THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL. XI. October 1, 1928 No. 19
Table of Contents
LOVE,
THE SUM OF ALL GRACES
THE
CURSE LIFTED
ST.
PAUL'S LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM
REPORTS
OF RECENT CONVENTIONS
ENCOURAGING
LETTERS
VOL. XI. October 15, 1928 No. 20
Table of Contents
REVIEWS
AND OBSERVATIONS
THE
ACTS OF' THE APOSTLES AND THEIR LESSONS
THE
OBLIGATIONS OF THE SONS OF GOD
SCIENCE
AND THE BIBLE
ENCOURAGING
LETTERS
OUR
CONVENTION BY THE SEA
VOL. XI. October 1, 1928 No. 19
"And now abideth faith, hope,
love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love." -- 1 Cor. 13:13
IT IS of no
little significance that Jesus, as He was about to be parted from His disciples said,
"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another." The suggestion
that they should exercise love one toward another was not a new thought, for the Master
previously in various ways impressed this lesson. He had declared that the entire law of
God to men is fulfilled in love -- toward God and toward men. Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy being, and with all thy strength;
and thou shaft love thy neighbor as thyself. Since, then, "love is the fulfilling of
the law," and "the bond of perfectness," without which no other grace of
character would be truly beautiful, we do not marvel to find the statement in the
Scriptures, that, "God is love"; and again, that, "he that loveth not,
knoweth not God."
It has been
truly said that next to the Great Teacher's Sermon on the Mount is St. Paul's glorious
hymn to Christian love, as recorded in 1 Cor. 13. Both discourses teach the one lesson;
but they approach it from different standpoints. As pupils in the school of Christ, we
must recognize that all the instructions of the Divine Word and providence are intended to
develop our hearts and influence our conduct in harmony with the lines of love. Jesus
said, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God" --
that God who is love. Surely the Master had reference to knowing God in the sense of
personal acquaintance and an appreciation of His character; and no one can have this
knowledge except as he receives, partakes of, the Spirit of God, the spirit of holiness,
the spirit of love. Nor is this spirit of holiness and love acquired instantly; it is a
growth and its development is the chief theme and business of all who hope to know God in
the complete sense, which will be rewarded with life eternal.
After God's great provision of the sacrificial Lamb, and the
ransom of all mankind secured by Him, ail of the various steps for our deliverance from
sin and death have been along the line of developing in us the character of love, the
character of God; which according to the Divine standard alone will make us acceptable
before the Father and bring to us this grace of everlasting life. Oh how important then,
that we should be "taught-of God" and develop this, His character. "Learn
of Me," said our dear Redeemer; and well we may, for He is the express image of the
Father's glorious character of love. And "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ
[the Father's Holy Spirit, love] he is none of His."
Godlikeness Sadly Effaced
To begin
with, any who are chosen from the human race in its present condition are, from one
standpoint, very poor material, out of which to form likenesses of God's dear Son. (Rom.
8:29.) We were children of wrath even as others, the original godlikeness possessed by the
first man before he transgressed having been sadly effaced during the six thousand years
intervening. Hence, instead of finding ourselves in the Divine likeness of love, we shave
been !torn very much misshapen in iniquity, to such a degree that instead of love being
the natural ruling principle in our characters, it is in many instances almost entirely
obliterated; and what remains is largely contaminated with evil, self-love and sin-love
and carnal love; perversions which are in direct antagonism with the holy, unselfish love
which is the essence of the Divine character.
The work of
Divine grace for humanity during the coming Age, will be to reveal to all men the gracious
character of God and to transform all who are willing, from the depravity of sin to the
perfection of character -- love, making mankind once more images of God It will not only
transform their wills, but it will also be accompanied by a physical transformation which
will remove from them all the blemishes of sin, and all hereditary inclinations thereto,
and leave them in the likeness of God, with a recollection of the undesirableness of sin
and its evil consequences.
The work of
grace for the Church during this Gospel Age is to transform our perverted characters and
reestablish them in the Divine character, love. Whoever fails of attaining this, fails of
attaining the will of God concerning him; and must necessarily fail of winning the prize
set before us in the Gospel.
But since
our transformation of mind or will is not accompanied by a physical transformation or
restitution, it follows that so long as we are in the flesh, we shall be obliged to
contend against its inherited weaknesses and dispositions to. selfishness and sin. But
this sharp and continual conflict not only selects a special overcoming class but serves
to develop the desired character more quickly than will the more easy processes of the
coming Age. In consequence, while it will require nearly a thousand years for the world's
perfecting, the perfecting of the saints in character may be accomplished in a few years;
under the special, sharp discipline and the special course of instruction designed for the
"little flock." But whether in few years or many years, and whether with little
or, much. friction of adversity, the transformation and polishing of character must be
accomplished. This love-likeness of our wills to the will of God is the end to be sought,
if we would finish our course with joy, and with good hopes for the eternal glory.
Gifts in the Early Church
In the early
Church God indicated in a miraculous manner His acceptance of those who consecrated
themselves as followers of Christ, by the bestowal of what were termed "gifts of the
Spirit." A particular account of these is given in 1 Cor. 12. The Apostle indicates
that some enjoyed several of these gifts, remarking concerning himself that he had more
than any of them. Not unnaturally the recipients of these gifts, while feeling thankful
for such a recognition from heaven, realized that some gifts were more valuable than
others; and the Apostle confirms this view and urges that they seek to use the highest and
noblest gifts where several were possessed. And perceiving that the Church was likely to
consider that the possession of these gifts indicated such a measure of Divine favor as
would imply that they were overcomers and would ultimately gain the prize of their high
calling, the Apostle took this opportunity, while discussing the gifts, to point out that
their possession implied far less of Divine favor than the recipients had supposed. To
this end he points out that these outward gifts or tongues, miracles, healings, etc., were
necessarily and properly divided between the various members of the Church for their
mutual welfare, and to draw them and hold them together, making them mutually dependent
upon one another. This being the case, all could not have the same gifts; but as he points
out, God has divided these and set or established the various members and gifts in the
Body as it hath pleased Him. Yet, it is proper that all should recognize the difference in
the gifts, and each covet or desire earnestly to have and to use in the Divine service the
best gifts that God has been pleased to entrust to his stewardship. And then, the Apostle
adds, "yet show I unto you a more excellent way."
The More Excellent Way
This more
excellent way is that, instead of seeking and striving for the "gifts," which
were solely at God's disposal, they should seek for another kind of "gifts,"
otherwise called "fruits" of the same Spirit; namely Faith, Hope, and Love.
These gifts are termed "fruits of the Spirit," because, unlike the others, they
grow gradually, rind are not given miraculously. However humble a miraculous gift any
member of the Church might have, there would be nothing to hinder him from growing the
largest "fruits of the Spirit" by careful attention to the cultivation of his
heart. If the chief "gifts" were not open to all, the greater and more precious
"fruits" were open to all; and to desire and cultivate these is much more
excellent than to strive after miraculous gifts or talents which God has not been pleased
of His own volition to bestow.
Proceeding
along this line, the Apostle calls attention to the fact that any one, or even all, of the
miraculous "gifts" might be possessed, and yet the recipient be far from the
condition of heart which would be fit for the Kingdom. Concerning this another has
beautifully observed that "Without it [love] a man may speak with human, aye, and
even angelic tongues, and yet have become but as booming gong or clanging cymbal: Without
it, whatever be his unction, or insight, or knowledge, or mountain-moving faith, a man is
nothing. Without it he may doles away all his possessions, and give his body to be burned,
yet is profited nothing. Then follows that description of love, which should be written in
letters of gold on every Christian's heart -- its patience, its kindliness; its freedom
from envy, vaunting self-assertion, inflated arrogance, vulgar indecorum; its superiority
to self-seeking; its calm control of temper; its oblivion of wrong; its absence of joy at
the wrongs of others; its sympathy with the truth; its gracious tolerance; its
trustfulness; its hope; its endurance. Preaching and tongues and knowledge are but
partial, and shall be done away when the perfect has come; but love is a flower whose
petals never fall off. Those are but as the lispings and emotions and reasonings of a
child; but this belongs to the perfect manhood, when we shall see God, not as in the dim
reflection of a mirror, but face to face, and know Him, not in part, but fully, even as
now we are fully known. Faith, and hope, and love, are all three, not transient gifts, but
abiding graces but the greatest of these -- the greatest because it is the root of the
other two; the greatest because they are for ourselves; but love is for others; the
greatest because neither in faith nor in hope is the entire and present fruition of
heaven, but only in the transcendent and illimitable blessedness of 'faith working by
love'; the greatest because faith and hope are human, but love is essentially Divine --
the greatest of these is love."
Blessed Fruitage of the Spirit
To the
foregoing all can well agree; surely the quality which is necessary, as a basis of
character, which would make any service acceptable to God or cause it to be appreciated or
esteemed by Him, is love. If love be not the motive power, the greatest zeal and richest
rhetoric and eloquence on behalf of God or on behalf of righteousness, would pass for
nothing in God's estimation, and bring us no reward from Him. If love be lacking, great
ability as an expounder of mysteries, and much study and knowledge would pass for nothing
in God's esteem. Even a faith that could cure all manner of diseases, or, to use our
Lord's illustration of the largest degree of faith of this kind, a mountain-moving faith
(Matt. 21:21) would count for nothing, if, deep in our hearts as the basis therefor, God
could not see love, for Himself and for our fellow creatures. Even the giving of all one's
possessions to feed the poor, as charity, would count for naught except the moving cause
were love. And even to be a martyr, and to be burned at the stake in the name of Christ,
would pass for naught except in the recesses of the heart, God could see that the moving
consideration to the suffering was love. Because, all of these things, the acquisition of
knowledge, the dispensing of it with eloquence, the exercise of mountain-moving faith, and
the giving of all one's goods to the poor, and his own martyrdom, might be done from
selfish motives -- to be seen of men, to be highly esteemed by men, for ostentation, for
pride, or because of a combative disposition. For this cause the Apostle exhorted the
Church to seek for this inestimable fruitage of the Spirit, love; so that whatever gifts
they might possess, either natural or miraculous, might be exercised in a manner that
would be a blessing to their fellows and acceptable to God, and bring the users the great
reward -- eternal life.
Love as a Remedy in the Church
What then is
love, this wonderful quality without which nothing is acceptable in the sight of God? The
Apostle does not attempt to define love, but contents, himself in giving us a description
of some of its manifestations. Where love is lacking results are more or less evil; where
love is present the results differ according to the degree of love, and are
proportionately good. All will acknowledge that there are sad and unhappy conditions
existing today amongst professing brethren in various parts of the world: there are many
divisions and factions of brethren; there are differences of viewpoint and conflict of
teaching and understanding with regard to one doctrine or another. Instead of the holy
spirit of love entering in and correcting this situation, another spirit has entered in to
a large extent, and the love of Christ seems often to exist in but small measure. A larger
amount of this love described by St. Paul would undoubtedly remedy the entire situation.
If the brethren possessed the love of Christ in its fullness, there would be the drawing
together and the uniting in the bonds of unity, instead of the disposition to separate and
go apart.
Another, in
attempting to define love, has said that the various elements that go to make up this
wonderful quality are such as "we hear about every day, that they are things which
can be practiced by every man in every place in life." But we can scarcely concur in
this statement; rather, to the contrary, we must contend that these graces as a whole
cannot belong to the natural fallen man. He may indeed put on some of the gentleness, some
of the humility, some of the courtesy, some of the patience, some of the kindness; as men
may attach grapes to thorn-bushes and figs to thistles; but with the natural man these
graces are wholly put on, and not the outgrowth of the inward grace, the Holy Spirit,
love; not an evidence of relationship to God. Where the imitator has not been begotten
again, by the Word and Spirit of Truth, his imitation of certain outward features of love
will not constitute him a son of God nor bring to him the rewards and blessings of sonship
to which there is but one door -- Christ Jesus.
Outward Manifestations of Love not Sufficient
In the
Christian, an outward manifestation of patience, meekness, etc., is not sufficient either
in God's sight or in his own sight. These graces of the Spirit must be produced by the
spirit of love, filling and expanding within his own heart. But in civilized countries
many of these graces of the Spirit are recognized by the unregenerate, and are imitated as
marks of good. breeding; and in many cases they are successfully worn as a cloak or mask,
covering hearts and sentiments quite antagonistic to the holy spirit of love.
The putting
on of the outward forms of love does however mitigate the evils and distress and friction
incident to the fall, even in "the natural man," even when these graces are
merely simulated with more or less of hypocrisy and deception as to the real selfishness
of the uncircumcised heart. But trying times occasionally show how thin is the polished
veneer of politeness and gentleness which covers selfish and stony hearts. We cannot
expect more of a love-veneered heart-even the strong glue of chivalry will not hold the
veneer under some circumstances. And the time may not be far distant when the great crisis
of which the Prophets have spoken will make manifest to the whole world that much of the
politeness and gentleness of our day is only skin deep, and is not from the heart, the
fruitage of the holy spirit of love. In that great crisis, as the Scriptures show, every,
man's hand will be against his neighbor. In that Day of Vengeance the masks of formal
politeness will be discarded, and the world for a short time will get such a glimpse of
its own hideous selfishness as will help prepare it for Millennial lessons in love and its
graces, to be given them by the great Immanuel.
The
Scriptures inform us that in our fallen state love is foreign to our natures, and must be
introduced into them by the power of God; saying, "Not that we [first] loved God, but
that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." And, learning
of this, God's love, and truly believing and appreciating it, "the love of Christ
constraineth us [to love]." We are "begotten by the Word of truth," the
Message of God's love toward us in the forgiveness of our sins, and His call to us to
return to His favor and likeness, and His provision of the helps by the way that we might
become copies of His dear Son.
Love's Transforming Power
The measure
of our appreciation of Divine love will be the measure of bur zeal in conforming our
characters to the Divine pattern. A naturally rough, uncouth, depraved disposition may
require a long time, after the grace of Divine love enters the heart, before that grace is
manifest in all the words and thoughts and acts of the outward man. Others, on the
contrary, of more gentle birth and cultured training, may without the grace of God within
have many of the outward refinements. None but He who readeth the heart is competent
therefore to judge as to who have and who have not received this grace, and of the degree
of its development in their hearts: but each one may judge for himself, and each one
begotten by this holy spirit, love, should seek to let its light so shine out, through all
the avenues of communication with his fellow creatures, as to glorify our Father in heaven
and "show forth the glories of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His
marvelous light."
The love of
Christ, the Apostle assures us, is patient with the weaknesses and imperfections of those
who give any evidence of good intentions. More than this, it is patient even with those
who are out of the way, and who oppose themselves to righteousness, realizing that the
whole world is more or less under the influence of the great Adversary who, as the Apostle
declares, blinds the minds of the masses. This manifestation of love was very prominent in
our Lord Jesus: how patient was He with His opponents? Let us heed the Apostle's words:
"Consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners ,against Himself, lest ye be
wearied [in well doing and patience] and faint in your minds." -- Heb. 12:3.
Again, love
is kind in its methods. It not only seeks to do good to others, but seeks to do it in the
kindest possible manner. And who has not discovered that the manner and tone have much to
do with every affair of life. In proportion as the love of Christ is attained, the effort
of the heart will be to have every word and act, like the thought which prompts them, full
of kindness. It is well to remember the motto of the old Quaker, "I shall pass
through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness
that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it, nor neglect it,
for I shall not pass this way again."
