goa
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my family are blessed by the Confident Living magazine and the internet broadcasts. I have been a listener to the English broadcasts for the past 35 years. May the Lord continue to bless many through these works. I and my wife are missionaries for the past 21 years. Please pray for us. — Nathaniel Edward, Chennai
NEVER FORGET THAT GOD ISN’T BOUND BY TIME THE WAY WE ARE. WE SEE ONLY THE PRESENT MOMENT; GOD SEES EVERYTHING. WE SEE ONLY PARTOF WHAT HE IS DOING; HE SEES IT ALL. — Billy Graham
Share with us how you have been blessed by the ministries of Back to the Bible.
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CONGRATS TO ALL THE WINNERS !! 1. Mercy Joyston, Madurai 2. Anil K Frank, Surat 3. Mary Swaroopa Rani, Secunderabad 4. Hepzibah Thomas, Padappai 5. James Reginald, Guntur 6. Chandrakala Elia, Huzurabad 7. P.Stephen David, Visakhapatnam 8. Paul Raja Vijayan, Salem 9. Jacobaiah Chowdari, Warangal 10. P.E.J.Samuel, Chennai 11. Mohan C. Kamalam, Nagercoil 12. Vimal Dhalwani, Nasik 13. Ruby S.Peters, Bangalore 14. Vinitha Joel, Chennai 15. Vanaja Samuel, Bangalore 16. Susila Jayakumar, Arakkonam 17. Shirley Sam, Vellore 18. Indira Jayaseelan, Arakkonam 19. Birdie Stanley, Kannur 20. Jayanthi Asirvatham,Coimbatore 21. Premlatha Sekhar, Kadapa 22. Jemima Beryl, Coimbatore 23. Ramola Joseph, Bangalore 24. Manoj Chelladorai, Vellore 25. Prema Daniel, Tirupur 26. Joshua Raman, Secunderabad 27. John Putchakayala,Ravikampadu 28. Jeffry Byrd, Pune 29. Neeraja Daniel, Mumbai 30. Jalaja Naresh, Bangalore 31. Supriya Emmanuel, Sompeta 32. Rhoda Grace, Sompeta 33. B.I.Periera, Tambaram 34. Angelina Pakianathan, Coimbatore 35. G. Christopher, Pavoorchatram CONFIDENT LIVING
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Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways fast finding out! —Romans 11:33
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nother wonderful attribute of God is His wisdom. This is somewhat connected with His knowledge, but it is not the same. His knowledge speaks of His vast range of information and understanding, whereas His wisdom means His ability to use this knowledge to produce the best possible results by the best possible means. It is His perfect judgment and infallible insight: With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding... With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His (Job 12:13, 16). O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions (Ps. 104:24).
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portrait of what is before him.”1 Similarly, the DNA, which is the basis of heredity, “is so narrow and so compacted that all the genes in all my body’s cells would fit into an ice cube; yet if the DNA were unwound and joined together end to end, the strand could stretch from the earth to the sun and back more than four Traces of the wisdom of God can hundred times.”2 be seen in the natural creation, but the full revelation will stretch out There is the miracle of the mind, through eternity. Take the universe, concerning which its Designer asked, for instance. A recent scientific article said that it is so finely tuned that Who has put wisdom in the mind? the odds of achieving it by chance Or who has given understanding to “would be the same as throwing an the heart? (Job 38:36). imaginary microscopic dart across the universe to the most distant There is the miracle of the spirit quasar and hitting a bull’s eye one by which we can have fellowship millimeter in diameter.” with God. In prayer we leave planet earth, enter the throne room of the The human body is a masterpiece universe, and converse with the King. of divine wisdom and engineering. For example, one writer observed, God’s wisdom is seen also in “The brain has been called an the spiritual creation. The plan of enchanted loom. Somehow it is able salvation demonstrates it. Paul to take the shifting electric signals reminds us that “since, in the wisdom from 252 million rods and cones of God, the world through wisdom in (man’s) eyes and, moment by did not know God, it pleased God moment, weave these tiny snippets through the foolishness of the of information into a tapestry message preached to save those who The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens; By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down the dew (Prov. 3:19-20).
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believe” (1 Cor. 1:21); and “Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24). In His wisdom God did not choose the wise, mighty, and noble people; He chose the foolish, weak, base, despised—in short, nobodies—to bring glory to Himself (1 Cor. 1:26-29). All creation is filled with evidence of divine wisdom. All His works express His wisdom. The wisdom of God, perfect and complete, means that He can never make a mistake. As we sometimes say, He is too loving to be unkind, too wise to make a mistake. What confidence this gives us in the Lord! No matter what happens to us, it is neither an error nor an accident. We would plan our lives exactly the same way He planned them if we had His wisdom. It means that His guidance is the best. We can trust His leading. Too often we take matters into our own hands. If we were wise, we would let Him choose for us. He is the truly wise Counselor.
It is true that we can never be as wise as God is, but that doesn’t excuse us from drawing on His resources and exhibiting wisdom in our everyday lives. We are to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Mt. 10:16). We should be characterized by the wisdom that is from above, a wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, “full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (Jas. 3:17). We are wise if we hear the teachings of Jesus and do them (Mt. 7:24). We must walk in wisdom toward those who are outside the faith (Col. 4:5).
countless other ways, we believers manifest ourselves as persons of wisdom and true children of the One of whom Isaac Watts wrote, He formed the stars, those heavenly flames, He counts their numbers, calls their names: His wisdom’s vast, and knows no bound, A deep where all our thoughts are drowned.
Notes 1. Lowell Ponte, ‘‘How Color Affects Your Moods,” p. 95. 2. Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Believers reveal other features of p. 46. CL true wisdom. We do not judge by outward appearances. We value the praise of God rather than the praise of people. We share God’s view that If any of you lacks the things that most people esteem wisdom, you should are abominations. We learn from ask God, who gives the Word of God and thus avoid a generously to all lot of bitter lessons in the school of experience. We find safety in a without finding multitude of counselors. We find fault, and it will be peace in accepting things in life that given to you. cannot be changed. In these and
— James 1:5
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‘Strength for the Journey’ Daily Devotional written by our Founder -Bible Teacher Theodore H. Epp has been translated into 3 languages.
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Bible Bible Times Times && Customs Customs
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ears are mentioned frequently in the Bible. The tear bottle is mentioned only once, though perhaps it is alluded to in a number of other passages. In Psalm 56 David prays, “Put thou my tears into thy bottle” (v. 8). The heading of this psalm indicates that it is a prayer of David, commemorating the time when he fled from King Saul and had been captured by his nation’s worst enemy, the Philistines. He had already been anointed king of Israel but had not yet ascended to the throne. The experience out of which this psalm grew was difficult for David, and his prayers—and tears— were numerous. Notice the intensity of David’s desperation, expressed in these words: “Man would swallow me up; he . . . oppresseth me. Many . . . fight against me. Every day they wrest my words. They mark my steps, when
they wait for my soul” (vv. 1,2,5,6). He cried to God in this difficult time, and his prayer was accompanied by tears. Such experiences are not uncommon to God’s people today. The Christian’s prayers can bring tears— actual tears as well as inner tears of agony. Sorrow, suffering and tears are results of sin. After man first sinned in the Garden of Eden, God promised to both Adam and Eve that sorrow would be a part of human life. To Eve He said, “In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children” (Gen. 3:16). And to Adam He said, “In sorrow shalt thou eat of it [the ground] all the days of thy life” (v. 17). The expression “Put thou my tears into thy bottle” seems unusual to us. In Persia and in Egypt, tears were wiped from the cheeks and the eyes of the mourner and were stored in a tear bottle, where they were carefully preserved. The custom was probably
The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’ — Billy Graham
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based on the belief that these tears would prove to God that the person had been righteous during his lifetime and that God would mercifully reward him. That such a belief existed seems to be substantiated by the fact that the individual’s tear bottle was buried with him at death. Tear bottles have been found in many of the ancient tombs of Egypt and elsewhere throughout the East. These bottles were made of alabaster, since glass was not yet in use.
my people . . . and have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters; for I know their sorrows” (Ex. 3:7). In the preceding chapter we read that Israel’s cry “came up unto God. And God heard their groaning” (2:23,24).
and the box of costly ointment, or perfume—to Christ. Instead of keeping these treasures until she died, this woman poured them out on Jesus as tokens of her love and gratitude for His mercy.