Love is Opposed to Envy and Pride
It is easy
to recognize further, how love is generous and has no place for envy, which, on the
contrary, springs from a perverted nature -- from selfishness. But love rejoices with them
that rejoice, in the prosperity of every good work and word, and in the advancement in
Christian grace and in the Divine service of all who are actuated by the Divine Spirit.
The
disposition to be lifted up in pride is contrary to the love of God which, "vaunteth
not itself." It does not sound a trumpet before it. Its good deeds are not done to be
seen of men, but would be. done just the same if no one saw -or knew but God only. It is
neither boastful of its knowledge, nor of its graces, but in humility acknowledges that
every good and perfect gift cometh from the Father; and it makes return for every mercy to
Him. Some one has truly said that, "Love saves a man from making a fool of himself by
consequential conduct, and by thrusting himself into positions which betray his
incompetence."
St. Paul
tells us further that the love that is of God, "doth not behave itself
unseemly." Pride is the root out of which grows most of the unseemly conduct and
boorishness so common to those who think themselves somebody, either intellectually or
financially. The love from above, on the contrary, develops courteousness along with
humility. A thoughtful man has said, "Politeness has been defined as love in trifles.
Courtesy is said to be love in little things. The one secret of politeness is to love. A
gentleman is one who does things gently, with love."
Love is Generous and Patient
Surely the
love of God is unselfish -- "seeketh not her own" interests, exclusively.
Nothing in this signifies that one should neglect the duty of caring for and providing for
those dependent upon him by ties of nature, that he may do good to others. In every sense,
"Love begins at home." The proper thought, as we gather it, is that the men and
women possessed of the spirit of the true love, would not think exclusively of their own
interests in any of the affairs of life. In bargaining they would have an interest also in
the welfare of the one from whom they ;bought or to whom they sold. They would not wish to
take advantage of a neighbor, but sympathetically and generously would wish to "live
and let live." Put into exercise, this element of love would have a, great influence
upon all the affairs of life, inside as well as outside the home and family.
Logically,
it is contrary to love's disposition to be "easily provoked" to anger. Among the
evils abounding and very common today, is this one of ill-temper, fretfulness, bad humor,
touchiness, quickness to take offense. Yet, to whatever extent this disposition is
fostered, or willingly harbored, or not fought against, it becomes an evidence of a
deficiency and imperfection of our. development in the holy spirit of our Father, and of
the deficiency of our likeness to our Lord Jesus, Our Pattern. Very few of the evidences
of a wrong spirit receive as much kindness and as many excuses for their continuance as
does this one. But notwithstanding the fact that all are affected by natural depravity,
heredity and nervous disorders, the filling of the heart with the holy spirit of God, the
spirit of love, should serve to offset the disposition to evil in the flesh and cause us
to wage a good warfare against it. The love of God as it is possessed in increasing
measure will cause the true disciple to exercise deep brotherly love, sympathy, and
compassion toward all other members of the Body of Christ.
Since the
love of God wishes only good for others, it "thinketh no, evil." It seeks to
interpret the conduct of others charitably. If pure and good intentioned itself, it
prefers and so far as possible endeavors to view the words and conduct of others from the
same standpoint. It does not treasure up animosities and suspicions, nor manufacture a
chain of circumstantial proofs of evil intentions out of trivial affairs. Some one has
wisely remarked that "faults are thick where love is thin." Loves makes all
possible allowance for errors of judgment, rather than to impugn the motives of the heart.
Modern Balaams in the Church
The love
which is from above "rejoiceth not in iniquity." It is grieved by evils wherever
encountered, sympathizes with all who fall into evil, or who are beset by temptations. In
this respect love prompts to an opposite course of action from that of Balaam, who
"loved the reward of iniquity." Balaam, it will be remembered, feared the Lord,
and as His Prophet could not think of doing otherwise than according to the strict letter
of the Lord's injunction; but he did not have the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of love; and hence, when a
reward was offered him if he would curse Israel, he was willing (in order to secure the
reward) to conform to the evil proposition in spirit, in intention, while outwardly
refraining from saying aught except as the Lord indicated. So, there are some amongst
Christians who have a respect for the letter of the Divine Word through fear, but who lack
the holy spirit of love, and who by reason of a perverted love for wealth, etc., are
willing to engage in various practices which come as near to the injury of the Lord's
cause as is possible, without openly opposing Him. Some of these Balaams are evidently in
the ministry of Present Truth and for the sake of honor and the maintenance of their
positions; and for the friendship of prominent Balaks, are willing to preach that which
they do not really believe, and engage in practices which they do not endorse, and in
various ways to cast stumbling blocks before spiritual Israel. (Num. 22:7; 31:16; Rev.
2:14.) The Apostle mentions these Balaams as being specially represented by false teachers
in the professing Church. -- 2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 11.
Every one
who is seeking to develop in his heart the Holy Spirit, perfect love, should guard
carefully this point of sincerity of motive as well as uprightness of conduct. The least
suggestion of rejoicing at the fall of any person or thing that in any degree- represents
righteousness and goodness, is to be deplored and overcome. Perfect love rejoiceth not in
iniquity under any circumstances or conditions, and would have no sympathy but only sorrow
in the fall of another, even if it should mean his own advancement.
Delights in the Truth and Bears All Things
How
reasonable it, is that love "rejoiceth in the truth"! However profitable error
might be, love could take no part in it, and could not desire the reward of evil. But it
does take pleasure in the truth -- truth upon every subject, and especially in the truth
of Divine revelation; however unpopular the truth may be; however much persecution its
advocacy may involve; however much it may cause the loss of the friendship of this world
and of those who are blinded by the god of this world. The spirit of love has such an
affinity for the truth that it rejoices to share loss, persecution, distress or whatever
may come against the truth and its servants. In the Lord's estimate it is all the same
whether we are ashamed of Him or ashamed of His Word, and of all such He declares that He
will be ashamed when He comes to be glorified in His saints.
Surely the
love of Christ "beareth all things." It is both willing and able to endure for
the cause of God -- reproaches, reproofs, insults, losses, misrepresentations and even
death. "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even your faith" -- the
very-center and life of which faith is the holy spirit of love to the Lord and to their
that are His, and sympathetically for the world. The love of God can bear up tinder all
circumstances and by God's grace bring us off "conquerors and more than
conquerors" through Him who loved us.
Sincere love
"believeth all things." It is not suspicious, but on the contrary, disposed to
be trustful. It acts on the principle that it is better if necessary to be deceived a
hundred times, than to go through life soured by a distrustful, suspicious mind-far better
than to wrongly accuse or suspect even one person unjustly. This is the merciful
disposition as applied to thoughts, and of it the Master said, "Blessed are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." The unmerciful, evil-thinking mind is father
to unmerciful conduct toward others.
God's love
in us affects our future outlook, says the Apostle: Love "hopeth all things." It
is not easily discouraged. This is the secret of love's perseverance; having learned of
God, and having become a partaker of His spirit of holiness, it trusts in Him and hopes
undismayed for the fulfillment of His gracious Covenant, however dark the immediate
surroundings. This hopeful element of love is one of the striking features in the
perseverance of the saints, enabling them to endure hardness as good soldiers. Its hopeful
quality hinders it from being easily offended, or easily stopped in the work of the Lord.
Where others would be discouraged and put to flight, the spirit of love gives endurance,
that we may war a good warfare, and please the Captain of our salvation. Love's
hopefulness knows no despair, for its anchorage enters into that which is within the veil
and is firmly fastened to the Rock of Ages.
Faith, Hope, and Love Abide Forever
Not only is
love the greatest of all the graces, and really, as we have seen, the sum of them all in
combination and unification, but it is the most lasting grace: love never faileth -- will
never cease; and he who has this character of love will never fail, will never cease: It
is for such that eternal life has been provided in the Divine Plan.
Now bear in
mind the Apostle's argument to the Corinthian friends: (1) that the gifts of miracles,
tongues, etc., bestowed upon them by the Spirit, were divided amongst them according to
the talent or Divine wisdom, and were not the results of their own efforts; (2) that he is
pointing out to them a grace much more excellent than those "gifts," something
that God will be pleased to give to each one of them; a grace of more value than any of
the "gifts" -- of much more value than all of them together; a grace that might
properly be termed a fruitage of the Spirit -- love. And the fact is that some possessed
of few talents have proportionately less to contend against while seeking to cultivate the
all-important love.
Having
described this wonderful and necessary element of character in its perfection, the Apostle
comes back and contrasts it with those "gifts" which they so highly appreciated
and coveted, and shows that the chiefest ,of those "gifts" is inferior to love.
The gift of prophecy he declares will fail, will cease because the necessity for prophecy
would cease: the miraculous power of speaking with unknown tongues would cease for the
same reason: the knowledge of mysteries and the ability to expound the deep things of God
will gradually vanish away, as the perfect light gradually comes to all men; for when the
full, clear light shall have come there will be nothing hidden, all shall be revealed, and
all will be able to see; hence the gifts of ability to understand mysteries of the Divine
Plan and to expound them to others, although two of the greatest of the gifts, will
ultimately vanish in the perfect light; but love will never fail. It is the greatest thing
in this world, and it will continue the greatest thing in the world to come; for God is
love; and all who would enjoy His favor and its reward, eternal life, must possess this,
His holy character.
Pausing, the
Apostle remarks how little we all know in the present time; even those who have the
largest amount of knowledge and who can expound the Divine Word and its hidden mysteries,
know only in part; they see only obscurely; and while the obscurity will gradually vanish
into the perfect light as the Sun of Righteousness arises, yet we will, only know in part
until that time, when we shall be "changed"; when imperfection shall give place
to perfection.
From Childhood to Maturity in Christ
Looking back
to childhood we can see that as we have developed physically and grown in knowledge in
earthly matters, and have changed our processes of thought and conduct and language
correspondingly; so in spiritual matters we should realize that in the beginning .of our
Christian way we were but "babes," and we should not be satisfied to remain
such, but desire individually to grow tip into Christ in all things. And what is true of
each individually, is true of the Church collectively. The period of the gifts of tongues
and miracles was the period of infancy, childhood; as progress was made, under the leading
of the Holy Spirit, certain of those features very necessary and well adapted to the
childhood stage passed away, and instead carne other experiences, methods and leadings in
the truth. Hence, today, the "tongues" are gone, the "prophesying" in
the sense of foretelling future events is gone, the "miracles" are gone, etc.,
after having served their purposes well. But the Lord still continues to provide in the
Church "knowledge," even though it be but imperfect knowledge; He still
continues to provide methods for evangelizing or spreading the news of the truth to the
unbelieving; He still provides teachers and helps in the Church. But these are not usually
provided miraculously, as at first, but naturally and by the addition of the Lord's
blessing to natural qualifications. But all these, will cease so far as the Church is
concerned when her course is finished; "when that which is perfect is come," she
will have no further need of these imperfect helps.
Three gifts
of the Spirit, of the kind developed as fruits, will survive; and these are to be
earnestly sought and cultivated: they are Faith, Hope and Love: but the greatest, the
chiefest, of these is Love. Faith and Hope, although they are two of the most necessary
qualities for the present time, in aiding us in making our calling and election sure, and
two which will never cease to all eternity, will measurably lose their active operations,
"when that which is perfect is come"; because in a large -degree and in
reference to many subjects, sight and knowledge will take the place of Faith and. Hope.
But Love will never fail, never fade, never grow
dim. It will be as active and glorious and useful in the life to come as it is now.
Indeed, the sum of the future perfect life will be Love.
"And there shall be no
curse." -- Rev. 22:3
EVEN though
the Scriptures were silent on the subject of the curse, our experience proves that such
rests upon our race. The anguish, sorrow, distress, and death which attend us from the
cradle to the tomb, all tell us that a curse rests heavily upon us. A curse signifies an
opposition, an evil, and is the cause of serious harm and unhappiness -- a bitter
punishment. Surely we would be justified in reasoning, that if man were in full harmony
with his Creator, something much better than he has, would be his portion. And looking
into the Divine Revelation, this thought is abundantly corroborated. Ever since the
representative of our race was tried in Eden, and transgressed God's commandment, the
curse of that broken Law has rested upon him and upon all whom he in trial, represented,
all the Adamic race. That this is so, we need not stop to prove at length; we merely refer
to the many Scriptures which declare it, and the many others which declare that it will be
removed. We find that when man was sinless and in harmony with God, there was no curse, no
sorrow, no weary laboring, no pain, nor dying, but joy, peace, life and communion with
God. All this distress is included in the term death, because all of these evils surely
lead to it. And this curse, death, passed upon all men, in that all had sinned in the
person of their representative Adam.
It was God's
Law that cursed us. And since the Law is the expression of God's mind, or decision, it was
God's curse that was on us. Every law, to be of any force, must contain a penalty or curse
for its violation. It is the penalty or curse of God's Law that is causing so mach misery
and distress in the world, because all are subject to its curse through its violation by
Adam. This curse is elsewhere termed by the Apostle an "Enmity," which word has
much the same meaning as curse. Enmity signifies an opposition to -- a resentment.
Enmity Between God and Man
Let us look
at the subject fairly and fully, for not only has God and His Law a just and righteous
opposition and enmity against sinners, but the sinners have since come to have an
opposition or enmity toward God. Cast off from communion and fellowship with his Maker,
man went headlong into evil, and the more evil he became, the more opposition and enmity
he had toward that which is good and holy and right. "The darkness hateth the
light," and the darker the hearts .of men became, the more. enmity they felt toward
God.
Now, if God
and man ever again come into harmony, and are made at-one, he who makes the atonement must
remove entirely this enmity. The enmity of man toward God and His Law can be removed .by'
making known to men the real character of God and of His Law. They will then see and
admire the righteousness and justice of both. This work toward the world will be
accomplished during the next Age -- the Millennium. The knowledge of the Lord shall fill
the whole earth, and all shall know Him. And it is of that time that we read, "There
shall be no more curse."
But what
will bring about this abolishment of the curse of the Law? What will compensate for man's
violation of the Law which brought the curse? Some would contend that the only curse is
that opposition which man has against Gad and His Law, the only enmity, that which man
feels in opposition to God and righteousness; but such surely see but one side of the
subject, What about God's opposition to the sinner, which drove him from Eden into sorrow,
and death? Any theory which fails to recognize this, fails entirely; for there have been
some of the race in, all ages who felt no enmity toward God, but desired the blessings of
His, favor -- Eden, life and joy in His fellowship; yet such never were brought back, to
the original condition, and any with whom God designed at all to commune, were made to
feel that His enmity, His opposition, His curse as a harrier still separated between them
as sinners and Himself as holy. This was shown in various ways, but in none more
emphatically than in the sacrifice for sin which each must offer before he could have any
communion with God.
In these
sacrifices there was remembrance of acknowledgment of sins, and since they were repeated
ít proved that they never really took away sin (Heb. 10:3, 4), never really removed the
curse; but these were typical of a better sacrifice, which God Himself provided in due
time, which did once for all and forever, remove the sin, the curse, and the enmity on
God's part. -- Heb. 10:5-10.
God's Justice Unalterable
The idea
that the enmity is all on man's part, carried to its legitimate end, leads to the very
absurd conclusion that man got angry with God and went out of Eden full of enmity; that he
would not commune with God, etc., etc.; God remonstrates and pleads with him to return and
have His communion and fellowship; man refuses, and turns his back on his Maker. God sends
prophets and teachers, but man spurns them. Finally God concluded to make a great
sacrifice to men to appease their wrath and to win their love. This theory would have God
say: I have been too severe, if I had it to do again I would not be so strict; I would
forgive instead of condemn; I would bless instead of curse; My love far you has conquered
My justice. Come, now, see what an evidence of My repentance I am willing to give. My Son
shall die merely to show and assure you that your sins are pardoned, and that I am anxious
to have your good will and esteem. What a God that would be! Both men and angels would
have in contempt such Laws and such a Lawgiver.
How
different from this is the truth on the subject! Jehovah declares His justice as
unalterable as His Love, and that infinite wisdom and power make possible the harmonious
operation of both. He assures us that justice is the very foundation of His throne; that
the empire of the universe, and the Laws for the government of the same are upheld by
justice. "'Righteousness and justice are the prop of Thy throne." (Psa. 89:15,
Leeser) While justice was reading to Adam the penalty of the broken Law -- The Curse --
Love was telling him that there would be a deliverance. Man might have supposed that God
would relent, and not long enforce the penalty; he might have supposed that God's enmity
or opposition to sinners expressed by the curse of the Law would be forced aside by His
love; but if he did thus imagine, the long years of death's reign must have shattered such
hopes, and when finally God declared that He changes not, and will never clear the guilty
(Mal. 3:6; Exod. 34:7), such a false expectation might well be extinguished. If God's
justice could never yield, how would His love help man? he might well have asked.
The Enmity Destroyed
Infinite
Wisdom was equal to the emergency, and God removed the enmity of His own just Law by
providing a ransom, a representative or substitute to take man's place before the Law, to
suffer the just for the unjust; and thus while He did not destroy that Law which was just
and holy and good, Jesus destroyed its enmity or opposition to the Adamic race, by Himself
enduring its enmity and curse, as it is written: "He was made a curse [that is, He
was cursed or bore the penalty of the curse -- death -- destruction] for us."
Because
Jesus was our representative or substitute, (see Webster's definition) therefore the curse
belonging to us fell on Him, and the enmity or opposition against us, was reckoned against
Him. He was cast off to die as though He were an enemy and out of communion with God, as
any enemy, as a sinner, and we recall His dying words, "My God, My God, why hast Thou
forsaken Me?" Yes, "He is our peace, who hath made both [Jew and Gentile] one,
and hath broken down the middle wall of partition; . . . having abolished in His flesh the
enmity . . . . that He might reconcile both unto God [Jew and Gentile needed to have a
work done for them which would make them right before God; not to make God right in their
eyes; not to atone for an injustice on God's part, but for unrighteousness on man's part]
in one body by the cross -- having slain the enmity [opposition of the Law against both
Jew and Gentile] thereby. . . . For through Him we both have access, by one Spirit unto
the Father." -- Eph. 2:14-19.
There was no
"access unto the Father" as long as the enmity (opposition) of His just Law
barred us out as sinners; but when Jesus became our substitute and suffered the
condemnation or enmity for the unjust, absorbed it all, received it in full measure on the
cross, He thus abolished destroyed, all claim and enmity of the Law against us on account
of Adam's disobedience. "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,"
and outcasts from the Lord and His communion, but are "made nigh by the blood of
Christ."
Jesus
offered Himself as a sacrifice, not for God, unto men, to appease their enmity or
opposition, but unto God, for men, to remove the enmity and curse of God's Law which men
because of their sin.
But note,
the Law has not been changed: right is still right and wrong is still wrong, and will ever
so remain; but mankind has been purchased from under the dominion and curse of the Law.
Mankind is reckoned as now belonging to Christ who bought them with His own precious
blood. The settlement of the claims of the Law having all been arranged for, the entire
control of men is to be delivered to the Lord who bought them. Whatever now shall be done
with them, He shall do it. He may do what He will with His own; thenceforth, "the
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son" -- "He is
Lord of all." -- John 5:22; Acts 10:36.
God's Original Law in Man's Nature Largely Obliterated
Having
delivered mankind from the dominion and curse of the perfect Law, and abolished the legal
opposition, the curse of death which was against them, the next work of Messiah is toward
men, and not toward God; and for this work He will take to Himself great power .and will
reign. The object of His reign will be to destroy man's enmity to God and His Law, and to
re-engrave that Law upon man's conscience. The work of reconciliation toward God for man's
sins, was quickly accomplished, for the Lord waited to be gracious, but towards men it
will require an Age, the Millennium to accomplish it.
The reason
of this is apparent: It will require all of the coming Age to rewrite the Law of God upon
the hearts of men. When perfect, before the fall, the Law of God was so thoroughly
imprinted in man's nature that no written law upon tables of stone was needed. Man, a
moral image of God, had a conscience so delicately adjusted that it would decide instantly
what was right and what; was wrong. His difficulty, as we have already seen, was that he
did not appreciate the evil or curse which was the penalty of wrong-doing.
But cast
off, from the fellowship and communion of God by reason of sin, the Law became more or
less obliterated, and instead there sprang up, an enmity or opposition to the Law which
they acknowledged as good, but found, themselves less and less able to observe. St. Paul
refers to this blotting out of the image and knowledge of God and His Law, saying:
"When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became
vain and their foolish heart was darkened . . . . and even as they did not like to retain
God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind." -- Rom. 1 :21., 28
About two
thousand years after the fall, and when the original Law was well nigh erased, God
selected a small nation, Israel, and made covenants with them based on their keeping His
Law, which because so erased from their hearts, was expressed to them in commandments on.
tables of stone. But, as God foreknew, the Law in stone, only condemned, for none could
render full obedience except with it written in their hearts, as a part of their very
being. They must be constitutionally right and just and loving, else they would be
constantly warring against themselves and unable to obey. (Rom. 7:20-25.) But that Law
served to give them an idea of their need of Divine help, the need of having the penalty
paid for them, and then having the Law rewritten in their hearts. -- Gal. 3:23-25.
The Great Consummation When the Kingdom
Shall Be Delivered Up
Though Satan
and sin have done a terribly degrading work in man, putting darkness and error for light
and truth, yet we may still find traces of the original Law in the most degraded of men,
the world over. Even barbarian savages have some ideas concerning right and wrong, justice
and injustice, however crude they may be. St. Paul testifies to this also, saying of the
heathen: "These having not the [written] Law, are a law unto themselves: which show
the work [some evidence] of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing
witness." -- Rom. 2:14, 15.
It is
because this Law has been so nearly blotted out- of the once perfect human nature, that it
will require so long to restore it to perfection. This Law must once more gradually. be
interwoven into human nature before it will again be an image of God, and at one with Him.
When so restored to God's image, all doubts as to what is. right and what wrong, and all
preference for the wrong, will be at an end. With his whole nature right, the Law of God
written in his very constitution, as the law of his being, man will be prepared to do
right, not from fear, nor from reward, not because some one would see or some one would
not see, but because right is right, the very same motive of righteousness. and justice
which governs all of our Maker's actions.
Then God and
men will be entirely at one, in perfect harmony. Then it will be seen that God's. Laws are
only blessings, and the only prevention of evil which is a source of misery. When thus.
harmonized, Christ the Mediator who died to redeem, and who will have reigned to restore
men to God, will "deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father." (1 Cor.
15:24.) All enmity and curse will have been destroyed. The requirement of God's Law having
been met and settled, man's enmity to the Law will be removed by a restitution to original
perfection, the image of God.
In harmony
with this is another Scriptural statement: "When we were enemies, we were reconciled
to God [and the opposition and curse of His violated Law was lifted] by the death of His
Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved [brought back into that condition of
perfection and harmony with God and His Law where we will be no longer condemned but
approved] by His life," (Rom. 5:10.) This is another brief statement of the same
glorious truth by the Apostle. When the work of Christ is fully accomplished, then
"there shall be no more curse"; "for the former things [the evil incurred
through Adam's transgression] are passed away," (Rev. 22:3; 21:4) put away legally by
the "sacrifice of Himself [Christ]"; and put away in fact by His glorious reign.
"Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." For "Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us."
"Let us not be weary in well
doing: for in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not." -- Gal. 6:9.
THE Apostle
Paul, on leaving Ephesus after the rioting there, determined to visit Jerusalem again, but
first would visit the European churches of Macedonia and Greece. It was while in Macedonia
that he is supposed to have written his Second Letter to the Corinthians; and, on this
tour, while in Corinth for about three months, he is supposed to have written his Epistle
to the Romans. At this time, Nero, aged 21, was Emperor of Rome, and the Apostle Paul was
about 56 years of age, in the full prime of his Christian life and experience.
The journey
to Jerusalem was made in a trading vessel which was detained at the port of Miletus, about
thirty miles distant from Ephesus. The number of days the vessel would be detained,
changing cargo, etc., was uncertain; hence, the Apostle, instead of going to Ephesus, sent
word to the elders of the Church there, that they might come to him in Miletus, that thus
he might have as long as possible with them; without missing his vessel when it would be
ready to start. The elders came, and the sacred record contained in chapter 20, of the
Acts, gives us the Apostle's address to them. They may have stayed several days in his
company, and probably he said much more, but the final words evidently, in the mind of
Luke, who chronicled them, were an epitome of the entire address, which is generally
esteemed as both eloquent and touching. It is an address from a general overseer to local
overseers, and to be appreciated must be viewed from this standpoint.
"Take heed unto yourselves": well did the
Apostle realize that those who do not keep guard aver their own hearts cannot faithfully
serve the interests of the Church in general. Piety, as well as charity, should begin at
home. The Apostle states the grounds for so earnest an exhortation: (1) The Church which
they were overseeing and feeding was to be recognized as God's Church, "purchased
with the blood of His own [Son]." That which God so highly valued, and purchased at
so great a price, is to be esteemed very precious by all who would be His servants and its
servants. (2) Because dangers and foes would arise; and while these could not come without
Divine permission, it is a part of the Divine will that they shall serve as tests of faith
and loyalty of the entire flock, including the elders, overseers, pastors. The energy
necessary to such resistance of evil would tend to develop character which God desires
each member of His flock to have. God would not stiffer them to be tempted above that they
were able, but would with every temptation, or trial, provide a way of escape; but He
would have them learn to trust Him, to exercise faith, obedience, vigilance and resistance
of evil.
Men of Your Own Selves Shall Arise
The Apostle
evidently knew by inspiration of some kind, that he would never see these dear brethren
again, that his mission in this field was at a close, and as a true under-shepherd he was
looking out for the interests of the flock: He knew, probably from the prophecy of Daniel,
that a great falling away was to come; that the Adversary was to be permitted to develop a
great antichrist system, as, he subsequently wrote to the Church at Thessalonica; and he
wished the local overseers to realize the responsibility of their position, and to be
vigilant. "Grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock";
ambitious for power, influence, etc., they would not hesitate to barter the interests of
the flock for their own advancement. Another source of danger would be from within,
"of your own selves" some would rise up, be puffed up with ambition, to have
followers, adherents, and would lead them into false doctrines, to the injury of
themselves and those misled by them. The history of the Church shows that the Apostle's
warning was most timely, from that day to the present..
The
knowledge of these things was to .keep them on guard continually, not only as against
wolves from without, abut against the rising of ambitious ones amongst their own number,
not necessarily watching each other merely, but rather each specially watching and
guarding his own heart against the insidious attacks of the Adversary along the lines
indicated, too great self-esteem or desire to be great. The Apostle, we may be sure, was
glad to be able to point .to his own course in their midst, as an example of proper
humility of spirit, and of zeal for the interests of the flock. "Remember that by the
space of three years I ceased not to warn [admonish] every one, night and day with
tears." The secret of the Apostle's zeal lay, evidently, in his appreciation of the
fact that he was God's ambassador, and that the work .of the Lord in which he was
privileged to be a coworker, is a most important one, relating first to the salvation and
perfecting of the saints, the elect, and ultimately through them to the blessing of all
the families of the earth. Had the Apostle, during those three years, been neglecting the
spiritual interests of the flock, he could not have made such an address as this to the
elders.
At the close
of the conference, when we may suppose the sailing of the vessel was announced, the
Apostle knelt with the brethren from Ephesus, in prayer, the tenor of which may well be
imagined. Then the parting took place, and doubtless the dear brethren began to realize
more fully than they had ever done before what great blessings God had bestowed upon them
through the Apostle's ministries; and the thought that they should never see him again
filled them with sadness, and they wept as they accompanied him to the ship.
Blessed Eternity when Partings are No More
Doubtless
the Apostle consoled them with the reflection that the time of partings would soon be over
and the blessed eternity of union and fellowship soon begin, when they would meet not only
one another, but above all meet the Redeemer Himself and all the faithful in Christ Jesus.
So our Lord also expressed Himself on this matter, "a little while." The
eighteen centuries intervening would have seemed a long while had any lived from then till
now, but since their "sleep" would be an unconscious interval, it was well that
God kindly veiled their eyes and merely comforted them from His own larger standpoint of
"soon," "quickly," "a, little while." But now that the
Kingdom is nigh, even at the door, our hearts no longer, cry, How long, O Lord? but,
Hallelujah! the day star is risen, the morning is here!
Brotherhood
in Christ is the closest of all relationships, and many incidents in the Apostle's journey
from Ephesus to Jerusalem illustrate this brotherhood relationship most beautifully. The
first verse of chapter 21 says, "After we were gotten from them," etc., the
words "gotten from" signifying; torn ourselves away, as though the hearts of all
were so thoroughly, united that the separation meant the breaking of very tender ties. And
so we find it to be today, with the Lord's similarly consecrated people. They become
attached to each other in a manner that formal creeds and confessions in earthly bundles
or denominations, do not bind. Each one who is united to Christ feels a special interest
in, and sympathy for, each fellow member, so that, as the Apostle says, if one member
rejoice all are glad, and if one member be in trouble or affliction or sorrow all are
sympathetically affected. This will be noticeable in proportion as the law of love
develops and abounds in each member. The little love in the beginning of Christian
character will expand and deepen, filling all the avenues of the heart, and sanctifying
them in a pure, unselfish, holy love.
Bonds and Imprisonment Awaited Him
The voyage
from Miletus to Patara was probably in a small coasting vessel. At the latter port they
found a larger seagoing vessel, on which they made the through journey to Tyre. At the
latter place the Apostle and his companions hunted up some believers, whom they previously
knew resided there. This is another evidence of affection and interest. Apparently the
number of the interested was small, just as today; the twos and threes, sixes and sevens
are much more numerous than larger companies. The fewness did not hinder the Apostle from
seeking them out, that he might encourage and strengthen them. Rather, we may say that in
some respects the appreciation of the fact that the Lord's jewels are not numerous makes
them all the more precious. In this little Church were some who evidently had the gift of
prophecy, as it was granted in the early Church, foretelling future events, ,just as with
the Prophets of old, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc., except that those of the earlier dispensation
spoke evidently in a more public manner; while these latter had messages especially for
the Apostle and the Church. The message that came to them was to the effect that the
Apostle would be caused to suffer at Jerusalem; would be imprisoned maltreated, etc., and
on this account they urged him not to go.. The Apostle tells us previously, that the
Spirit witnessed in various places that bonds and imprisonment awaited him; but,
nevertheless, he understood it to be the Divine will that he should go to Jerusalem, and
that, hence, he would not hesitate, knowing that the Lord was able to work out His own
good purposes, if he were obedient.