The story in Luke 7:36-50 has often puzzled Bible readers. While Jesus ate at Simon’s house, a woman “stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with During his imprisonment among the ointment” (v. 38). How could a the Philistines, David did not have woman shed enough tears to wash a tear bottle of his own. Thus, he a person’s feet? asked the Lord to store his tears and to record them in His divine record It is possible that the woman book. He was praying that God would brought her bottle of tears to Jesus. record his sufferings and sorrows and These tears, saved during her lifetime, that He would not forget his tears. were the symbol of her sorrow. She One is reminded of God’s statement washed Christ’s feet with her tears— to Moses regarding the sufferings an act which was meaningful to the of His people in ancient Egypt: “I woman and also to Jesus. She gave have surely seen the affliction of her most precious items—her tears
It will be wonderful when “God shall wipe away all tears” (Rev. 21:4) from the eyes of His redeemed people. Then they will live eternally in His presence, where there “shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain” (v. 4). Tears and tear bottles will be discarded forever! CL
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Parenting
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very happily married person must see double.” A good marriage and family counselor said that. How does it strike you? When I first read this statement by Dr. Anthony Florio, I assumed he was emphasizing that a married person must shift his outlook from “me” and “mine” to “we,” “us” and “ours.” The counselor stressed, “A man and wife are so united that they are no longer two but one.” While it is essential to marriage success that the partners have a solid sense of unity, this was not Dr. Florio’s point. A young medical student, brilliant but retiring and definitely not aggressive, marries a very successful girl who’s making good money. She loves him, admires him and willingly proceeds to underwrite his education. Besides being both housewife and a business executive, she does his research, types his papers and helps him get safely established in his profession. Both realize (though neither admits it) he’d probably never have made it without her. He needed her strength, her drive. Both needed each other, because he could interact with the public politely. JAN – FEB | 2019
This couple was a perfect complement to each other, bound to “live happily ever after.” But you know that assumption is not right! Nobody is bound to “live happily ever after.” Life isn’t that simple. Remember also that everyone is constantly changing—and should be. Either we’re learning, growing, maturing, using our experiences and our problems to propel us forward; or we’re letting life just happen to us, learning nothing from our mistakes, becoming less and less of a person.
Naturally, any normal, self-confident man is eventually going to rebel, and then the marriage is in deep trouble. This wife had seen her husband only one way—as a timid, hesitant man, dependent on her strength. What she should have done through the years was to see him not only as the man he was and had been but also as a man he was becomingstrong, self-assured, no longer leaning on others but he himself became a tower of strength. That’s the art of seeing double.
What happened to this couple? As soon as he went into private practice, he began to grow! Because he had to, he found he could meet the public, talk to his patients with increasing confidence he could and even help them handle their emotional problems that resulted from their physical illnesses. He grew out of himself into a strong, capable physician.
God Himself practices this art all the time. He sees you not only as you are now—weak, selfish, sinful—but also as you can be strong, confident, loving. He sees you with all your wonderful potential as a brand-new person because of what Jesus Christ will do for you. The old things pass away and everything becomes new (see II Cor. 5:17). What God created you to be, you can be. And that will be the most exiting and fulfilling But what about his wife? She had experience of your life. CL married a passive man who needed her aggressive personality. But as Is prayer your steering wheel her husband grew, she continued to or your spare tire? be the dom-ineering wife—trying — Corrie Ten Boom to control her husband, treating him like a slow-witted schoolboy. CONFIDENT LIVING
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AY be we are the terminal they are not motivated by prayer we generation. May be we will only end in flesh what’s begun in have entered the last the Spirit. decade of this age. If so, we are the ones who will write the last chapter What is missionary of Church history. Acts 29 will be praying? about us! It’s praying for the five groups of people acting in the missionary “WORLD EVANGELISATION BY story. Apostle Paul lists them in 2000 AD.” This is the slogan of today’s Romans 10:14,15 — Senders, Goers, evangelical world. There is a renewed Hearers, Believers and Worshippers. awareness and widespread interest in missions. Undoubtedly this is 1. Senders an era of missionary evangelism. Strictly speaking it is the “Lord The Church is waking up to fulfil its of the Harvest” who sends forth missionary responsibility. Missionary labourers. But of the first batch of movements are accelerating missionaries we read they were sent their progress. New strategies are by the Holy Spirit and the Church being worked out. Challenging (Acts 13:3,4). The laying on of hands programmes are launched out. We by the leaders on Paul and Barnabas hear the sound of going on the was not just formal or a ritual. mulberry trees more loudly and They “fasted and prayed” before clearly than ever. laying hands. It shows their dead earnestness. They realised that their But in the midst of hectic missionaries were soldiers in the missionary activity it is possible to battlefront. Fasting prayer is an open forget or slight the most important acknowledgement that the battle work called PRAYER. Jesus cannot be won by might or power commanded His disciples to “pray but by the Spirit. therefore” before commissioning them to “go therefore” (Mt 9:38; Pray that the sending churches 28:19). or groups may always carry the missionaries in their heart. They Everyone knows and accepts that should not forget the problems of Missions are born in prayer. But if the missionaries as they get caught
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up in their own local and personal problems. Pray for the local leaders of the missionary prayer groups to maintain a high level vision and passion so they can motivate the members for passionate prayer. The initial enthusiasm in praying and giving may soon die out. Very few will go on with the same fervour. On one occasion no church shared with Paul concerning giving and receiving except the Philippians (Phil 4:15). Every year the Government and Companies increase the salary of their employees. Pray that the missionary senders may understand this simple principle and increase their giving substantially every year. The senders include the executive leaders of Missions. Pray that they remain sensitive to the Spirit. May the Lord give them a genuine concern for each worker in the field. Let them not use the missionaries and the field news just as tools and material for promotional work. Pray that the leaders may always realize that they are servants to the missionaries. The Spirit should guide them in all placements and transfer of missionaries. Casualness on the part of the leaders may ruin the future of the workers. JAN – FEB | 2019
Individual Christians supporting the missionary work must constantly be constrained by the love of God. Pray that each of them be an intercessor. Tears shed at home means showers poured out in the field.
God may grant a fresh and free spirit to the missionaries and fill them with His joy and peace unspeakable. Pray that the missionaries may not be alarmed by people like “Alexander the coppersmith” (2 Tim 4:14). Our prayers will keep them bold in all situations (Acts 4:24-31).
believe unless they hear. Faith comes by hearing (Rom 10:17). Pray that the Lord may remove all barriers from people to come out and hear an outsider proclaiming the gospel. The Spirit of the Lord should create an enthusiasm and interest among the people.
Missionaries have adapted a simple lifestyle, yet they have financial problems. Making both ends meet with the allowances paid by the Mission is not always easy. There is no provision for several unforeseen expenses. Money is not everything but money matters! Not a Missionaries are not angels or few leave the ministry being unable supermen. They are men and women to cope with the financial stress. like us encountering temptations and problems. The only difference We must pray for the ministerial is that they chose to go and we problems the missionary faces. They preferred to stay back. Even amidst are simply too many. Suddenly a all friends, fellowship and feeding we Demas leaves the team (2 Tim 4:10). struggle with our problems. By and And Barnabas separates because of large the missionary is a lone man a dispute over a simple matter (Acts in the field. His spiritual problems 15:36-40). Trophimus falls sick and so are numerous. His coworker is but the team’s strength decreases (2 Tim a fellow-struggler! How much they 4:20). Let’s imagine such probable need our prayers! Let’s watch and problems of the workers while we pray that they may not fall into pray. temptation. Pray that the missionary may Pray for the missionaries’ physical remain sensitive to the voice of the problems. Health problems due to Spirit. When the Spirit wants him to extreme climatic conditions, poor speak to an individual seeker in the sanitation and water supply and desert he should not get caught inadequate medical facilities are all up by the successful crusade in too common. Pray for the workers’ the town (Acts 8). A definition of safety in travel and protection from the missionary is God’s man doing wild animals, poisonous insects and God’s work in God’s way at God’s accidents. A young missionary of an time. Claim Psalm 32:8 on his behalf. Indian Mission was recently killed in Pray for a daily anointing on him for a rail accident in Rajasthan leaving power and purity. He must grow his wife whom he had married only in the knowledge of God. Pray and a month ago. encourage the missionary from all discouragement, depressions and Then there are psychological dullness. problems. Separation from children and kith and kin, hostility of the native 3. Hearers people, misunderstanding among It is not so easy to gather a crowd the coworkers, lack of fruit in the field to hear the gospel in villages and and the like are the causes. Pray that remote places. But people cannot
The god of this age has blinded people lest the light of the gospel should shine on them. Pray that Lord may open their eyes. Because of dejection the downtrodden people sometimes do not want to hear a visitor. In some villages for no reason people are prejudiced and they are indifferent to any kind of invitation to hear the gospel. The Lord should overrule such situations.