We are not
to understand this testimony of these local prophets to be a contradiction of the
Apostle's understanding of the same Holy Spirit's leading; the one teaching him that he
should go to Jerusalem, the other teaching that he should not go to Jerusalem. We are
rather to understand that these prophets merely had from God, a revelation to the effect
that St. Paul would suffer violence in the city of the great king, and that on the
strength of this information they themselves advised the Apostle not to go. But St. Paul,
without disrespect, or in any degree impugning the truthfulness of their message, drew a
different lesson from it, understood the Lord's message differently. He saw that this
meant a trial of his faith, his zeal, his perseverance, and that for him to yield to these
suggestions, through fear, would have been an evidence of his lack of confidence in God,
since the Lord had Himself revealed to him that he should go up to Jerusalem.
St. Paul Unmoved by Threats and Fears
Leaving Tyre
their vessel soon came to Ptolemais. There were a few friends at Ptolemais, and the day
was spent in their company, and probably the partings again were full of expressions of
sympathy; and the Caesarea, the Roman capital of Palestine, was reached. Philip the
evangelist, one of the seven deacons originally appointed at Jerusalem and who did a good
work, it will be remembered, with the Ethiopian eunuch and at Samaria, was at this time
apparently making Caesarea his home. We have no definite statement respecting the number
of believers at the place, but evidently most of these groups of the Lord's people were
few in number.
It was while
they tarried in the latter place that Agabus, a brother in the Lord, who had delivered
important prophecies of future events, came to Caesarea and finding St. Paul, took his
girdle and therewith bound his own feet and hands, and declared that thus St. Paul would
be bound and delivered to the Gentiles. This form of prophecy, illustrating by signs, was
not uncommon to the Jews. It will be remembered that Isaiah and Jeremiah and others of the
Prophets similarly acted out parts of their messages, thus, doubtless, making them more
impressive.
This last
testimony from Agabus seems to have affected all of St. Paul's companions who, taking a
view similar to that taken by others, now joined in a general appeal to the Apostle not to
go further on the journey, to give it up, not to run foolishly into danger. His reply
shows us how thoroughly convinced he felt that it was the Lord's will, and that his dear
friends were conscientious, he does not for a moment dispute. His words are most touching:
"What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart?" Here again we are reminded of
the words of the poet
"We share our mutual woes;
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear."
But the
Apostle was firm. He had not started on this journey without the full conviction and
assurance that it was in the Lord's providence that he should take it; and he was not to
be daunted by any of the circumstances that might arise. He well knew that all the powers
of darkness would assail him in vain, except as the Lord should permit, and he well knew
also that the Lord would permit nothing to occur that would be to his real disadvantage.
He would, therefore, go on conscientiously and courageously; and finish the work that the
Father had given him to do. He would be sustained by his faith in the Divine supervision
of all his affairs, just as our Lord Jesus was, who, we remember, said to Pilate,
"Thou couldst have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from
above." -- John 19,:11.
There are
few such noble characters as the Apostle's, unmoved by threats or fears, strong in the
Lord and in the power of His might, and ready not only to be bound for Christ's sake, but
to die, if such should be the arrangement of the Lord's providence on his behalf. Let us
each and all emulate this noble example of one who followed so closely in the footsteps of our Lord and Master. Let us be strong, not only in
our consecration, but also in the taking of all the steps that the Lord's providence may
lead us to take.
The Character of St. Paul
The summing
up of the life of St. Paul by another, who has evidently given it much careful reflection,
will be found very appropriate here
"St.
Paul, in his natural character, before his conversion, resembles Bonaparte more than any
other man -- I mean both in his intellectual development and energy of will. He had the
same inflexibility of purpose, the utter indifference to human suffering when he had once
determined on his course, the same tireless, unconquerable resolution; the same
fearlessness both of man's power and opinions, and that calm self-reliance and mysterious
control over others. But the point of greatest resemblance is in the union of a strong,
correct judgment, with rapidity of thought and sudden impulse. They thought quicker, yet
better than other men. The power, too, they possessed was all practical power. There are
many men of strong minds, whose forces nevertheless waste in reflections, or in theories
of others to act upon. Their thought may work out into language, but not into action: They
will plan better than they perform. But these men not only thought better, but they could
work better than other me.
"The
same perfect self-control and perfect subjection of his emotions to the mandates of his
will are exhibited in his conduct when smitten to the earth, and blinded by the light and
voice from heaven. John, when arrested by the same voice on the Isle of Patmos, fell on
his face as a dead man, and dared not to stir or to speak till encouraged by the language,
'Fear not.' But Paul (or Saul) showed no symptoms of alarm or terror. The voice, the blow, the light, the glory, and the darkness that
followed, were sufficient to upset the strongest mind ; but he, master of himself and his
emotions, instead of giving way to exclamations of fear, simply said, 'Lord, what wilt
Thou have me to do?' With his reason and judgment as steady and strong as ever, he knew at
once that something was wanted of him, and ever ready to act, he asked what it was.
"From
this time on, his track can be distinguished by the
commotion about it, and the light above it. Straight back to Jerusalem, from which he had
so recently come with letters to legalize his persecutions, he went to cast his lot in
with (hose he had followed with violence and slaughter. His strong heart never beat one
quicker pulsation through fear, when the lofty turrets of the proud city flashed on his
vision. Neither did he steal away to the dark alleys and streets, where the disciples were
concealed, and tell them secretly his faith in the Son of God. He strode into the
synagogues, and before the astonished priests preached Christ and Him crucified. He thundered at the door of the Sanhedrin
itself, and shaking Jerusalem like an earthquake, awoke a tempest of rage and fury on
himself. With assassins dogging his footsteps, he at length left the city.
His Eyes on Regions Beyond
"But,
instead of going to places where he was unknown, and where his feeling would be less
tried, he started for his native city, his father's house, the house of his boyhood, for
his kindred and friends. To entreaties, tears, scorn and violence, he was alike
impervious. To Antioch and Cyprus, along the coast of Syria and Rome, over the known
world, he went like a blazing comet, waking up the nations. From the top of Mars' Hill,
with the gorgeous city at his feet, and the Acropolis and Parthenon behind him, on the
deck of his shattered vessel in the intervals of the crash of billows, in the gloomy walls
of a prison, on the borders of the eternal Kingdom, he speaks in the same calm and
determined tone. Deterred by no danger, awed by no presence, and shrinking from no
responsibility, he moves before us like some grand embodiment of power. The nations heave
around him, and kings turn pale at his presence. Bands of conspirators swear to neither
eat nor drink till they have slain him; rulers and priests combine against him; and people
stone him; yet over the din of conflict and storm of violence, his voice of eloquence
rises clear and distinct as a trumpet call, as he still preaches Christ and Him crucified.
The whip is laid on his back, until the blood starts with every blow, and then his mangled
body is thrown into a dungeon. But at midnight you hear that same calm; strong voice,
which has shaken the world, poured forth in a hymn of praise to God, and lo! an earthquake
rocks the prison to its foundations; the manacles fall from the hands of captives, the
bolts withdraw of themselves, and the massive doors swing back on their hinges.
"One
cannot point to a single spot in his career where he faltered a moment,. or gave way to
discouragement or fear. Through all his perilous life, he exhibited the intrepidity of
character and lofty spirit. With This eyes on regions beyond the ken of ordinary mortals,
and kindling on glories it. was not permitted
him to reveal, he pressed forward to an incorruptible crown, a fadeless Kingdom. And then
his death, how indescribably sublime. Napoleon, dying in the midst of the midnight storm,
with the last words that fell from his lips a battle cry, watching in delirium the torn
heads of his mighty columns, as they disappeared in the smoke of the conflict, is a sight
that awes and startles us. But behold Paul, also a war-worn veteran, battered with many a
scar, though in a spiritual warfare, looking not on the earth but on heaven. Hear his
calm, serene voice ringing over the storms and commotions of life : 'I am now ready to be
offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have
finished my course, I have kept the faith :
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness."
At Buffalo, N. Y.
"Sitting
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," is the way St. Paul expressed the
matter, when speaking of those high and exalted privileges of Christians, as in their
seasons of fellowship they communed one with another concerning their heavenly hopes and
prospects as members of the New Creation. Ever since Christianity was instituted,
followers of the Lord Jesus Christ have realized the advantage and profit of convening in
His name, and of conferring together with regard to the various features of the faith and
concerning how they might encourage and edify one another in that life of trust and faith
into which Christ their Savior introduces them. Christians today .have special reason for
thanksgiving in realizing that the privilege of fellowship in Christ is still theirs.
A delightful
and blessed experience of communion in the Lord, and of sitting together at His feet, may
well be considered the sum of the report of the Convention held in Buffalo, New York,
September 1-3. It has been our happy privilege to realize that all our Conventions in
these recent years, have been fruitful in the spiritual blessings of renewed faith, hope,
courage, and love. But the brethren recently convening in Buffalo pronounced this
Convention the best and most successful of them all, that is, if any one of them could be
said to be better than another. The City of Buffalo being quite centrally located, a good
number of the Middle States were represented. It was the first Convention that many of the
friends have attended in several years and they felt all the more cause for rejoicing and
giving thanks. The entire number in attendance at the various sessions of the Convention
aggregated about five hundred; the largest number in attendance at any. one session, being
about one hundred on Sunday afternoon. However, it is not the numbers present in these
days that is the important consideration. Our gatherings are small and insignificant as
compared with some of other Christian bodies. The promise of the dear Master in these
days, is as ever precious to those who measure things according to the Spirit: "Where
two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in their midst."
There were
unmistakable evidences of the Master's presence throughout the various meetings of the
gathering at Buffalo. The spirit of confidence, peace, inward joy, was apparent on all
faces and repeatedly expressed by look and word to one another. The ministries of the
brethren who addressed the meetings, though imperfect and far from being what they could
have wished, nevertheless, appeared to have the sweet benediction of the Lord. Messages of
comfort, words of cheer and hope, were given forth that seemed to fill the need of the
friends and to cause them to realize a new sense of that excelling love of God, and by
which they seemed to Peel a renewed security in the great Rock of Ages. The vital and
important issues and themes that have lain near to the hearts of all the faithful during
the past nineteen centuries, were again reviewed in the testimonies and songs as well as
in the addresses of the brethren. The old, old story, of gracious heavenly love, was if
possible sweeter than ever before; and as the brethren again contemplated the fact that
all things are onward moving toward that most solemn and significant event, the
establishment of the Kingdom of God's dear Son, they were reminded afresh of the need for
the exercise of eternal vigilance, the urgent need for close living to the Master, of
possessing more abundantly of His Holy Spirit, as well as the need for the girding up of
the loins of their minds, that they might be prepared for the endurance of sore trials,
heartaches and conflicts ere they reach the end of their earthly pilgrimage.
The
attention of the brethren was called to the importance in these days of "holding the
Head," of bestowing proper honor upon Him who is the great Shepherd of the flock, of
squaring all our interpretations of Scripture, all that we endorse as truth, by the
infallible words of our Lord, the Apostles and Prophets, and of allowing no human
instrumentality to take the place in our hearts, that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ
alone; for in this and in no other way, can that close relationship with Him be preserved,
that is so necessary if we would be kept free from deceptive influences, and be in a
position to progress in Divine truth and grace. Truly the fellowship at Buffalo was a
foretaste of coming joys.
As evidence
of the Lord's rich blessing attending this Convention, we quote from a letter received
from one of the brethren writing for the Class in Buffalo, since the Convention:
"It
hardly seems possible that our sweet fellowship with those of like precious faith is now a
thing of the past; but all things have an end. It only makes us yearn more for the time
when partings will be no more: The dear Lord blessed us so much more than we really
believed to be possible; just as His Word tells us: 'Prove Me now and see if I will not
open the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing as. ye will not be able to
receive: Surely it proved to be a regular cloudburst of blessing. And as a Class we
believe we were the greatest recipients. While no one can say what a year may bring forth,
(it is in our Father's hand) if it be His will perhaps we will arrange for another
convention next year. Perhaps a greater number of friends would in this way plan their
year to better advantage and be with us."
At Richmond, Va.
Dear
Brethren:
The friends
met at Richmond, Va., for a three days' Convention, September 1-3. It was a test of
courage on account of the inclement weather, and proved that the brethren assembled were
not by any means "fair weather Christians."
The first
session of the Convention was held Saturday evening. from 5:30 to about 7:00 o'clock. Deep
interest and appreciation were manifested in this opening service. Sunday morning, at 10
o'clock there was a prayer, praise and testimony meeting conducted by the Chairmen. This
service was indeed a very delightful one, and the expressions of love and devotion,
together with the firm resolutions to continue on in the Narrow Way were heart cheering.
There were three discourses and a question meeting during the remainder of Sunday. These
meetings were all of much benefit spiritually, and the expressions of interest and appreciation
gratifying. Monday was spent similar to Sunday: Hymns of praise and several discourses
filled the day. We feel that the friends very much enjoyed this day also; and when at its
close they gathered around and sang that beautiful hymn, "God Be with You Till We
Meet Again," we realized how sweet is the relationship which exists among God's dear
people. May the season of fellowship in Richmond redound to the honor of our God and to
the upbuilding of His saints.
Your brother in Christ, H. W. N. --
N. Y.
At Springfield, Mass.
Dear.
Friends:
At a meeting
of the Springfield Church, the undersigned was instructed to convey to the
"Herald" Editorial Committee its thanks for the announcements of the Labor Day
Convention just concluded.
We had a
good attendance -- about one hundred brethren being present at the Sunday afternoon
meeting -- and we feel that the "Herald" contributed very much toward such a
"consummation devoutly to be wished."
It certainly
was good to be here. The spirit of love, harmony, and fellowship was present throughout
all the proceedings. We thank our Heavenly Father, the dear Lord, and all the brethren for
a season of glorious fellowshiping and edification.
May the Lord
multiply much opportunities for assembling ourselves together and exhorting one another.
As you say
in the last "Herald," the Truth is the Lord's and our responsibility for hearing
it is as great as our responsibility for teaching it.
May the Lord
continue to keep all of us in His ways, not ours.
Your brother by His grace, G. E. M. -- Mass.
At Smithfield, Me.
Dear Ones:
Last Sunday,
on the shores of North Pond, town of Smithfield, this State, ten brothers and sisters met,
representing the towns of North Jay, Wilton, New Sharon, Belgrade, Unity and Bangor. A
praise, prayer and testimony meeting was led by Brother John McLellan, of Wilton, an
address by Brother J. H. Jodrey of North Jay, and a study, "The Temple of God,"
was conducted by Brother Marshall, of Bangor.
We are
unable to describe the results, immediate and, following, attending this blessed
arrangement provided by our Heavenly Father. Nor did we forget the convening members of
the Divine family yet in the flesh, the country over, at this Labor Day season.
We were
particularly exercised with the thought of earnestly concentrating on overcoming present
powerfully evil conditions, the need of patience up to the time of the crown receiving by
the faithful and the finishing of the Temple, the House of Sons, of which our adorable
Lord is the Head, and the contemplation of its place and work in the future. And what a
Love Feast it was! joys set thus before us.
May God be
more and more glorified in your lives, is the prayer of your servant-brother,
E. P. McK. -- Me.
Dear
Brethren:
Having
lifted our hearts in deep thankfulness to our Heavenly Father, for the many blessings and
encouragement we received through Brother Blackburn's stay among us, we desire also to
express our gratitude to the Pastoral Bible Institute through whom his visit was made
possible. We wish to assure you that the brother helped us to realize more fully, the
blessed favors and privileges that are ours at this time and helped us, to a deeper and
better appreciation of the wonderful height,
breadth, and depth of our Father's love, and also the love and faithfulness of His dear
Son, as he brought before our minds the wonderful attributes of both; as manifested in our
Savior's life on earth.
We do pray
that our Lord may continue to richly bless your efforts, to the edifying and building up
of "His little ones in the most holy fait," and that His Holy Spirit may so work
in your own hearts, to will and to do His good pleasure. until that blessed day, when the
Marriage of the Lamb has come and His Wife hath made herself ready.
Greetings to
all the dear friends.
Your brethren in Christ Jesus,
Associated Bible Students,
Glace, Bay, N. S., Cŕn.
Dear
Brethren:
I feel I
must write a little note to try and thank you for the excellent and helpful articles
which. appear with such unfailing regularity in "The Herald." I am so glad that
you do not go out of your way to attack others who have not the light that you possess, or
who. do not faithfully follow the light they have; that you construct rather than destroy,
and that you state the truth so kindly and tactfully. Of course, as heralds, you must
proclaim the King's Message, the Good News -- you would not think of doing otherwise.
While the work is a labor of love, yet I am sure it costs you more than perhaps you would
admit. But it is worth it and nothing of real merit and lasting value, is ever
accomplished without strenuous endeavor. Pebbles lie on the surface, but precious stones
have to be dug out and sought for.
I would not
trouble you with these feeble words of mine only that I have the authority of the great
Apostle to the Gentiles that we should give honor to whom honor is due. It is due you for
the splendid way "The Herald," is conducted. It may be that sometimes you are
grumbled at, well of course, that is only to be expected. It. is so easy to find fault and
some seem to delight to do it. I have only been a reader of "The Herald," for
just about a year, but now look forward to its arrival, knowing that I shall receive from
its pages real help and comfort.
I pray God
who is behind all truth to continue to bless your labors for His cause, and may many bless
your efforts and find in "The Herald" that truth which indeed can set them free.
Yours sincerely, S. E. K. -- Eng.
Gentlemen:
Please send
me the "Divine Plan óf the Ages," for which I enclose check for fifty cents.
I picked up
by chance a copy of "Where Are the Dead?" on the Elevated, and it revived in me
an interest in a future life -- a belief in which has just about faded. The pamphlet was
intelligently and fascinatingly written, however, and I hope the larger book is as good.
Yours very truly,
A. E. -- Ill.
VOL. XI. October 15, 1928 No. 20
"IS THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IMPOSSIBLE?"
WHEREVER Christianity has gone with its
pronouncement of those sublime and lofty ideals advocated by its Founder, there has been
more or less a division of thought amongst the people on the question of the ability of
any one to measure up to the high standard thus set; and various opinions have been
contended for in that connection. "The harshest critics of Christianity" says an
Editorial in a recent issue of THE LITERARY DIGEST "are those who believe it
impossible of practice; a mode of life inherently hopeless." Reference is made in the
Editorial, to a statement by Dr. Sidney M. Berry, Secretary of the English Congregational
Union: "Dr. Berry admits his acquaintance with the acute problems of the day, and
does not attempt to minimize them, but he finds the chief hindrance to the practice of the
Christian life, is not its difficulty, but the unwillingness of men to try it, as he shows
in an article contributed to a series appearing in the London DAILY NEWS AND WESTMINSTER
GAZETTE on 'If Christ Came to London.' There is disillusionment on every hand, Dr. Berry
admits. 'Men hear the Golden Rule preached, but they find the dominant note in business
life to be hard and relentless competition. They hear of a Kingdom of peace, but they find
in the world outside either war or preparation for war.' They find the world a hard place,
'unfriendly to religion except in a sentimental fashion.' But the world is never so black
as either the idealists or the realists paint it, and things are not so hopeless as they
seem. Is it impossible, then, for the average man to live out Christ's teachings? Dr.
Berry replies:
"'To
try to follow the teaching of Christ is the biggest standard any man can set before
himself, and there is the human certainty that he will fail again and again, and be made
to feel ashamed that he even professed to be a Christian at all.
"'But
if Christ came to London, or anywhere else, it is not that kind of man whom He would
condemn. The man who knows how far off he is, is just the man who knows the real thing
when he sees it, and he would not be the man to miss Christ if He came again. The people
who would miss the greatness in Him, and perhaps try to laugh Him out of court, or take
more active steps to silence Him, would be the case-hardened people, some of them no doubt
the conventionally religious, but with equal certainty many of them the conventional
materialists of the Age. Probably among these modern Pharisees would be the superior
critics who think religion an outworn thing, and those who take as much pride in their
lack of righteousness as the older type of Pharisee did in his possession of it'
"But
those who attempt the Christian way of life are not upon am impossible quest, says Dr.
Berry, though, he goes on, 'the whole Christian ideal can not, oŁ course, be realized at
once, and Christ never thought it could, or He would not have spoken of His Kingdom as a
seed or leaven.' Men, we are told, are not courageous enough for the whole campaign at
once, nor would the conditions allow it. For instance, 'the man who is in a job where his
living depends upon doing as he is told, and who is asked to do things which are not
square, is in a position which is desperately hard. Not only his living but the living of
those whom he loves depends upon keeping his job, and yet it is associated with practices
which he loathes.' What is he to do? Is he to stake everything on principle and refuse to
follow instructions? Men have followed this course, says Dr. Berry:
"'But
perhaps that way is too hard for all men, and in some cases the responsibility has to be
thrown back upon the man who issues the orders. The prevalence of dishonest practices in
trade has probably been exaggerated, but there is enough of it to cause serious concern
both to Christian employers and employees.
"'That
is one of the problems typical of so many others. To carry out the teaching of Christ may
seem an impossible problem face to face with present conditions, but no one can read the
story of the past without receiving encouragement from it. Progress has been made.'
"To the
question, then, whether the world is more likely to be helped by those who say that
Christianity is impossible and who, therefore, take no active steps to assist it, or by
those who, realizing their own weakness and the evils of society, give themselves
whole-heartedly to the work of religion, Dr. Berry replies:
"'There
can be little doubt as to the answer.
"'In a
celebrated passage in one of his books Lord Morley describes Jesus of Nazareth as
"the far-off mystic of the Galilean hills." It is a phrase full of haunting
music, but it does less than justice to the part which He has played in the affairs of
men. Christianity is not a dreamy mysticism far removed from life. It is in the main
current of the world's affairs, and the Founder of Christianity is better described as the
Statesman of life, who guides men on their difficult journey toward the realization of
their dreams."'
Upon one
occasion, in answer to a question Jesus said, "Ye do err, not understanding the
Scriptures nor the power of God." One is often reminded of these words of the Savior
as he hears one opinion or another expressed on the subject of the practical application
of the teaching of Christ to mankind in general, in this dispensation under present
conditions. It is only by recognizing the order of the Divine Plan of the Ages that the
matter becomes clear. That order as the Scriptures portray, is that the life, ideals and
ministry of the Son of God were never intended to effect any particular revolutionizing of
the lives of humanity at large, during the present Age; the purpose of Christianity in
this dispensation, being to select out of the world a chosen "little flock" to
walk in the footsteps of Christ, to make their calling and selection sure to
joint-heirship with Him in His Kingdom, that they may have a part in distributing the
blessings of Divine grace to "whomsoever will," in the coming Age; when Satan
and all the powers of evil are put down and when the Kingdom of God will be causing the
Divine will to be done on earth, even as it is done in heaven. Addressing those who are to
be His joint-heirs, Jesus said, "Ye are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world"; and again, "Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to
give you the Kingdom"; further, "to you it is given to know the mysteries of the
Kingdom of heaven."
Men in
general, in this Age, not being called to the fellowship of Christ and to an understanding
of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven, and not taken into the secret counsels of the
Lord, were never expected of the Lord to be living exponents of His life and teaching at
this time. But to the contrary as the Apostle states, "the whole world lieth in the
wicked one," groaning and travailing together in pain, waiting for the revelation of
the sons of God.
As for those
who become disciples of Christ and are invited into His intimate companionship, there need
be no question as to the ability of these to fulfil the purposes of the Christian life and
to have God's will wrought out in them. Jesus did not pray to the Father in vain when He
said, "Sanctify them through Thy Truth." Nor did He promise in vain at the time
He was taking His final departure when He said, "ye shall receive power." The
Lord, by His Spirit, by the power of His Truth and the inspiration of the exceeding great
and precious promises, has enabled consecrated believers to observe in their hearts, and
to a large extent in their lives also, those grand principles and ideals which the Savior
expounded when He was here.
APOSTASY IN THE LAST TIMES
Truly the
Scriptures point to the closing days of the Age as a time of general religious apostasy:
"Many shall depart from the faith"; and "perilous times shall come,"
is the language used descriptive of our time. In addition to the lukewarmness,
indifference and worldliness which are characteristic of our day, unbelief and infidelity
under the guise of education, intellectuality and Modernism, have replaced the faith which
was once delivered unto the saints by Christ and the Apostles. It is no marvel that the
Savior in His message to the last Church, that of Laodicea, declares His utter repudiation
of that Church because she will have rejected the faith and have proved herself to be in
an apostate condition.
Mr. William
W. Gregg, a lawyer, writing in THE NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW; refers to the fact that various
religious organizations are losing ground so far as their real spiritual hold upon the
people is concerned:
"A
recent religious survey of the city of St. Louis reveals that for every four living
churches there is one dead church. A more recent survey of Springfield, Massachusetts,
gives Protestantism there only 'a fighting chance.' In another large city less than 24 per
cent of all the churches of a single denomination are supported from living sources. The
Fundamentalist- Modernist controversy embitters religious conventions and has spread to
the foreign mission field. Many teachers and ministers are under suspicion as not being
doctrinally 'sound.' Rumors of heresy trials and church 'splits' are in the air. The
Presbyterians have appointed a notable committee 'to study the causes of unrest within the
denomination,' while the eminent Episcopalians who are sponsoring the 'Bishops' Crusade'
describe their Church 'as idle as a painted picture.' Dr. Stelzle, after conducting an
extensive religious questionnaire, concludes that 'the Church as a whole has lost its grip
upon a very large percentage of its members,' and Dr. Carroll in his report to the
Inter-Church Conference describes as 'alarming' the waning membership in Protestant
communions. The Men's Church League announces that 'over 32 per cent of, the Presbyterian,
Baptist, and Methodist churches of the United States failed to add a single convert in
1927: Dr. Fosdick says: 'Religion in the United States is in a badly muddled state.'
"In
brief, if the watchman on the walls of modern Zion be not stone blind and deaf, he must
now hesitate long before crying 'All's well!"'
UNDER THE POWER OF THE PENTECOSTAL FLAME
"Ye shall receive power, after
that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the
earth." -- Acts 1:8.
THERE is no
substantial evidence that the title, "The Acts of the Apostles," was given to
the book which follows the Gospels, by the one who wrote it, or that it was affixed
thereto by Divine authority. There has been, however, a very general agreement among
expositors and students of the writings of the Apostles and of others who wrote
contemporaneously, that the title is in every way an appropriate one. The Book of Acts is
a well authenticated record of many of the prominent incidents connected with the life and
service of the Apostles as they went forth in obedience to the Lord's command to
evangelize all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. As a part of the divinely inspired record,
it contains valuable information for us today that will be found well worth our prayerful
consideration.
Beyond a
doubt, the writer is Luke, physician and faithful companion of St. Paul; who also shared
with the Apostle in many of the experiences he recorded. The motive for writing the book
was a desire on his part to supplement his Gospel narrative with a fitting sequel. Having
recorded the words and life of Jesus, His death and resurrection, he continues his story
over into the period of the establishment of the Church and the momentous events connected
therewith. The Christian Church is greatly indebted to this unostentatious co-laborer of
the Apostles. The addition of his Gospel to that of Matthew, Mark, and John has
contributed some rich gems collected from the words of Jesus that the other writers
omitted, and without which the story of His earthly life would have been incomplete. In
thus recording the events of the beginning of the Gospel Church, and the prominent part
played therein by the Apostles, the writer of the Acts has furnished us with an invaluable
link between the Gospels and the Epistles, establishing at once the authenticity of both.
Progressive Unfolding of Divine Revelation
In this
connection it will be interesting to note the relationship of the Acts to the preceding
Gospels, and the Old Testament records. The progressive nature of the Divine revelation is
most thoroughly established in the arrangement of these books. In the Old Testament, we
have the Father revealed to us as the great supreme Creator, with whom there is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning, whose law of righteousness and justice demands
the perfect obedience of all His intelligent creatures. There we are shown that He foresaw
the end from the beginning and therefore foresaw the entrance of sin and its effectual
barrier to His favor. But though in types, covenants, promises and prophecies, He reveals
His love for man, yet the need of an atonement is made imperative, otherwise the sentence
of death must be executed upon all. In all the record of four thousand years the one
message that stands out preeminently as the Word
of God to man is, that "without the shedding of blood (a ransom) there is no
remission of sin." The character of the Father demanded this. In the four Gospel
narratives covering the incidents of our Lord's earthly life, His birth, teachings, death,
and resurrection, we have a further unfolding of God's progressive revelation, as the
Apostle John has informed us: "For the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ." (John 1:17.) Appropriately, therefore, the Gospels tell of our Lord's
love for mankind and His willingness to cooperate in the Father's plan; of how He divested
Himself of pre-human glory and was found in fashion as a man, humbling Himself even unto
the death of the cross. Thus He is revealed as the Gift of God to man, and the medium of
atonement whereby God can be just, and yet the justifier of them who believe in Jesus.
Herein is revealed the oneness of the Father and the Son.
But Jesus
Himself assured His disciples that the revelation was not yet complete. Further unfolding
was to be made possible; only when the Holy Spirit had come; and in order that they might
receive this further illumination it was expedient that He go away: "For if I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. . .
. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. . . . Howbeit when
He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: and He will show you
things to come." (John 16:7, 12, 13.) How fitting then it is to find the Book of Acts
in every particular, a record of the descent, illumination, power, and operation of the
Holy Spirit, as it came in fulfillment of "the promise of the Father," upon the
Apostles themselves and subsequently upon all the Church.
Revelation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
As the
Apostles went forth to evangelize all nations they were to baptize all believers in the
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and is it not manifest that without the
Book of Acts, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the way in which it operates to save,
renew and enlighten the Church, would have been very imperfectly understood. And be it
further observed that all the remainder of the New Testament could be truthfully said to
emanate from the Book of the "Acts of the Apostles"; thus, the revelation of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is complete.
As to the
contents of this book, it would be impossible within the confines of a hasty review to
give even a passing thought on all its valuable lessons, or to arrange anything like a
complete outline of all its outstanding truths.