2. Goers
Apostle Paul was a man of unusual spiritual stamina and boldness. But hear his plea: “Pray always with all prayer... that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph 6:18,19).
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Christ has promised open doors which no man can shut. But any promise of God has to be claimed. Generally open doors and opposition go together (1 Cor 16:9). Also there will be all kinds of distractions in the rural setting while folks listen to preaching. Suddenly some animals enter the fields and spoil the crop. A couple of village folk pick up a quarrel at the street corner. A child starts crying and the mother shouts at the child or chides him which distract the attention of the hearers. And so on. To hold the attention of a group of villagers for ten minutes is sometimes a big task. Pray that the attempts of the devil may be defeated. Every man and woman must get a fair chance to hear the gospel clearly explained. The missionary walks several kilometres to reach a village but he is disappointed when the people are not in a mood to hear him due to a festival or a funeral. Seasonal occupation like harvesting or hunting make people CONFIDENT LIVING
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too busy. Sometimes the people are very welcoming but other times ununderstandably indifferent. Pray that the missionary may make best out of any situation.
the “Lord” opened her heart (Acts 16:14). We must pray that God saves maximum number of people. He desires “all men” to be saved but we must ask (1 Tim 2:1-4).
Difficulty in understanding the gospel message is a very common problem of the rural hearers. Where polygamy, drunkenness, etc., are common practices, it is not easy to preach about sin. Polytheists and animists have real difficulty to accept and understand monotheism. Academic qualification is not a must to understand the gospel but the language and style of expression of the city-bred and college-trained missionary are difficult for the people. Only a few workers are talented to quickly adapt the language style and catch the thought philosophy and culture of the hearers. Pray.
Even when there is a stirring in the hearts of hearers, they sometimes hesitate to respond publicly due to strong community systems so prevalent in tribal areas. Decision for Christ becomes costly. The family and the community may throw them out. Even their life may be in danger. Some Missions do not baptize the respondents immediately but wait for a sizeable number to come. There are practical reasons. Missionaries primarily aim at the village leader or tribal headman. If he is converted the situation becomes easy (Mt 10:11). Pray for a sweeping work of the Spirit.
Miracles attracted large crowds in the ministry of Jesus and the apostles. It is still the same today. Pray God may work miracles and perform healings through the missionaries to get audience. Pray for an unusual manifestation of power against demon-possession, witchcraft and the like.
As per the constitution of our secular government anyone has freedom to practise and propagate his religion. But the anti-conversion bill is in force in certain States, where a non-Christian convert cannot be baptized unless he files an affidavit before the district Collector. The rural people known for their fear and backwardness will certainly hesitate to go before a civil authority for such formalities. Also there are disturbances and dissuasion from anti-Christian forces. We have Elymases everywhere (Acts 13:8). Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “Pray for us that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men” (2 Thess 3:1,2).
4. Believers
Not all soils produce the same fruit. The response to the gospel is not the same everywhere. A positive response does not necessarily mean the preacher was good and the method effective. “It is not of him who wins, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy” (Rom 9:16). Reporting what happened in the house of Cornelius, Peter said that “God” had granted to the Gentiles repentance to life (Acts 11:18). At the end of their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas reported to the Church that “God” had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles (Acts 14:27). About Lydia the first European convert it is said that
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A great number turned to the Lord in Antioch (11:19-21). In the Pisidian Antioch almost the whole city got interested in the Gospel (13:14,44). At Thessalonica a great multitude of Greeks joined the Lord (17:1,4). And so on. Pray that our missionaries may witness a daily addition (2:47). If the early apostles had their thousands we must have our millions. Think of the population explosion! Should not conversions be proportional?
5. Worshippers
The ultimate of missionary work is to raise a worshipping community in every village and among each people group. This is the Father’s great desire (Jn 4:23). There must be a Church for every locality. Pray that all missionaries be endowed with the “gift” of church planting along with their gift of evangelism. Pray that the believers get rooted and grounded in their newfound faith. The Lord should give them wisdom and knowledge to understand their high calling and inheritance in Christ (Eph 1:15-21). Nurturing the babes in Christ is both a privilege and a responsibility. The missionaries are now the shepherds. They must have all discernment and compassion to feed the sheep according to each sheep’s need.
The material needs of the converts also should be taken care of. Relief and rehabilitation projects must be launched. In remote areas skilled labour is quite rare and so the missionaries come under a greater stress. Pray for World Vision, EFICOR Pray for mass conversions. We and such relief organisations who read of many such in the Book of work with Missions to uplift the Acts. Three thousand souls were people. Pray for sufficient funds. saved on the Day of Pentecost (2:41). The number too soon swelled up Entering the Kingdom of God is to five thousand (4:4). There was always through tribulations (Acts a mass movement in the city of 14:22). Pray that the faith of the Samaria (8:6,12). Many believed on believers may not be shaken up the Lord throughout Joppa (9:42). due to deaths or losses. Persecution JAN – FEB | 2019
should not discourage but strengthen them. Believers of the sending churches should consider the problems of the members of the new churches as that of their own. Are they not our own brothers and sisters? Our prayers should keep them from backsliding. Paul had a deep and daily concern for all the Churches (2 Cor 11:28). Pray for native leadership to be raised (Tit 1:5). Otherwise the missionaries will not be able to pioneer into new areas. They will get stuck up in one place. The new church must become reproductive. The gifts of the Spirit must be in free operation. Believers must be trained in personal soulwinning. The new church in the mission field should soon become a sending church. They should learn giving. Pray that these new churches stay alive and aflame, giving no room for nominalism or formalism.
On knees to fields!
All may not be able to personally travel to distant places and pioneering situations for missionary evangelism, but every Christian can go there on his knees! What a privilege! CL
“God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.” — David Livingstone
For YOUTH
Gird up
-Douglas K. Erlandson-
Bible Reading: I Corinthians 9:24-27 “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (I Cor. 9:25, NIV).
It isn’t easy to train for a race. Day after day you push your body to its limits. But you keep at it, for you desperately want to do your best. Finally, you race. Maybe you win. Maybe you don’t. I’ve run some races and have a few medals and trophies collecting dust on my shelf. Someday they’ll get thrown away. We’re running a much more important race—the race to excel in serving Christ. Too often, we don’t train very hard. We don’t read the Bible. We don’t pray. We don’t really care whether or not we obey God’s commands. But we really should be training much harder than for any earthly race. Remember, we’re racing for an everlasting trophy. Think About This: “Press on toward the goal” (Phil.3:14).
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or as long as I can remember I did not want to go to the Holy Land. I suppose the main reason was those monochromatic slides we used to have to look at in Sunday school. My heart would sink when I learned that somebody was going to show pictures of Palestine. All you saw were little square sandcolored houses and sand-colored camels and lots of sand-colored landscapes that were mostly desert and usually we find people dressed in long robes which reminded me of our Sunday school Christmas plays with every one wearing bathrobes and towels wrapped around their heads. The whole thing of seeing what were called “holy places” and walking today where Jesus walked and visiting ruins failed to find a response in me. But seven years ago, just after the Six-Day War, I was persuaded to go to Jerusalem, and now I’m going back again. Israel in 1967 was a place of tremendous excitement and tremendous sadness. There were those who had conquered and those who had just been conquered.
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There was rubble where the wall had divided the Old City from the New, rubble where villages had been demolished and rubble at the Wailing Wall. I do not expect to find everything sorted out and peaceful when I return. Problems persist which seem to have no possible human solution, and I know from correspondence with friends that all is not as we read in the newspapers. But Jerusalem is a city set apart, a city often besieged and often recovered, which holds at its heart certain treasures that its wars and sins have not yet obliterated.