But a careful survey of its opening chapters will lay the foundation for a deeper
appreciation of the importance of the book as a whole. In these opening chapters we have
the genesis of the Church recorded; and the correct understanding of these is as important
to the Church, as the genesis of Creation is essential to the complete harmony and
understanding of all the Scriptures. The secret springs of the early Church's faith,
purity, and boldness, as well as the simplicity and effectiveness of the Apostolic
doctrines, and the unparalleled success of the early ministry, as these are recorded in
subsequent chapters, are all revealed and made plain in the fact of the Church's personal
participation in the profound realities of chapters 1 and 2.
In chapter 1
we have briefly related, the incidents connected with our Lord's last appearance to His
disciples before His ascension. We find them still clinging to the hope that had
characterized their expectations for so long, and asking again, "Lord wilt Thou at
this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel"; and again, as on former occasions
they are cautioned with the reminder that there are some things of much greater moment
just now, than the knowledge of such secrets as the Father's wisdom withholds from even
the most faithful of His creatures. Then follows the account of the ascension, the
comforting message of the angels that He will come again, the return to Jerusalem, the ten
days of watching and prayer in the Upper Room, waiting for the Holy Spirit, and the well
intentioned, but apparently unauthorized appointment of a successor to Judas.
"Ye Shall Receive Power"
It will be
worth our while to examine a few of these incidents and to note how definitely this
chapter links up the history of the Apostles before and after Pentecost: Before Luke
records the Pentecostal baptism and its immediate effect upon them, he has given us an
introductory chapter which shows the disciples just as they were prior thereto. Impatient,
disposed to a selfish desire for Kingdoms positions, impetuous and fearful; then he
proceeds to tell of the Spirit's outpouring and the extraordinary results upon these same
characters. We are told that among the many talents possessed by Luke was that of artistic
skill, and he seems to have employed the artist's method here; first giving us the fitting
background whereby the work of the Holy Spirit upon these same characters maybe the more
clearly seen and admired.
Let us now
note the significance of verse 8, "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy
Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be My witnesses." In these words Jesus foretold
the influence of the Spirit's power upon the minds and conduct of the Apostles; and as we
follow on through succeeding chapters, and on through the Epistles, we are constantly
reminded of how real and potent was this power. Whereas in the days before Pentecost we
find them with their minds occupied with things unrevealed, burdened, with a curiosity to
know the secrets of the Father's Plan regarding how and when Jesus would assume His regal
power and enthrone them with Himself, or just what position this one or the other would
have in the Kingdom; we observe that never thereafter did He need to repeat the word of
caution or, what may have been intended as a gentle reproof, recorded in verse 7; or to
remind them of the impropriety of that impatience that forgets that secret things and
prerogatives belonging to God, are not subjects He would encourage us to pry into.
Evidently
the Spirit gave the Apostles power to discern the wisdom of the Divine arrangement, which
teaches that God's great clock of the Ages has not been set to encourage undue haste for
Kingdom honors, or to satisfy an idle curiosity that is unappreciative of the greater
blessing accruing to those who willingly leave such secrets locked up in the Divine
counsels. Not that those early disciples lost interest in matters relating to His return
and their future association, with Him; on the contrary, while they retained all of their
fervent desires respecting His return and their Kingdom hopes, never growing lukewarm or
indifferent thereto, the Apostles did however experience that adjustment of mind, that
spirit of a sound mind, that views all matters according to their relative importance, and
by this they discovered that "the golden silence of Scripture is as much intended as
its golden speech."
Important Lessons Received from Pentecostal Benediction
Let us
observe the evidence of this in their various Epistles. Doubtless St: Peter either asked
the question of Acts 1:6, or was specially interested in its being asked at that time. But
if so, we find no evidence that he repeated it in all his after-days. His ministry is
recorded briefly in Acts; and two of his Epistles have come down to us in which he
expresses a burning interest in the full enlightenment and progress of all the Church
"through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord." Again and again he refers
to the return of the Lord and the hopes of the Church connected therewith, admonishing
that, "the end of all things is at hand." Therefore the "more sure Word of
prophecy" that "shineth in a dark place until the day dawn," must be kept
fresh in mind. The dissolving heavens, and turbulent social conditions on earth are signs
stimulating to sobriety and holiness. But all his allusions to that great event are kept
well within the limits of this kindly reproof of chapter 1, and the force and burden of
his teachings are based on clearly defined facts, fundamentals and certainties. James
likewise makes the subject of the Lord's return, the pivotal point of his one letter to
the Church. He uses it to offset the temptations and trials then experienced, or as a
special encouragement to patience: for, "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."
But he too avoids any speculative deductions, and gives no hint of wishing that he could
tell his brethren just how long they must wait.
Again we
think of John whose special place in the Master's love is a matter of Scriptural record;
likewise his special desire for a preferred position in Kingdom rulership with Jesus,
implying surely that the question of Acts 1:6 represented his own spirit also. Is it not
significant that we find no repetition of this query or spirit in his three Epistles, or
in his more wonderful record of visions witnessed on the Isle of Patmos. Surely there was
abundant opportunity to display the old time spirit of Pre-Pentecostal days when he
introduces the subject of Christ's appearing and his own inexpressible joy of being like
Him then, or in connection with the stupendous panoramic scenes witnessed "in the
Spirit on the Lord's day," when he is assured of His Lord's speedy return. But the
impetuous John has become the devoted man of faith and patience, and he can now hear his
beloved Master's heart-cheering message, "Behold I come quickly and My reward is with
Me," without a betrayal of impatient boldness voiced in the query "when?"
but answers back in the words of grace and wisdom "amen, even so come, Lord
Jesus." St. Paul, though not privileged to be among those who were present on that
memorable day of Pentecost, but who received his enlightenment and power under different
surroundings and circumstances, likewise displayed in his ministry the same "mind of
the spirit." He too discusses this great theme again and again, but all his
admonitions, warnings, and forecasts of the future are also kept in full accord with this
farewell statement of Jesus. "It is not for you to know the times and seasons, which
the Father hath put in His own power," implies that there are secrets, details, which
neither piety nor learning can find out, so long as the premium is placed by God, upon
that faith that will not turn back though its fruition tarry long. Thus St. Paul prays for
all the Church: "the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the
patient waiting for Christ." -- 2 Thess. 3:5.
They Commended the Sober and Reverent Study of Prophecy
But let us
not hastily conclude that the examples of the Apostles in this matter discourage the
spirit of devout interest in prophetic dates; and clearly defined times and seasons.
Rather, we should reason that since they have urged upon us the importance of prophecy, it
would be manifestly wrong for any one to discourage the proper study of the subject; for
he who at any time neglects the lamp of prophecy, loses a blessing upon which the Master
laid great stress, and proves himself deficient in appreciation of a very important part
of the "all Scripture given by inspiration of God." Let none, then, of the truly
consecrated undervalue those prophetic time evidences, which were designed to guide our
words and deeds. Proper attention given to these must result in lasting profit to the
careful student, by furnishing the proof that all God's plans are working together in
time, according to His foreknown purposes.
Thus St.
Peter addresses us today, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; Whereunto ye do
well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn,
and the day star arise in your hearts." (2 Pet. 1:19.) Surely we have much to
encourage our hearts, and stimulate our interest in prophecy today, since it is evident
that the signs all about us speak of the near approach of the dawn. But the point to be
noted here is, that the disciples were asking for information on a feature of God's
unrevealed purposes, that it was not proper for Our Lord to give them, and there are many
such questions being asked today. For very good reasons this information must be withheld
from the disciples; and be it noted, one reminder from the Lord was sufficient to teach
them this lesson. They did not persist in attempting to find it out, and evidently never
did possess an accurate knowledge respecting the exact time of the full restoration of
Israel, and the beginning of the actual Kingdom reign, nor can any one today claim more
than an approximate knowledge regarding these same matters, though rejoicing in the more
brilliant light of prophecy focused upon this time.
The Apostles Avoided Guessing and Speculating
The
disciples did not conclude that if they kept on speculating that they would surely find
these things out through some medium, and then make their guesses a part of the Lord's
Message. The entire absence of speculation in all their subsequent writings on this, or
any other subject, and the wisdom which they displayed in concentrating their efforts upon
on the important matters of purity of heart, and fall submission to the known will of God
are surely worthy of sober consideration. Like Jesus, they could truthfully say, "We
speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen." -- John 3:11.
How
important it is that all should remember the Word Of God which declares that "holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." Prophecy is the announcing
in advance of the Divine purposes, and intended for the guidance of His devoted servants,
furnishing them with certain information essential to their understanding and
encouragement; but never go going beyond the point where secrecy would best serve the
Lord's will. Moreover, even in respect to those .things to be known by the Church through
prophecy, it is well to remember also that since prophecy comes to us from the Holy of
Holies, through the medium of the Holy Spirit, and by the mouth of holy men of God, it is
evident that prophetic expositors and prophetic students, must needs be holy, humble,
reverential characters, in order to enter such holy precincts.
The example
of the Apostles therefore, is not in opposition to such reverent interest in the revealed
purposes of God, but it is in conflict with that persistent determination to know such
secrets as God by His Word, or providences, has closed up. "After that the Holy
Spirit was come upon them" they did not speculate, guess, or become absorbed in such
things, abut allowed patience to have her perfect work, While with a consuming zeal for
the Lord and the brethren, they waited, and labored, under the inspiration of the
prophetic lamp that illuminated their pathway; and thank God, left behind them not their
abandoned, untrustworthy visions, and momentarily spasmodic thrills and discoveries, made
in a futile attempt to anticipate God's secrets and to share His prerogatives, but they
left a message that rings clear and authentic with the stamp of eternal verity.
Before and After Pentecost
A further
important lesson may be gathered from these first chapters so illustrative of the
marvelous difference between men possessed of a measure of truth relative to the purposes
of God, and men enlightened and empowered by the Spirit of God Jesus had told them to
remain in Jerusalem and to wait for the "promise of the Father" by which they
would receive the necessary qualifications for service but evidently the passing days
seemed long, and so we are informed that the routine of action was one day changed to a
business meeting of the assembled company. The first few days no doubt were filled with
absorbing rehearsals of the experiences of the past forty days. They would live over again
their fears and joys, the surprising and mysterious appearances of the Lord, and the
influence of His word and acts upon their hearts. Perhaps too they wondered much as to
just what His command to wait in Jerusalem might mean to them in the way of further
demonstrations of His power.
But finally
Peter presents a proposal that seems to have met with the unanimous approval of the whole
assembly of 120 brethren. The deflection of Judas had created a vacancy that the Prophet
had foretold would be filled by another, and it seemed to the assembled brethren a
perfectly legitimate thing for them to proceed to fulfil the prophecy. The absence of any instructions
from Jesus to undertake such a responsible task, or the fact that the prophecy quoted by
Peter gave no hint as to how the successor of Judas would be chosen, seems not to have
deterred them in the least.
The same
impetuous disposition, previously displayed in their haste to fulfil prophecy by wanting
to make Jesus a king, before He was a sin offering, manifests itself once more in this
incident. Like many of their brethren in after days, they forgot that the One who dictated
the prophecy must be waited upon for its fulfilling, and that no premature scheme of
theirs would ever be adopted by Him.
What the Holy Spirit Revealed
Concerning Teachers in the Church
A sufficient
argument against the appointment of Matthias seems to be found in the unmistakable choice
of Paul later on by the Lord Himself. He had left no instructions behind regarding this
matter, but rather had intimated that nothing should be undertaken until power from on
high had been received. The appointment of an Apostle whose responsibilities would involve
so much, could not in the very nature of things be left to natural men, good men though
they were. Furthermore, we note that the method of procedure on the part of these dear
disciples must necessarily raise a doubt in our minds regarding this matter. Before the
Lord's mind was sought at all, it would appear that practically the whole company of
possible candidates were eliminated, and the Lord limited in His choice to one of the two
remaining brethren whom they had chosen. But like Samuel when called upon to anoint the
successor of Saul, they were to learn that while the Lord's selection might seem to be
among those in their immediate presence, the man of His choosing was yet out in the field
waiting to be called. Manifestly the whole procedure was wrong, and therefore entirely
ignored by the Lord, and their well intentioned zeal viewed by Him in the same sympathetic
way as some of their previous exhibitions of over-confidence and haste had been.
Perhaps in
this incident we have something recorded that has been intended by the Lord to be an
object lesson to all the generations of the Church. We observe that the Apostles
themselves after the Holy Spirit had come, were never disposed to forget that it was one
of the Lord's sole prerogatives to appoint an Apostle or a special servant of the Church.
Their Epistles to the Church abound with reminders of the headship of Jesus; and with
illustrations calculated to establish this thought in the minds of all; illustrations such
as those of the human body, or the relationship, of husband and wife, etc., where the
responsibility of the head is preeminently set forth. The strictest rules were laid down
as to who should be considered worthy of such responsibilities in the Church. Heady,
high-minded, self-seeking leaders no matter how gifted they might be naturally, were never
to be chosen. Evidences of the Lord's appointment must always be looked for before the
Church laid its hands upon them. Church history of the past and present affords the most
striking evidence that, simply because the Scriptures taught that Elders should be chosen
to serve the Church, a very large proportion of its leaders have been chosen by .popular
vote rather than by the Holy Spirit's manifest approval, or without waiting until
evidences were forthcoming that they were good men, and, "full of the Holy
Spirit."
Furthermore,
after the Holy Spirit had been received and given free course in their minds, we read of
no further attempt on the part of the Apostles to pick up a prophetic statement in the Old
Testament and then proceed to force a premature fulfillment of it, or to arrange the
larger proportion of its fulfillment, and then generously permit the Lord the privilege of
endorsing their arrangement. Rather we find that while prophecy was frequently referred to
as corroborative testimony, and its importance again and again emphasized, and the Church
admonished to view it as an indispensable feature of Divine revelation, yet they
steadfastly resisted any effort of forced interpretation. They recognized that God's
methods of working out His foreknown purposes, as these were foretold in prophecy, would
be on a much larger, grander scale than any abortive scheme their unauthorized haste could
ever produce.
Need to Wait upon the Great Revealer of Secret
Is this not
illustrated in the incomparable difference between Matthias and Paul: Of the former we
know nothing except that he was a brother in the Church. His voice is never heard, nor the
briefest reference made to his zeal or other qualifications, nor is there any tradition
respecting him upon which ,any reliance could be placed. But of Paul, the one foreknown
prophetically, we have the proof of his Divine appointment in Epistles that have
constituted the bulwark of the Christian faith, while the world, Jewish and Gentile, has
heard a voice that has had more influence and power than any other human tongue has ever
had since Pentecost. How significant this is! Truly, as the heavens are high above the
earth, so are the ways of God high above the councils and schemes of men. How necessary it
is that we should remember that when we rush into hasty conclusions respecting prophecy,
we are displaying a spirit of improper boldness, in contrast with that of the angels who
stand and wait in reverent inquiry.
Prophecy is
like a rose in its proper development. If we become impatient and pull out the leaves and
petals of a flower in order to hasten its unfolding beauty, we will most certainly mar and
disfigure nature's intentions, and produce a rose which will be very quickly rejected and
thrown away. If on the other hand we watch the slower methods of development designed by
the Creator of the rose's beauty, we will be gratified to possess at last a perfect,
pleasing flower, incomparably beautiful and satisfactory. How glad we are that the Great
Author of prophecy is also its wise, patient custodian, and revealer, who in His own due
time will work out every prophecy pertaining to the Church and the world in a manner
consistent with His perfect, wisdom and power, eliciting thereby the admiration and praise
of all His intelligent creatures.