Christian tourists are often put off by the commercialization of holy places. You go into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to find that it is claimed by four different kinds of Christians who get along so badly that the keys of the church have had to be entrusted, it is said, to a Muslim family. There are guides, licensed and unlicensed clamoring to show you around. There are priests In varied garb waiting at each sacred site with offering boxes, candles, are on sale, and the whole place seems dark dusty and crowded with the trappings of religion.
I had not been at all prepared for the impact that Jerusalem had upon me. I was overpowered. It was in this city, inside and outside its walls, that the events took place which altered the whole course of history. The Crucifixion, said Dorothy Sayers, was after all “the only thing that ever really happened.” I knew all of this before I went, of course, but I simply was not prepared for what it did to me when I finally actually stood on that ground.
I would not have expected to like this scene, but I found myself totally captivated. There was something about the crumbling, discolored stone with Crusader’s crosses carved into it, the fragrance of the incense and the dim light of the swinging oil lamps convinced me that this was the place where people concentrated their attention and the devotion. Christians of all varieties had converged on this place, crowding into it every possible symbol of their hope and longing as JAN – FEB | 2019
well as the unavoidable evidence of their corruption; and that very corruption added its own weight to the meaning of that cross and that empty sepulchre—“for where sin abounded grace did much more abound.”
Over the door of the Basilica of the Agony, which is one name for the church in the Garden, these Latin words are inscribed: SUSTINETE HIC ET VIGILATE MECUM, “Wait here and watch with me.” I myself I have gone to the Garden several different times during many weeks in Jerusalem, and tried to reconstruct the awful scene: Christ in an agony of conflict and suffering, while the three who had been specially chosen to be with their Master at the end were not doing the one thing he had asked them to do—watch—but were sound asleep. When I was there the sun shone on the soft stone of the city walls and on the brilliant bougainvillea that grew near by. Buses ground up the hill, taxis honked, tourists rushed by taking pictures, and a group of kibbutzniks waving blue and white flags poured out of a bus and passed the Garden without so much as a sideways glance.
To go to the Garden of Gethsemane, across the Brook Kidron from the Old City, and to know that it was Jesus’ custom often to leave the crowded, noisy city and cross that brook and go to where the old olive trees grew on a hillside. This was another experience that overwhelmed me. The shape of the city, viewed from that perspective, has not changed very much, I suppose, from the time of Jesus. The shape of the hills surrounding it, the aspect of the valley, the beauty of the olive trees, would be just what Jesus knew. This was the quiet place to which he went when he knew that his hour had come. It was beneath some of these very trees perhaps (for some of them are two thousand It is not our experiences which years old) that the Son of Man in the final analysis change us, it is struggled with his own fear of death always and only our responses to and with the will of the Father. those experiences. In any of the holy
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places I could have responded with cynicism, rejection, even outrage. Their mysterious power then would have been lost on me. found it possible instead to enter in by faith, giving myself in each place to the One who was there before me and who, despite all that worldly-minded humanity had done to those places, was still there if I sought him. Near one of the olive trees in Gethsemane one of the Darmstadt Sisters of Mary has put up a small plaque: O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt. Thou, O Jesus, in the darkness of night and grief, didst utter these words of surrender and trust to God the Father. In gratitude and love I will, in my hours of fear and desolation, say after thee, My Father, I cannot understand what thou art about but in thee do I put my trust.
See Page No. 34
Introducing
You Share | We Spread
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Promote # Broadcast # Post information of your product or service on Resource Page! If you are looking to promote a product, service or idea that will be useful to people, then this is good news! We are happy to announce the Launch of ‘Resource Page’ which will have important information people can benefit from your post. Our Editorial team will process the information for approval before posting them. Will appreciate a donation for posting which will help meet with the printing costs of the magazine. Please send the information to gnbsindia@yahoo.com and call 9492440070 for more information.
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What to Pray For? -Mike T. Lacanilao-
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rayer—talking to our Heavenly Father—can be the most engaging activity Christians ever participate in. Prayer—moving the hand of our Almighty God—can be the most powerful weapon we can ever employ. Dr. John Stott, the most eminent Bible scholar of our day, said, “Prayer is the greatest force that we can wield. It is the greatest talent that God has given. He has given it to every Christian. What right have we to leave unappropriated or unapplied the greatest force which God has ordained for the salvation and transformation of man?” What is the greatest thing you have asked the Lord for this week? As S. D. Gordon pointed out, through prayer we can travel around the world as missionaries and reach out and help: The greatest thing each one of us can do is to pray. If we can go personally to some distant land, still we have gone to only one place. Prayer puts us in direct dynamic touch with a world. A man may go aside today, and shut the door, and as really spend a half hour of his life in India for God (or Russia or China) as though he were there in person. Surely you and I must get more half hours for this secret service.
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Scripture enjoins us to pray for several things. Let us begin with the prayer object that perhaps is the hardest and most difficult to undertake.
Before Him was a wide open harvest field of labor opportunities. In contrast, He saw just a handful of laborers, not enough to handle the abundant harvest.
Pray for the Harvest And among the few workers We pray not only for the haters available, some were not even on but also for the harvest. the work site. When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matt. 9:36-38) What is missions? Again I quote Dr. Stott: “It is the activity of God arising out of His very nature. The living God of the Bible is a sending God, which is what missions means.” From David Livingstone comes this beautiful thought: “God has an only Son and He was a missionary.”
With this situation, what are we to do? Give up in despair and allow the harvest to decay? No, we are told to pray. “’Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” (v. 38). The mightiest weapon of the Church and the highest ministry of the individual believer is to approach God as the Lord of the Harvest. We all know too well how selfcentered our prayers are. We dwell on our personal needs, family needs and church needs, but how often do we pray for Christian workers, Christian organizations and world missions?
As we pray, the Lord recruits and Jesus likened missions to a thrusts out. This is His work, but as harvest. There is nothing profound His children we must also do our in the analogy He used. This simple part. We must pray for the harvest. illustration was easily understood by city people, although it was strictly a Pray for the Hierarchy rural context. Finally, we are enjoined to pray for the hierarchy. Jesus talked about harvest in relation to the laborers. He pointed I urge, then, first of all, that out that the harvest was ready but requests, prayers, intercession the laborers were still not on the job and thanksgiving be made for site. What a pathetic disparity! everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live JAN – FEB | 2019
peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Tim. 2:1-2) When Paul wrote this, the bloody and cruel Nero was ruler over the Roman Empire. Paul was in prison, a victim of injustice, yet he strongly solicited prayers for kings, whoever they were. He knew that any government is better than no government at all. Civil government is a gift from God, and we have a duty to pray for it so that we might live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Many of us fall short in this responsibility of remembering and praying for our government. Pray for your hierarchy—for kings and presidents, whether in power, deposed or in exile, and for all those in authority. God has put them in seats of power and authority. He uses even evil, pagan kings—His enemies—for His purposes (Isa. 45:1-6). As you read the newspaper each day, bring pressing national and local concerns to the Lord. Please send/whatsApp or message to us the pressing issues that you are facing in your state so we can pray as the Back to the Bible family.
Our Response
Every revelation of God calls for a response. Every promise is set in operation by a condition met. Our Heavenly Father invites us to a deeper experience of His power in the inner life through prayer. He bids us to open our prayer closet and go in. He bids us to put our trust in His promises. What will your response be? CL
Pray for India:
• Andhra Pradesh (Hyderabad) • Arunachal Pradesh (Itanagar) • Assam (Dispur)
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o you’re not called to board a jet and fly to a remote corner of the world to serve the Lord. Does that mean you are excluded from the great task of taking the Gospel around the world? Not in the least. One of the greatest ways you can be a behind-the- lines missionary is to be a facilitator. A facilitator is someone who makes things easier. The cause of Christ needs such facilitators at home—people who will help make the missionary’s efforts easier. There are many ways you can be a facilitator without being a pastor or missions committee member.
Provide orientation
Perhaps the most difficult times in the Christian life are those first few months after you are saved when you begin attending church. New converts in the first century knew little or nothing about Jesus, and that’s true today as well. New believers need someone to befriend them, to facilitate their orientation into the church. Ananias was such a facilitator.
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In Acts 9, the greatest persecutor of the church in the first century was gloriously saved. On the road to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus encountered the Lord Jesus, and his life was changed forever. But who of the church at Damascus knew what happened to Paul? No one. So God chose Ananias to facilitate bringing the great persecutor into the church. At first Ananias was understandably afraid of Saul (v.13), but soon he referred to this new convert as “Brother Saul” (v. 17).
his appearance or lack of “Christian couth.” Instead, see him as a potential giant for Christ. When Chuck Colson, President Richard Nixon’s “hatchet man,” received Christ as his Savior while in prison, someone had to ease his entry into the church. Maybe it’s what God has in mind for you.
Provide physical care
Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison at Philippi. There they prayed and sang praises at midnight. That you knew, but did you know that after the Philippian jailer and his family trusted Christ Are there people who have just as Savior, they immediately became come to Christ who are having a facilitators of the Gospel? hard time acclimatizing to your church? Maybe they have had a very Acts 16:33 says, “And he took godless background. Maybe they are them the same hour of the night a bit shabby and tattered around the and washed their stripes.” This man edges. You can be a special behind- was a jailer, not a doctor. But he the- scenes missionary to them by facilitated the spread of the Gospel sitting with them in the church, by tending to the physical needs of helping them find a Sunday school two missionaries. class or inviting them to your home Bible study group. A few years ago I was preaching in Canada and had a horrible cold. I When a new Christian begins needed to see a doctor and get some attending your church, don’t criticize antibiotics, but it was Sunday. The JAN – FEB | 2019
pastor invited me to have lunch with his family. His son was visiting from a distant city in Canada. At the table I discovered the son was a physician and had some antibiotics with him, which he gladly administered to me. He helped me on my way. He facilitated the preaching of the Gospel message by tending to my physical needs.
A facilitator is someone who makes things easier One of the greatest needs for missionaries on furlough is rest. Do you have a time-share condominium or an apartment somewhere? Why not facilitate the missionaries’ “R & R” by letting them use your time- share for a week? Or what about paying their way to a Bible conference for a week? They’ll be refreshed both physically and spiritually.
was next door to the synagogue.” returned immediately to Berea to There the church was established tell Silas and Timothy to join Paul in and continued for a year and a half Athens. (v. 11). What were the names of these Perhaps you are called to facilitate brethren? Were they called to be the preaching of the Gospel by apostles? No. Were they called to opening your home for a new church preach? No. Were they called to write or a Five-day Club or Backyard Club books on theology? No. Who were for children. Make your house or your they? They were facilitators, people yard a temple for God. Consecrate it who made the spread of the Gospel for Him, and take an active part in easier. They were very important to spreading the Gospel. Paul, and they were very important to God.
Provide travel services
Acts 17:10 says, “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.” The Christians at Thessalonica provided travel services to escort Paul to Berea—and that in the middle of the night! Then the Berean believers escorted Paul from their village all the way to Athens (v. 15).
There is always something we can How far is it to Berea from do to facilitate spreading the Gospel Thessalonica? I’ve traveled that road, if we look for opportunities. and it’s about 45 miles of rugged terrain. But that’s nothing compared Provide a meeting with the distance from Berea to place Athens. That’s nearly 300 miles. Of Most churches don’t begin with course, the Christians may have a building. They begin with a Bible sailed with Paul to Athens, but that study group in someone’s home. If doesn’t make their effort any less there is a need for a Bible-believing dramatic. church in your town or in your part of town, why not be a facilitator of These brethren accompanied Paul the Gospel by opening your home all the way to Athens, and then they to be the meeting place for a new church?
I fly to almost every conference at which I preach. Someone must pick me up at the airport and return me to the airport after the conference is over. Those who facilitate my getting to and from where I preach are the modern equivalent of the brethren in Berea. Those who drive me to the meetings or to pray with people who have a specific need are facilitators of the ministry. They are as important to God as I am because both of us are necessary for the spread of the Gospel. Are you a facilitator? You could be if you let God use you in any of the ways mentioned here. And there are many more ways. Being a behindthe-lines missionary is a great privilege. Enjoy that privilege as a facilitator of the Gospel. CL
A facilitator is someone who makes things easier.
Justus did that in ancient Corinth. Acts 18 records that Paul planted the church in Corinth by preaching each Sabbath in the Corinthian synagogue. But soon there was opposition, and the fledgling church needed a place to meet. Verse 7 says, “And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house JAN – FEB | 2019
The cause of Christ needs such facilitators at home—people who will help make the missionary’s efforts easier.
Pray for India:
• Bihar (Patna) • Chhattisgarh (Raipur) • Goa (Panaji) CONFIDENT LIVING
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Bible Times & Customs Biography
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ou could not find two more opposite men than Arno Clemens Gaebelein and Benajah Harvey Carroll. Gaebelein’s ministry was, for the most part, an interdenominational one; Carroll was a devoted Southern Baptist and a strong denominational leader. Gaebelein held a dispensational view of Scripture; Carroll did not. Gaebelein was an itinerant Bible teacher; Carroll devoted most of his life to his church and to the seminary he helped to found. Why, then, bring these men together? For two reasons: both were self- made scholars with enviable reputations as teachers of the Word, and both have left behind sets of books dealing with the entire Bible. In Gaebelein’s The Annotated Bible and Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible are two different approaches to Scripture from men who were devoted servants of the Lord and able ministers of his Word. Gaebelein was a remarkable man. Born in Germany in 1861 (the year Carroll joined the Texas Rangers), he was converted to Christ at the age of twelve, and at the age of eighteen dedicated himself for Christian service. This dedication occurred on
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October 31 (the anniversary of Martin Luther’s ninety-five theses), only a few months after he had arrived in America. “I had been reading my New Testament,” Gaebelein wrote in his autobiography, Half a Century, “when suddenly a strong impulse came upon me to seek His presence and to tell Him that work for Him should be my life’s work.” He identified with the German Methodists in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where he was living, and soon he found himself teaching classes and distributing tracts. A friend offered to send him to seminary, but Louis Wallon, the presiding elder of that district, advised against it. Gaebelein’s training in Germany, which included Latin and Greek, actually put him ahead of some seminary graduates; and he was a tireless student on his own. Wallon loaned him theological books and encouraged him to study at home. Gaebelein was not critical of formal education, however; in later years he assisted the Evangelical Theological College (out of which grew Dallas Theological Seminary), and he delivered annual lectures at the school.
In 1881, he moved to New York City to assist Wallon in a German church. It was there that he was introduced to the premillennial position, but at first he rejected it. Later he became pastor of a German congregation in Baltimore, and there he began his study of Semitic languages. It was his habit to be at his studies at 4:00 each morning. He ministered in various German churches, and his knowledge of Hebrew and his love for the Jews gradually brought him into prominence as a missionary to the thousands of Jews pouring into New York City at that time. He had been converted to the premillennial position, and his addresses on prophecy attracted great crowds of both Jews and Gentiles. This ministry finally led to the establishing of the Hope of Israel Mission and a monthly publication in Hebrew for the Jewish people. A year later, in 1894, Gaebelein founded Our Hope magazine, one of the finest and most influential of the many publications of that era. He edited it for fifty-one years until his death in 1945; it then merged with another publication and, unfortunately, ceased to exist. We could use today another Bible study monthly like Our Hope. JAN – FEB | 2019
To read the life of A. C. Gaebelein is to come in contact with some of the great Bible teachers of that exciting era. The Niagara Bible Conference and other great conferences were in full swing during those years, and great crowds of believers gathered to study the Word in key centers across the country. In the pages of Half a Century, you meet James H. Brookes, C. I. Scofield, F. C. Jennings (whose commentary on Isaiah is a classic), Lewis Sperry Chafer, George C. Needham, and a host of other gifted men who tirelessly traveled from city to city to teach the Scriptures. There were giants in the earth in those days. However great these men might have been, the one man in this autobiography who deserves our appreciation is Samuel Goldstein, a Hebrew Christian who belonged to Gaebelein’s congregation in Hoboken, New Jersey. One day Goldstein came into his pastor’s library and was surprised to see so many volumes in Hebrew and other Semitic languages. “It is a shame that you do not make greater use of your knowledge,” said Goldstein. “You should go and preach the gospel to the Jews. I believe the Lord made you take up these studies because He wants you to go to my brethren, the Jews.” That was the beginning of a remarkable ministry in New York City. Hundreds of Jewish people crowded into halls to hear Gaebelein expound their Old Testament Scriptures, and many found Christ as their Savior. For five years (189499) Gaebelein superintended the Hope of Israel Mission, wrote books and tracts, edited two magazines, and sought to win both Jews and Gentiles to Christ. In 1889, because of denominational problems, he severed his relationship with the German Methodist Conference and embarked on the itinerant ministry that was to make him a tremendous JAN – FEB | 2019
blessing to thousands of people in the United States, Canada, and Europe. But as great as his public ministry was, it is the treasure of his written ministry that we want to consider.