"They Were All with One Accord in One Place"
Continuing
our study, we find yet further results from
these days of waiting, and the outpouring of the Spirit "when the day of Pentecost
was fully come." The prolonged season of prayer, and the centralization of thought on
the command and promise of Jesus, produced a most salutary effect. "They were all
with one accord in one place" -- all minds had been prepared by the exercises of the
proceeding days. Thus the conditions under which the Holy Spirit would embrace all in its
power and illumination had been met, and hence all shared in the full benefit of that
wonderful day.
Would it be
irreverent to inquire here as to what the outcome might have been had these brethren of
Jerusalem and its environs been divided and subdivided into several factions? Suppose some
had chosen to assemble in Peter's home, some in John's, some in another brother's home,
perhaps in the immediate vicinity, some in other quarters, and each company specializing
in some individual or group interpretation of our Lord's command, differentiating thus
between themselves and their fellows, while all claimed a desire for the fullest measure
of the Spirit's outpouring? We have only to suggest such a situation to realize how
abhorrent it would have been to the Lord. We know that under such circumstances the story
of Pentecost would never have embraced these brethren in its record. The lesson is so
apparent that it would be superfluous to multiply words to make a present day application.
How obvious it must be to any sincere mind, that if it were necessary that these brethren
be of one mind and heart, and unitedly occupied in seeking the Spirit's power, in order
that they might share in those Pentecostal blessings, so it must be today. The Bible is
not tolerant toward factional divisions in the Church, but in positive, unmistakable
language declares that such conditions are wholly traceable to an absence of the Holy
Spirit's presence.
Pentecost is
not merely an incident of two thousand years ago but a living, present day reality to all
who meet its conditions. The Holy Spirit's office and work are unchangeable; likewise the
conditions favorable to the Spirit's proper functioning. Therefore the issue is clear: our
progress individually and collectively, the efficiency and success of our service, the
degree of Divine favor enjoyed, are all contingent upon the impartation and our reception
of the Holy Spirit. Surely the words of Jesus were intended to apply to all the Spirit
begotten of the Age: "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon
you." Likewise the statement of Peter, "for the promise is unto you, and to your
children, and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
(Acts 2:39.) Therefore, the Church that is not throbbing with this power from above, this
perpetual blessing, has ceased to measure up to its privileges, and Pentecost has become a
matter of history, rather than a blessed permanent experience.
Prayer as a Factor in Preparation for the Holy Spirit
We pass on
now to a review of other portions of the Acts of the Apostles, meanwhile keeping the
thought in, mind that their subsequent acts were the outcome of a Spirit controlled life,
which began with Pentecost. We have observed that they spent a considerable portion of ten
days in prayer, preceding the Spirit's outpouring, and have noted the results upon
themselves and others. We are now to learn how prominent a factor prayer became in their
lives subsequently. The Book of Acts is a record of the power of prayer in the days of
the, early Church. In no better way than in this record could the Holy Spirit teach the
entire Church that, her light in the world will be brilliant or obscure, her spiritual
life robust and efficient, or languishing and ready to die, in proportion to her
appreciation and experimental knowledge of the power of prayer. Certainly the book teaches
that power with God, means power with men, for He has decreed that victory in the secret
chamber must precede the outward evidences of His approval and blessing.
As a
tangible proof of this we note the second reference to this prayer atmosphere :as found in
chapter 2, verses 42 to 47, "they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and
fellowship, and 'in breaking of bread, and in prayers, having favor with all the people.
And the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved." Here in concise
language we are given the Scriptural test of any Church's spiritual standing. No Church
that neglects the prayer life will ever enjoy these evidences of Divine approval, and no
Church that takes God at His Word, and cultivates the spirit of prayer will be lacking
these evidences of power from on high.
Let no one
today be deceived with the thought that our day is so exceptional that we may overlook
these pertinent facts, and excuse factional divisions, and the absence of unity and power,
on the assumption that the final gathering of the wheat presupposes such conditions. Let
the brethren everywhere prove God herewith, and join hands and hearts in a steadfast
adherence to "the Apostles' doctrine, and fellowship, . . . and in prayers," and
there will yet be a response from heaven that will prove that when the avenue of prayer is
cleared of all human, carnal obstructions the Holy Spirit will still lead to victory and
efficiency.
In chapter
4, verse 31 we have another reference to prayer that is full of significance. Peter and
John were so imbued with this spirit that they were improving the opportunities of the
hour of prayer by going to the temple for that purpose. And herein, we are given an
insight into the depths of their characters that ought to stir our souls to a constant
emulation, and awaken us to the beauty and importance of a prayerful spirit.
What a Lesson is Here for Us!
Think of men
who had experienced the extraordinary events of the day of Pentecost; who had suddenly
found themselves possessed of such marvelous power, gifted with strength and wisdom to
speak forth the purposes of God on that occasion, as dial Peter; men who enjoyed such
positive evidence of ability to carry forward a great movement, and yet feeling within
themselves the need of the hour of prayer. Can it be that these are the same Apostles, who
only ŕ short time before, on returning from a mission, during which they had .exercised a
delegated power in casting out devils, needed to have their disposition to boast curbed,
by the reminder that pride of heart had been the cause of Satan's deflection centuries
before. It is even so! But now, how differently they act! Great as their experience had
been they are not puffed up. They exhibit no spirit of self-sufficiency; they assume no
attitude of superiority, make no boast of being once for all, the channel of Divine power
and service, but like their Divine Master, who though perfect, found it necessary to
betake Himself to the solitude for prayer, so they too, realized that continuous
supplication at the throne of grace was essential to them, if they were to prove equal to
their responsibilities.
How it
strengthens our confidence in them when we discover this mark of sincere acknowledgment of
need! What a lesson is here for us! How much greater our confidence can be in one whom we
know to be a faithful man of prayer, one whose life displays the results of dwelling in
the secret place. But alas, how easily a little knowledge, a little preeminence, a little
natural ability may discourage the habit of prayer, and send us forth in our own strength,
puffed up with a sense of importance, only to spoil our usefulness in a service that
requires above everything else that humility that acknowledges the meaning of the Master's
words, "without Me ye can do nothing."
The Spirit's Mighty Working
Consistent
with the principle introduced by Jesus when He taught His disciples to observe the
whitened fields, and then pray for harvesters, we find here, prayerful hearts are best
prepared for service, more meet for the Master's use, because of a real oneness with Him.
Thus Peter and John in the Lord's providence, were given a privilege of service, with far
reaching results awaiting them at the Beautiful Gate. A cripple requesting aid received
healing, and became the center of a great witness. Persecution followed and the Apostles
were brought before the authorities for trial, and after a noble defense were let off on a
sort of suspended sentence. Being released. they returned to the assembled brethren,
reporting in detail their experiences and privileges. An enthusiastic prayer meeting
followed: "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled
together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the Word of God
with boldness." Here we have a blessed manifestation of the Holy Spirit with which
they had already been filled, as recorded in chapter 2, verse 4. Was this a second
Pentecost, and a suggestion of repeated similar baptisms of the Holy Spirit, Surely not!
On the contrary, it was a striking fulfillment of the Master's promise concerning the
working of the Spirit, and an evidence of the
beginning of the Spirit-filled life. In other words, it was a manifestation of the fact
that they were begotten of the Spirit and had been inducted into the Body of Christ.
Through the power of this Spirit, they were to "grow up- into Christ" by a daily
appropriation of the Bread and Water of Life.
These prayer
meetings brought confidence: "They spake the Word of God with boldness." The
operation of the Holy Spirit under these circumstances produced an assurance and a
certainty of mind that surmounted all obstacles. heart and voice, and "great grace
was upon them all."
Has this any
lessons for us today, or is it something too near the miraculous for us to expect its
duplication in our experience now? As surely as we accept the book we are reviewing as a
part of the Word of inspiration, just so surely does this portion tell us of possibilities
within our reach if we will heed, and comply therewith.
This of
course does not furnish a basis for the thought of some, that to enjoy the Pentecostal
blessing we must of necessity expect to experience all of the peculiar excitements, and
unusual demonstrations that characterized the days immediately following that Day of
Pentecost. It would not be reasonable to expect such things now that we have the written
Word. Therefore the Lord would not employ the same methods today, and literally shake the
place where His people congregate for prayer. But who will dispute the fact that
appropriate evidences of the Holy Spirit's presence will be forthcoming wherever His
saintly ones lay themselves open t its power?
Though Miracles Have Ceased, the Spirit's Power Abides
It will
still fill the hearts and minds with a holy joy, and fire them with a zeal and confidence
where it is given its proper place. Therefore instead of allowing theories respecting the
outpouring of the Spirit to discourage the desire for its repeated fillings, we are
encouraged by this incident to earnestly desire more and more of its presence in bur
hearts and lives.
"Have you felt the Spirit's power?
Still there's more to follow;
Falling like a gentle shower?
Still there's more to follow;
Oh, the power the Spirit shows!
Still there's more to follow,
Freely He His power bestows,
Still there's more to follow."
When Jesus
taught His disciples that when two of them would agree, and unite in the prayer of faith,
they might expect definite results to follow, He meant it for us also. He meant that the
practice of united prayer would be the dynamic powerhouse of the Church, from which a
constant flow of spiritual power, invigoration, and confidence would permeate every phase
of her life. For this reason, the Scriptures abound with encouragements to pray without
ceasing, assuring us that real power such as God waits to impart, "Goeth not out
except by prayer and fasting." Today the air is full of doubts and uncertainties;
everywhere there is confusion of thought and teaching. Controversy, speculation, and
theorizing abound, with a consequent loss of that unity that gives strength and
effectiveness. The message as proclaimed by many, is not a direct, forceful, discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart, nor backed by that power of the Spirit that makes
men say, "men and brethren what shall we do," but a message so largely vitiated
by human philosophy as to produce lukewarmness, spiritual pride, factional differences and
ceremonial formality. The remedy lies in Apostolic prayer meetings such as we are
examining here, where the reassuring work of the Spirit keeps the heart receptive, the
truth fresh and glorious, and makes His Message an unquenchable, burning fire in the
heart; prayer meeting centers from which men and women will go forth in confidence,
bearing trumpets with no uncertain, sound.
The Conference and Prayer with the Elders of Ephesus
Peter was
liberated from, prison, doubtless in answer to prayer. In chapter 12, we are told of his
imprisonment and of a prayer meeting held by the Church, "where constant and earnest
prayer was made . . . and when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety,
that the Lord bath sent His angel, and bath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, . . .
and when he had considered the thing he came to the house of Mary where many were gathered
together praying." Peter had had a real experience, a tangible evidence of the Lord's
blessing and he recognized at once the propriety of going to a prayer meeting where his
testimony of appreciation could be given, and other hearts inspired by the rehearsal of
what the Lord had done for him. The lesson is again clear and easily applied. Where there
is a living. realization of Divine blessing, and the impelling power of gratitude is
experienced, either by the individual or the Class, the prayerful atmosphere of the Church
will be the delight and the joy of all. The early Church had real experience meetings,
because they were obedient to the promptings of the Spirit; and the Pentecostal spirit was
the spirit of prayer, and of utterance, for said they, "we cannot but speak the
things which we have seen and heard." Wherever there is a Church without a vigorous
living circle of prayer and testimony, without tangible evidences of the Lord's presence
and power on such occasions, that Church has stepped aside from Pentecost.
Another
incident, the influence of which, like a sweet fragrant incense, has remained in the
Church until the present time, is found in Acts 20. It is one of those incidents which
have endeared the Apostle Paul, that man of prayer and action, to the hearts of so many of
God's people. At this time he is making a final visit to Jerusalem and cannot pass Ephesus
without leaving a parting message. The Elders are summoned to meet him at Miletus, and
there, hear from his lips one of the most pathetic and solemn appeals ever made to
under-shepherds over the House of God. They are reminded of the preciousness of the Church
to the Lord who purchased them with His own blood; of their responsibilities as
under-shepherds, charged with the duty of safeguarding the Church from grievous wolves and
hurtful influences. There, all the seriousness of Eldership in the Church of Christ is
laid before them, by Paul their fellow servant, who himself loved the Church as his own
soul. The conference terminated with a solemn season of prayer, which surely made a
lasting impression upon the hearts of the assembled brethren. Our participation in this
incident is not imaginary, but real. Paul, by virtue of his age-long apostleship has here
summoned the Eldership of the entire Christian Church, and laid upon them these same
weighty responsibilities. He pleads with one and all to be faithful to their God-given
stewardship, entreating them to feed the flock of God with only the pure doctrines of the
Gospel of Christ. Brethren, Elders whom the Holy Spirit hath made overseers of the Church
of God, we are not making any misapplication of this incident when we say, that only those
servants of the Church who in spirit have met Paul at Miletus and received the impress of
that solemn hour upon their hearts, and there knelt with him again and again in prayer for
the Lord's wisdom, grace and guidance, to discharge all their obligations to Him and His
Church, have been faithful under-shepherds. If we live with Paul in this little incident
in Acts, and continue to follow him on through his marvelous record of fidelity, we shall
share with him the crown of life he has surely gained.
Clearer Visions of Those Blessed Realities
With a
feeling of reluctance we must conclude our examination of this most absorbing book.
Lessons covering every feature of our relationship to tile Lord and to one another seem to
urge the, mind on and on, in the study and application of its many outstanding incidents.
We have covered but a few of these in the present introduction, but the studious mind may
easily discover many other suggestive incidents laden with practical lessons of the
Spirit's office in the Church, a contemplation of which will reveal most clearly the
fullness of God's will for all His Spirit begotten, Spirit-filled children; not
necessarily the discovery of "new light," but clearer visions of those blessed
realities experienced by the early Church, to whom the Apostle could write, "Ye have
received an unction from the Holy One and ye all know it." If we of today doubt the
possibility of knowing these things in a definite way, let us ponder over this revelation
of the Spirit's power and wait before God in prayer for the promised blessing, and most
certainly we will find ourselves much nearer to Pentecost than we may have thought.
In
conclusion we might suggest that the brotherhood engendered by the Holy Spirit and
recorded throughout the book, is a vindication of the high ideals of Jesus in respect to
true brotherhood. The missionary spirit that pervades the Acts from beginning to end would
furnish a theme of deepest interest. Likewise the wonderful sermons recorded therein are
worthy of diligent study, on the part of all ministers of the Word. Unexcelled examples
they are, of real Scriptural sermons; sermons that brought conviction, appealing not only
to the head, but also to the heart. Perhaps no other book of the New Testament makes a
stronger appeal to the Church to cultivate the true spirit of Bible study. From end to end
it is an appeal to what has been written. All are encouraged to manifest the true Berean
spirit of reverent investigation.
Jesus taught
that the truth would purify, and this book proves how thoroughly the truth properly
received will affect the life, relegating the nonessential, incompatible things to the
background, and making the Word of God so dear and precious, that the froth and insipid
productions of natural or perverted minds will have no attraction. To this end we have in
this record, the story of some emptied book shelves, the result of a bonfire that cost one
Church (Ephesus) approximately $8,500.00. Perhaps there might be found material enough
today, the product of very recent years that has supplanted the Word of God, to even
exceed this in monetary value, the removal of which would give evidence of a much needed
revival of real Bible study, and lead many of the Lord's people who appear to be sadly
confused at the present time, back into the old paths of true dispensational and
character-building truth, back to the Apostolic message, and back to the Pentecostal
atmosphere of power and efficiency.