found in the Scofield Bible, with very practical applications throughout. However, a student need not agree with the author to benefit from his insights into the Word of God. There is a devotional warmth to Gaebelein’s writings that goes beyond any one His first book was Studies in system of interpretation. Zechariah, and there is an interesting story connected with it. Gaebelein People often asked Gaebelein sent a free copy of the book to every how he was able to travel and speak rabbi in the New York City area and so much, edit a magazine, and write never received any acknowledgment so many books. His answer was from any of them. Some time later, always the same: “I never wasted however, a young Hebrew Christian time!” When asked why he did not began to attend one of Gaebelein’s play golf, he replied: “Not because meetings regularly, and it turned it is wrong, but because I can use out he had been secretary to a my time in a better way.” He was well-known rabbi. The rabbi had a devoted student, a systematic thrown Studies in Zechariah into worker, and a dedicated man; and the waste basket, but the secretary we today are the happy heirs of the had rescued it, read it, and trusted treasures God enabled him to mine Christ! If Gaebelein’s commentaries from the Word of God. on John, Acts, and the Psalms are not in your library, by all means secure B. H. Carroll was another tireless them. The Jewish Question, on worker and self-made scholar. He Romans 11, is a classic study of this was born on December 27,1843, critical chapter. The Prophet Daniel in Carroll County, Mississippi, the was highly praised by Sir Robert seventh child in the family of Benajah Anderson. and Mary Eliza Carroll. When he was seven years old, the family moved The Annotated Bible was begun to Arkansas, and then in 1858 they in 1912 and completed ten years relocated in Texas. It was in Texas later. It originally appeared in nine that Carroll was to have his great volumes, but may be purchased ministry. It was B. H. Carroll who today in a beautiful four-volume helped to “discover” George W. Truett set. This work includes an outline and establish him in a ministry that of each chapter in the Bible, an is recognized today as one of the introduction to each book, and a greatest in American church history discussion of the teachings of the (Andrew Blackwood called Truett Word. It is not a commentary; it is “the mightiest pastoral evangelist one man’s “interpretation” of the since Charles H. Spurgeon”). It total revelation of Scripture, a unified was B. H. Carroll who founded “overview” of the Word of God. Southwestern Baptist Seminary and whose denominational leadership is Since Gaebelein was one of remembered by Southern Baptists. the original consulting editors of The Scofield Reference Bible, you Strange as it seems, Carroll was a can expect these studies to reflect dedicated infidel until his conversion a premillennial, dispensational in 1865. From the first day he approach to Scripture. In fact, learned to read, Carroll had been a The Annotated Bible is really an devoted student, reading whatever expansion of the basic teachings good books were available in that CONFIDENT LIVING
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frontier region. He had an amazing memory and could recall at will material he had read years before, even to the point of giving the page locations! Eventually he was able to read three hundred pages a day without neglecting his regular responsibilities, and he even claimed to be able to read two lines at a time (actually, he was a forerunner of “speed-readers”; he read word groups instead of individual words, and he scanned pages). Even as an unbeliever, he read the Bible through several times, and few men dared to debate with him. He had a great mind and was a gifted orator. He also had a great, strong body; he stood six feet, four inches tall, and weighed two hundred pounds. His long beard, in later years, reached to his waist and gave him the semblance of an old prophet. One day, while boarding a train, he was asked by a stranger, “Where is your brother?” “Which brother do you mean?” Carroll asked, since he had several brothers. “My brother Jimmie?” “No!” said the stranger. “I mean your brother Aaron!”
Carroll went. His action amazed and delighted his Christian friends, but he was careful to explain that he was not converted yet; he was simply acknowledging that he would give the Christian faith a fair hearing. While riding home, he got down on his knees in the woods and fought the battle out—and Jesus Christ won. Carroll’s life was transformed, and his great gifts were dedicated to Christ. In November 1866 he was ordained to preach, and four years later he was called to the First Baptist Church of Waco, Texas, where he carried on an exciting ministry for twentyeight years. He was dean of the department of Bible at Baylor until he founded the new seminary and was named its first president. An Interpretation of the English Bible grew out of Carroll’s own teaching and preaching ministry. His lectures and sermons were stenographically recorded, and some were written out by Carroll himself. After his death, his assistant at the seminary, J. W. Crowder, was given the responsibility of editing and compiling Carroll’s studies, and it is largely because of his persistence and faith that we have this magnificent set of books today. It was originally published in thirteen volumes in 1916 by Fleming H. Revell, but that edition did not cover the entire Bible. In 1942 Broadman decided to bring out the set and commissioned Crowder to compile Carroll’s material on the portions of Scripture not discussed in the first edition. This second edition went to seventeen volumes. It must be noted that J. B. Cranfill assisted in editing some of the volumes in that set. The completed edition was published in 1948. Baker Books reprinted an edition in six large volumes, a set that ought to be in every pastor’s library.
when you consider that Carroll was limited in his formal schooling, the feat becomes even more amazing. His mind was not a sponge, absorbing the ideas of others, but rather a fertile soil into which every fact and truth dropped, germinated and bore fruit. He was not an assimilator of the information and illustrations of others, but rather a tireless investigator searching out for himself and arranging his material in his own forceful manner. So said George W. McDaniel in a memorial address at Houston on May 16, 1915. He added this word about An Interpretation of the English Bible: “As a commentary it is unique. Mark you, I don’t rank it first; it is not himself at his best. For the average preacher, however, that commentary is a thesaurus of theology and a gold mine of homiletics.” I have examined some of Carroll’s other books, and quite frankly I believe that some of his best work is in this monumental set. It is not actually a commentary; it is an “interpretation” on a broad scale. Sometimes Carroll pauses to preach a sermon; he may linger for pages on one verse, or he may skip over entire sections. I am glad the editors have not deleted his “asides,” because they are sometimes the most interesting parts of a chapter! When Carroll reminisces about hearing some forgotten Baptist preacher, or when he lifts an experience out of his own exciting life, you find yourself suddenly paying close attention. This man was a giant of the faith, a great preacher, and a man who influenced men in a positive way toward faith in Jesus Christ. He is a man you ought to know.
Carroll enlisted in the Texas Rangers in 1861. Instead of carrying food in his saddlebags, he carried books! The next year, wanting something more exciting, he enlisted in the Texas Infantry and fought in the Civil War. He was seriously wounded at the Battle of Mansfield (Louisiana) and finally had to be sent home. He was still a fanatical infidel and had even written a book on the subject; he had vowed never to enter a church again. But in 1865 he was persuaded to attend an old-fashioned camp meeting. The preacher challenged the people to make a “practical, experimental test” of Christianity and to give Jesus Christ a fair trial. When Some students differ with Carroll’s he asked for those to come forward For one man to produce this doctrine of the church or his views who were willing to make the test, much material is a feat in itself; and on prophecy, but these differences
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self-regarding nature of something to social reform or works of charity. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: ‘If we spent is not changed because the end is This is how we can best glorify God.’ more of our time looking at [God] virtuous and not evil. Henri Bremond, Edward Box, in his book, The Ethics of we would spend less time thinking the French writer, used a wonderful Socialism, put it more bluntly when about ourselves.’ phrase when he said that adoration he said: ‘The idea of a holy working should not rob them of the values of because in this address Crowder Further AfterStudy warning the seminary family has the power to ‘disinfect us from man is grotesque.’ The tension here this set ofegoism’ biblical studies (I usually made an interesting their school, could . When we adore God and is the age-old onestatement between about the Psa.that 123:1-4; Eccles. 3:7; Isa.like 41:1;others, Hab. learn more from those disagree D. contemplative L. Moody and Moody Bible2:20;become put Him at the centreI and see that all and the the activist. Rev. 8:1 modernistic, he suggested in Him then everything we bewritings silent before with thanworth fromisthose I agree with!).else,Institute. After rebuking another1. Why thatwould Carroll’s become the including the self, is removed to the Work for God, as I have said, is God? If a young pastor started reading school in Chicago for departing foundation, the fortification, against circumference. important, but I stress again that 2. Contrast adoration and worship. this set faithfully and read only fifty from the faith, Crowder praised the such doctrinal disintegration, even the most effective service for God is The best way to become holy is accomplished by thoserigidly who know 2 Cor.writings 4:1-18 had fortified the pages a week, he would complete institute for holding to theMatt. as 17:1-8; Moody’s not about to set about Him intimately. be without happens when we gaze on the set in two eliminating years, andfrompurposes of itsIt cannot founding, having3. What institute. your life all the things you know to significance that our Lord always put Jesus? would have a knowledge of the through the years supplemented, be unholy. That is one way, of course, love for God before love for others. 4. How do we reflect the glory of Word of God he would magnified, multiplied but if from we usewhich that method alone it is Some mightand argue that He put lovethe Jesus? Carroll died on November 11, to of cut his off the branchesIf and for Godproductions on a par with love for others, profit for possible the rest ministry. literary and spirit of 1914, and the next day George leave the trunk intact.you Gazing that is not so. has Love proved for Him is to to be 6:6-8; Matt. you only still “consult” these books, its but founder. This be aDeut. W. 6:1-12; Truett Micah delivered the funeral in love on God deals with the trunk. our priority. Contemplation of God 22:34-40 may be disappointed; but if you read great bulwark to the Moody Bible message. “The pulpit was The more we focus on Him the more and nearness to Him enables Him to 5. What does God require of us? his throne,” them seriously, bepenetrates enriched. Institute.... The tests oftoscholarship saidisTruett, “and he occupied it like His loveyou and will power to the direct His willing servant the tasks 6. Why the first commandment core of our personality. We gaze, He wants done.its Experience the”second one, second? arethat its He final issues, fruits. Ithas mayfirst,aand king. The king is gone,CLbut some invades. think, On March 7,1933, Crowder, who be shown, a tree I of life that or awhen treeitofcomes death. of the treasures of his reign are still to purity of motive, commitment to edited all of Carroll’s books, Scholarship, or no scholarship, with us. I encourage you to mine As you meditate with medison this the task, disregard of reward, andthe “Only one Life, it will soon cussed Carroll’s literary contribution productions of B. H. Carroll, like the them; they will enrich your life and issue of adoration I wonder if you self-effacement in service no one can be past, only what’s done for might be thinking this is something equal thoseof who serve their fellowsare ministry. CL in an address at Southwestern productions Dwight L. Moody, Christ will last”- C.T. Studd best left to I contemplative orders as aofconsequence of their worship Baptist Seminary. mention this a tree life. of monks – to those who have the and adoration of God. Let us recall the
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5 BIBLE
GOD
JESUS CHRIST
HOLY SPIRIT
We
believe that man was originally created by a definite act of God in His own image and is dependent upon, and accountable to, his Creator. Through disobedience, the first man sinned and fell from his original state of moral per-fection. As a consequence, he brought upon himself and upon the whole human race the penalty for sin, which is spiritual and physical death. Since Adam, every person is born with an inherently sinful nature and becomes a sinner in thought, word and deed. Every person, therefore, stands under the just condemnation of God and is unable to save himself or to present deeds worthy of merit before God. Gen. 1:26,27; 2:7; Rom. 2:6-16; 5:12-21; 6:23; Matt. 5:20-48; John 3:36. First, we affirm that man was originally created by a definite act of God rather than by an evolutionary mode of development. Genesis 1 and 2 emphasize the direct part the Creator had in man’s appearance on the earth. We believe these chapters affirm that both the material part of man (body) and the immaterial part (soul and spirit) are the result of God’s direct creation (Gen. 2:7).
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MAN
SALVATION
CHRISTIAN LIFE
Second, we affirm that God created man in His own image and likeness (Gen. 1:26,27). While the Bible does not seem to define precisely what is meant by “the image of God,” there is a biblical stress on the absence of moral evil in man’s original nature and his original freedom to choose between good and evil. We reject the idea that God is in any way the Creator of evil and responsible for it (Hab. 1:13; James 1:13).
CHURCH
FUTURE LIFE
SATAN
Fifth, we affirm that Adam brought upon himself and upon all his posterity the penalty of his disobedience, which is death (Gen. 2:17; 3:19; Rom. 6:23). The death penalty includes both a spiritual separation from God, who is the source of man’s life, and the dissolution of his body in physical death (Rom. 5:12). The final result is eternal separation from God, the “second death” (Rev. 20:13-15).
Sixth, we affirm that every person after Adam has been born with an inherently sinful nature. Both Scripture (Ps. 51:5) and universal experience testify that every person, without exception, has an innate bent toward evil that corrupts the mind and conscience, perverts the affections and enslaves the will (Rom. 1:18-32; 7:14,15,18). Only Jesus Christ has been exempt from the universal corruption of mankind’s Fourth, we affirm the historical sinful nature. fact of the sin of disobedience by our first parents, Adam and Eve, as Seventh, we affirm that every recorded in Genesis 3. The necessity person, Jesus Christ excepted, as of belief in a historical fall is indicated soon as he attains the age of moral by Paul’s teaching concerning the responsibility, inevitably commits parallel and the contrast between personal acts of sin because of his men “in Adam” and “in Christ” (Rom. sinful nature. The Bible speaks of sin 5:12-21; I Cor. 15:21,22). Without a both as a principle of evil residing historical Adam and fall, it is easy within each person and as individual to deny a historical Christ and acts of disobedience to the revealed redemption. law of God both in His natural and in Third, we affirm that mankind continually sustains a relationship of dependence and accountability to God by virtue of the fact that God is his Creator. We believe that the sense of dependence and accountability is inherent in his nature. Though he often tries to ignore or despise it, he can never separate himself from his accountability to God (Rom. 2:6-16).
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His special revelation (Rom. 1:19,20; 2:12-15; Ex. 20:3-17). This includes wrong thoughts, wrong words and wrong deeds (Matt. 5:21- 48). Because of this, all are sinners in God’s sight; the standard is God’s holy character and righteous law, not the relative standards of human comparison. Eighth, we affirm that every person has incurred guilt before God and stands under His righteous condemnation (John 3:36; Rom. 5:16,18). The guilt he incurs is his liability to the penalty pronounced by God for his sin (Rom. 6:23) and may or may not be accompanied by feelings of guilt. This condemnation and guilt is universal because sin is universal (Rom. 3:23; 5:12). Ninth, we affirm that no one is able to save himself or to present any deeds worthy of merit in the sight of God (Isa. 64:6). Although people are capable of doing socalled good deeds as measured by a relative human standard, no deed, word, thought or motive of man can
measure up to the perfect standard that God’s righteous law requires. Only the grace of God extended freely through Christ can bring hope and salvation to sinful man. CL
To be Continued...
“We do not segment our lives, giving some time to God, some to our business or schooling, while keeping parts to ourselves. The idea is to live all of our lives in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and for the honor and glory of God. That is what the Christian life is all about.” — R.C.Sproul
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O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. — Psalm 34:8-10
These notions about God are many and varied, but they who hold them have one thing in common: They do not know God in personal experience. The possibility of intimate acquaintance with Him has not entered their minds. While admitting His existence they do not think of Him as being knowable in anon Holmes, of India, more the sense that we know things or than 25 years ago called people. attention to the inferential character of the average man’s Christians, to be sure, go further faith in God. To most people God than this, at least in theory. Their is an inference, not a reality. He is creed requires them to believe in the a deduction from personality of God, evidence which they Christian faith is a grand and they have been consider adequate, cathedral, with divinely pictured taught to pray, “Our windows. Standing without, you but He re-mains see no glory, nor can imagine Father which art in personally unknown any. But standing within, every heaven” (Luke 11:2). to the individual. “He ray of light reveals a harmony of Now personality must be,” they say, unspeakable splendors. and fatherhood “therefore we believe carry with them — Nathaniel Hawthorne He is.” Others do not the idea of the go even so far as this; they know possibility of personal acquaintance. of Him only by hearsay. They have This is admitted, I say, in theory, never bothered to think the matter but for millions of Christians, out for themselves, but have heard nevertheless, God is no more real about Him from others, and have than He is to the non-Christian. They put belief in Him into the back of go through life trying to love an ideal their minds along with various odds and be loyal to a mere principle. and ends that make up their total creed. To many others, God is but an God’s limitless knowledge and perfect ideal, another name for goodness or wisdom enable Him to work rationally beauty or truth; or He is the law or beyond the bounds of our rational knowing. life or the creative impulse back of For this reason we cannot predict God’s the phenomena of existence. actions as we can predict the movements
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of the heavenly bodies, so He constantly astonishes us as He moves in freedom through His universe. So imperfectly do we know Him that it may be said that one invariable concomitant of a true encounter with God is delighted wonder. No matter how high our expectation may be, when God finally moves into the field of our spiritual awareness we are sure to be astonished by His power to overwhelm the mind and fascinate the soul. —AWT in That Incredible Christian Over against all this cloudy vagueness stands the clear scriptural doctrine that God can be known in personal experience. A loving Personality dominates the Bible, walking among the trees of the garden and breathing fragrance over every scene. Always a living Person is present, speaking, pleading, loving, working and manifesting Himself whenever and wherever His people have the receptivity necessary to receive the manifestation. The Bible assumes as a self-evident fact that men can know God with at least the same degree of immediacy as they know any other person or thing that comes within the field of their experience. The same terms are used to express the knowledge of God as are used to express knowledge of physical things. “O taste and see that the LORD is good” JAN – FEB | 2019
(Psalm 34:8). “All thy garments smell of the unregenerate man lie asleep of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out in his nature, unused, and for every of the ivory palaces” (45:8). “My purpose dead. That is the stroke sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27). which has fallen upon us by sin. They “Blessed are the pure in heart: for may be quickened to active life again they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). by the operation of the Holy Spirit These are but four of countless such in regeneration. That is one of the passages from the Word of God. And immeasurable benefits which comes more important than to us through Christ’s any proof text is the fact Every man will have to atoning work on the that the whole import of decide for himself whether cross. Scripture is toward this or not he can afford the terrible luxury of unbelief. belief. But why do the ransomed —AWT in That Incredible very What can all this mean Christian children of God except that we have in themselves know our hearts organs by means of which so little of that habitual, conscious we can know God as certainly as we communion with God which know material things through our Scripture offers? The answer is familiar five senses? We apprehend because of our chronic unbelief. the physical world by exercising the Faith enables our spiritual sense to faculties given to us for that purpose, function. Where faith is defective the and we possess spiritual faculties by result will be inward insensibility and means of which we can know God numbness toward spiritual things. and the spiritual world if we will This is the condition of vast numbers obey the Spirit’s urge and begin to of Christians today. No proof is use them. necessary to support that statement. We have but to converse with the That a saving work must first first Christian we meet or enter the be done in the heart is taken for first church we open to acquire all granted here. The spiritual faculties the proof we need.
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A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, enclosing us, embracing us, altogether within the reach of our inner selves, waiting for us to recognize it. God Himself is here awaiting our response to His presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality.
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Bible Customs JustTimes Good &News
The greatest decision you will ever make is to accept or reject eternal life! To have peace with God and the assurance of Heaven, you must have eternal life!
Some people think they can earn God’s acceptance by doing good works. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags...” (Isaiah 64:6) God says your good works are not goodin His sight. You are still a sinner separated from God! My friend, there is a terrible penalty for sin. If you die in your sins, you will spend eternity in the flames of a burning hell! “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15) “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever...” (Rev. 14:11)
You see, when God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden, they knew nothing about sin. God visited them in the cool of the day, and they enjoyed sweet fellowship with their Creator. God only made one restriction. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the The good news is that the Lord day that thou eatest thereof thou Jesus Christ has paid the full penalty shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) for your sin. God has made a way for you to be reconciled to Him. “But In spite of God’s blessings, Adam God commendeth his love toward and Eve disobeyed God and ate of us, in that, while we were yet sinners, the forbidden tree. That day they Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) “For died spiritually. “For the wages of sin God so loved the world, that He is death...” (Rom. 6:23) By their own gave His only begotten Son, that choice, they were separated from whosoever believeth in Him should God, who loved them. They were not perish, but have everlasting life.” driven from the garden, and mankind (John 3:16) The Bible states, “...He has been separated from God ever was wounded for our transgressions, since. “Wherefore, as by one man sin He was bruised for our iniquities...” entered into the world, and death (Isaiah 53:5) by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Because Jesus shed His precious (Rom. 5:12) So you and I, like Adam, blood for all of your sins, God will are sinners. We have not obeyed all free you from the guilt, the power, of God’s commandments. “As it is and the penalty of sin, if you will written, There is none righteous, no, only “repent...and believe the not one:” (Rom. 3:10) “For all have gospel.” (Mark 1:15) The Apostle Paul sinned, and come short of the glory preached to all “...that they should of God;” (Rom. 3:23) repent and turn to God...” (Acts 26:20) JAN – FEB | 2019
The gospel is “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day...” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4) “...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...” (Acts 16:31) Neither your family, baptism, church membership, nor good works can save you. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9) Jesus said, “...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “...the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) My friend, if you reject God’s gift of eternal life, not only will you remain separated from God now, but also when you die without Christ, you will be eternally separated from God in the flames of hell. Please don’t wait until it is too late. Have you made the right decision? Even though you are not worthy of God’s mercy, He wants to save you! Right now, will you pray to God, asking the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you and give you eternal life? “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13) If you have decided to trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour after reading this tract, please write and let us know. CONFIDENT LIVING
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Creative
Bible
Learning
We are happy to introduce this Creative Bible Learning method of studying your Bible book by book. Send the correct answers with your Name & address to receive a Special Gift from ‘Back to the Bible’. Study One book at a time.
1 John 1-4 – Kindly Answer the Quiz with Bible References (NIV) 1. John calls those that say they have not sinned as a _________ 2. What did John say his hands had handled? 3. ______________ cleanses us from all sin. 4. _______________ is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 5. We know that we have come to know Him, if we ________________ . 6. Everything in the world is – the lust of the ______, the lust of the _____, and the _______. 7. The world and its desires___________, but whoever does ________ lives forever. 8. Whoever claims to live in him must live as __________. 9. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the___________. 10. If anyone obeys His word, ________is truly made complete in them. 11. All who have this hope in Him ______ themselves, just as He is____. 12. Everyone who sins breaks_________; in fact, sin is________. 13. No one who continues to _____ has either seen Him or known Him. 14. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the______. 15. No one who is__________ will continue to sin. 16. This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should ___________. 17. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we ____________ 18. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a _____ 19. Let us not love with ________or ________but with ______and __________
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20. We receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep________ and do __________. 21. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in ______, and ___________. 22. This is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the _________ He gave us. 23. Do not believe every_________, but test the _______to see whether they are from ______ 24. Every spirit that does not acknowledge ______ is not from God. 25. The one who is________ is greater than the one who is_________.
You can Also Send Your ANSWERS by Email: info@backtothebible.in
The next quiz will be from 1 John Ch. 5; 2 John; 3John & Jude (NIV)
Quiz Answers: Titus (1) Liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. 1:12 (2) Straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders. 1:5 (3) Blameless, husband of one wife, not wild and disobedient. 1:6 (4) Trustworthy message, sound. 1:9 (5) Pure.1:15 (6) Pure, minds, consciences. 1:15 (7) Actions, deny.1:16 (8) Sound doctrine. 2:1 (9) Temperate, respect, self controlled, faith, love, endurance. 2:2 (10) Doing what is good.. 3:8 (11) Reverent, slanders, good. 3:8 (12) To love them and to be subject to them. 2:4,5 (13) Self-controlled. 2:6 (14) Subject, everything. 2:9 (15) Grace salvation. 2:11 (16) Redeem, all wickedness. 2:14 (17) Righteous things we had done, his mercy. 3:5 (18) Controversies, genealogies, arguments, quarrels, law, unprofitable, useless. 3:9 (19) What is good, daily necessities, unproductive lives. 3:14 (20) Justified, heirs, eternal life. 3:7 (21) Ungodliness, worldly passions, self controlled, upright, godly lives. 2:11-12 (22) The glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour. 2:13 (23) Integrity, seriousness, soundness. 2:7 JAN – FEB | 2019
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