"As obedient children, not
fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as He which
hath called you is holy,
so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." -- 1 Pet. 1:14, 15.
THE
RELATIONSHIP of sons and children of God is the unspeakable privilege of those who truly
and fully accept the office and work of Christ in their behalf. It is a most exalted and
unspeakable privilege for one who has been born of a race blighted with sin and death, to
have conferred upon him the honor and blessing as a son of God. It is not a privilege that
any man can assume or take unto himself, as stated by the Apostle, "behold what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of
God." The Scriptures leave no room for doubt as to the process by which one enters
into, and is enabled to maintain this relationship as a member of the family of God. Faith
and obedience may be said to be the sum total of the entire matter, as saith the Apostle,
"There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
[live] not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
The urge of
the Apostle Peter to disciples of Christ, to fashion themselves as obedient children, may
be said to be one of the household exhortations which so abound in New Testament
Scripture, intended not for those who are without, but exclusively to those who are of the
Divine family. The revealing of God to the Christian as his Father, must of necessity
signify a revelation of the duties and obligations of such as receive the calling of sons.
Hence with the declaration of our Father's love, comes the endearing designation of our
privilege and duty as His sons; and we read the title of "dear children," in one
Epistle, of "little children" in another, of "obedient children" in
another, all of which should cause us to appreciate how truly at home we are to be with
God as members of His family.
No High Caste of Saintship
We are
distinctly told that such as become children of God and members of His family in this
dispensation are "born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God." Another has very ably and interestingly pointed out that, "No
high caste of saintship is there however -- no exclusive aristocracy of heavenly blood. It
is a rank open to the lowest and poorest and most simple; only one must be born into it,
and born through his own consenting faith. And this is more gracious far than the
condition of natural generation. 'I was not asked of what parentage I should be born,' you
may have said complainingly; 'or indeed whether I should be born into this world at all.'
But you are asked whether you shall receive this Divine nativity; and here you can choose
who shall be your Father. Your consent is invited, and, being given, the eternal life is
yours. 'Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.'
"Have
you noticed how and why Christ received His title of Son of God? It is a very instructive
lesson on this point to study His Divine genealogy. The angel announced to Mary her
conception through the Holy Spirit, and then added, 'Therefore, also, that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.' He was named the Son of God
because He was begotten of the Spirit of God. And as with Christ so with His followers,
since He is but 'the firstborn among many brethren.' Their sonship comes through their
begetting of the Spirit, and they are children of God because new-born of God. This seems
to be the doctrine of Scripture, which we reiterate, not for the sake of limiting God's
love, or of consigning any of His creatures to a dreary and desolate orphanage; but rather
to show how exalted and. Divine is the position to which the Gospel invites all, even into
a heavenly nativity, into kinship with the Lord of glory."
Obedience the Test of Sonship
Now it is
recognized at once that children have a claim and a motive to obedience placed upon them
which none others have. For instance, we cannot , say, "Our Father which art in
heaven," and say it in the spirit and intelligently, without at the same time
recognizing our obligation to do the will of that Father. As has been said, "There is
a birth right duty which is stronger than any other that can be mentioned. The tie of
blood is a tie of obligation; to be begotten of a father, is to be beholden to that father
as to no other being in the universe. And therefore I say that highest obedience can
neither be required or fulfilled except we are the sons of God. . . . With the child's
first cry of parental recognition comes the instinct of obedience; with the babe's first
reading of the name of mother in tender, brooding eyes comes the throb of dependent
affection. And the witness of the Spirit is the child's cry of the regenerated soul
answering to and owning the call of the Heavenly Father. Do you not see, then, what is
secured by this wondrous gift of sonship?"
There is no
avoiding the great fact so explicitly set forth in Scripture, that the test of sonship is
obedience. Obedience is the logical and natural outcome of our sonship to God. "If ye
know that He is righteous," says St. John, "ye know that every one that doeth
righteousness is begotten of God." Here then is the family likeness or the ancestral
trait that proves us children of God. If this should be wanting, no matter what name we
bear, our genealogy is spurious and our faith is vain. "Did you never observe,"
writes another to a friend, "how remarkably old age brings out family resemblance? I
now see my father's lineaments in the looking glass where they never used to appear."
Brethren of the Lord Jesus and sons of God may well inquire if their Father's image
appears more and more visible every year as they look into the mirror of the Word. Unless
we are deepening the lines of kindredship by holy and prolonged obedience it cannot be so.
There is no doubt truth in the statement that "There are children that stamp out
their father's features by their fleshly indulgences and worldly conformity, and thus
despoil themselves of even the faint traces of likeness to him which were found in them as
new-born babes. Here is the solemn, practical test of your real ancestry: 'He that doeth
righteousness is righteous.' If this mark of kinship be wanting, alas for us! we are but
stillborn children, brought forth in death, remaining in death, and never knowing the
voice of the living spirit crying within us, Abba, Father!"
According to the Pattern of that Holy One
Again the
Apostle touches the keynote of our transformation to God's likeness when he says,
"not fashioning yourselves." From one standpoint it may be properly said that
the true disciple gives himself over to be fashioned by God, instead of trying to mould
himself. He recognizes that he is not even to select the pattern of his life while asking
the Lord to fit him to it; but to the contrary, he leaves both the pattern and the
fashioning with God alone. All this is beautifully expressed in this connection: "not
fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in your ignorance," that is,
shaping your conduct by your selfish ambitions and desires, your pride and stubborn will;
"but," as rendered by some "according to the pattern of that holy One who
hath called you, be ye holy in all manner of conversation." It is then manifest that
it is the exchange of self-guidance for the guidance of the Lord; of the human outline or
model for the Divine. The saying is a true one, "Every man the architect of his own
fortune." But "every man's life a plan of God" is the teaching of the
Scriptures concerning the Christian. The words of the Apostle Paul are an example of this,
"For whom He did foreknow He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of
His Son." Therefore every impression of the Spirit on the heart, every stroke of the
Divine hand in discipline, every loss and every gain, every trial and every blessing, has
this definite aim, to produce the image of Christ in your life, even as the sculptor's
chisel brings out the perfect statue from the marble.
We would
not, however, ignore the fact of the individual responsibility and share in matter of
being transformed to God's image. The Apostle says, "Be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind" -- not by the renewing of the new will. Those who in the
beginning surrendered themselves to God, became then the possessors of the new will. But
we recognize that the body is regulated by the mind. Therefore the new will says, I must
begin with the mind, I must get my mind to see things correctly according to God's will. I
will use the Bible and all the providential indications that will give me a knowledge , of
God's mind, and I will begin to conform my mind thereto. Thus our minds become gradually
fashioned, transformed, into the mind of the Lord. As we come to see increasingly what the
will of God is, our minds decide to do His will and our reason plays an important part.
Thus the education of the Christian in the school of Christ progresses until at the end of
life those who have thoroughly learned the lessons of this school will be those who have
been obedient children. Such will have been transformed by the renewing of their minds and
will have proved what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Many Fail Because not Fully Surrendered
Another has
asked the interesting question: "Why is it that there are comparatively so few
eminently Christlike men and women in the Church of God?" And then the questioner
goes on to explain in a very able manner that it is because so few are fully surrendered
and submitted to God and given over to the doing of His will: "It is not that there
are not high aims, and lofty standards, and earnest endeavors among them. No, there are thousands who are zealously affected who still seem to fail of
being molded to the image of God. The secret of failure lies, doubtless, in an unsubmitted
plan of life. We choose our own sphere of service, our own type of character, our own
order of development, and then ask God to work out our plans -- as though the Infinite One
could do anything with our little, contracted, disjointed models. Alas that so many of us
want, to make God the executor of our wills; that we insist on holding the reins of His
providence, so that while He draws the chariot we may guide its course. The Almighty is
only Infinite when He works according to His own determinate counsel. If we think to
hamper and harness Him with our petty preferences, we are simply proposing to reduce His
omnipotence to impotence. God can not do anything with an unsubmitted will; and if we
present ourselves as clay models for Him to execute in marble, instead of offering
ourselves as plastic clay for Him to pour into the mould of His eternal purpose, our ideal
will remain forever unexecuted. Why, what do we expect, that we are to use God, or let Him
use us? That we are to submit proposals to Him, or that we are to submit to His proposals?
Noble example was he whose words I have just quoted. He had his campaign all planned, his
maps and charts he bore upon his person; the ideal of a Pharisee of the Pharisees he was
hastening with impetuous footsteps to fulfil, when suddenly as he neared Damascus, he was
struck to the earth, and instantly we find him casting all his plans at Christ's feet, and
asking the question, 'Lord, what wilt Thou have me do?' Paul has been called, you know,
'the fusile Apostle,' which means that, like molten iron, he was poured into the matrix of
the Divine purpose, and instantly recast. It was literally so. He was fused with a single
lightning stroke of Divine, revelation, and in a moment transformed to the will of God.
"The
process will be slower with us probably, but it must be the same in fact. We must be
melted be fore we can be molded; we must be fused before we can be fashioned. The old
will and purposes and plans must go down, in the subduing fires of the Spirit, even as the
old form and fashion of the iron disappears in the liquid burning of the furnace, and then
we are ready to be renewed after the image of Him who created us; not fashioning
ourselves, but submitting ourselves to be fashioned. Oh that God would bring us to this
point even while we ; speak, for He only is able; that we might surrender our wills, our
ways, our plans, our purposes, our possessions, our very personality to the Lord, and then
be re-stamped into His perfect image. And this is only possible as we have 'the
sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience,' to use Peter's words. We not merely must
obey the Spirit, but we must have the Spirit, by which to obey. An obedient spirit in us
is not sufficient, unless we have the spirit of obedience from God. O Holy Spirit, thou
fire of heaven, melt us, subdue us, dissolve us, till we shall become utterly plastic to
the Master's touch!"
Dear
Brethren
I wish to
express my appreciation of the article in the September 1st "Herald," "The
Defense of Our Holy Faith." This article is timely and represents a feature of the
truth too generally neglected.
Quite often
we hear the question: "Is not the belief in God perhaps a dream of the childhood of
our race, like the belief in elves and boggarts which once was no less universal? and is
not modern Science fast destroying the one as it has already destroyed the other?"
Such questions are sometimes asked with flippant eagerness, but more often with anxious
dread. It is the last mentioned class that we should be interested in and point out to
them the helps obtainable to prove the Biblical account true. As proof that science has
gone but a short way we submit below extracts from an article of a year ago by M. E.
Tracy, a prominent Editorial writer:
"Science
has taught us how to build great cities, how to harness rivers, how to fly and how to
employ natural forces formerly believed beyond control.
"What
is more significant, perhaps, science has made us rather drunk with conceit.
"We
have glorified man's achievements until a great many of us believe there is nothing else
so big, so beautiful or so promising in life.
"Atheism
is supposed to bespeak open-mindedness, not to say a superiority of intelligence.
"As a
matter of common sense, it is just another way of declaring that man represents all the
wisdom there is in existence.
"As
another matter of common sense, it is about as positive and cocksure as any belief ever
evolved.
"It is
not to be denied that men are doing wonderful things to what they have done.
"The
things remaining to be done, however, are so much more wonderful that their progress seems
small.
"No man
has yet been able to rise nine miles above the surface of the earth, or descend 400 feet
below the surface of the sea.
"The
moon is by all odds our nearest heavenly body, yet no instrument has been devised by which
we can see the moon clearer than we can see ordinary objects five miles away with the
naked eye.
"The
fastest machine we have been able to create travels 300 miles an hour, but if man were to
devise a machine that traveled a million miles a minute he would not live long enough to
reach the nearest fixed star.
"When
you come to size it all up, man has accomplished little to warrant the assumption that he
knows a great deal about the universe.
"The
earth is an infinitesimal particle of the universe, yet man with all his accomplishments
does not know much about the earth.
"He has
not been able to bore a hole in the earth two miles deep.
"He has
not, indeed, been able to scale the highest hill on earth, though he has tried to do so
for several thousand years.
"As a
matter of fact, man does not know whether the land he walks on is a crust enclosing hot
soup or the disintegrated surface of a solid mass.
"Neither
does he know what causes earthquakes and volcanoes.
"When
it comes to anything that is more than ten miles down or 100 miles up, man is still
dealing with theories and speculations.
"By
watching the stars he has been able to gain a certain amount of knowledge of their
movements.
"By
studying the wind and ocean currents, he has been able to acquire some understanding of
the weather.
"He
cannot produce a fair day, however, or a thunder shower, much less regulate climate.
"Yet he
often rises to remark that he knows how the universe was made and what operates it,
throwing down temples, dethroning gods and blasting ancient faiths to prove the point.
"The
curious part of it is that man cannot free himself from worshiping something, cannot
abandon the conception of Deity without exalting his own kind.
"No
matter how rational he may become, he is still a bug of dreams and adoration."
Dr. Paul
Rader, Chicago Evangelist, has pointed out that: "After Lord Rosse invented the great
telescope that could read newspaper print 30 miles away, the great empty spaces of the
north heavens were found to contain but a single star, where before it was believed there
were many stars. The invention was widely heralded. Yet Job 26:7 says: 'God stretched out
the north over the empty places and hangeth the earth upon nothing."'
An
examination of the foundations of our faith cannot fail to prove them true and increase
the sustaining comfort we derive from God's Word.
Christian
love and best wishes;
Yours in His service,
G. E. L. -- Colo.
Dear
Brethren in the Lord:
Just a word
of thanksgiving to our dear Father and our glorified Redeemer, for the spiritual fragrance
brought unto me in the pages of the Herald of August 1st. While reading the article,
"The Life of Oneness with God," I felt as it were, transferred to the hall where
Jesus was at supper for the last time with His disciples. O, the sweetness of communion
born out of the assimilation of the message of love contained in that Epistle! Here was to
be realized, in its tenderest conception; the fullness of our privilege to be permitted,
nay, to be invited to "walk with God," to commune with immortal youth, to
cherish imperishable, creative, omnipotent Deity.
Surely those
who offered such spiritual food to the little flock, must have been in tune with the voice
of the beloved Shepherd, and if I am counted worthy to be one of the sheep, then I do
thank the Master for the sacred fellowship of the brethren whom He used to send me the
message of cheer. O, that we might become more steadfast in our efforts at leading a
Christlike life, in our attempts at winning the approving smile of Him who conquered for
our sake, in our endeavor at forcing open every avenue of our hearts to the sanctifying
love of the God of David.
Please pray
for me, dear brethren, as I do pray for you. In your hours of trial, remember that as many
as are in Christ this side the veil, so many long to share your burdens, your hardships,
counting it all as joy and a foretaste of our glorious association in .the enrapturing
company of the Maker of the new paradise!
By His
grace,
Your grateful brother, I. L. -- Me.
Dear Brother
in Christ:
Enclosed
find Money Order for $_____ for which kindly enter the following subscriptions. Also
kindly mail a list of your books and pamphlets.
I want to
thank you for your kind letters, they have been very encouraging and helpful.' . . . Seven
of us have left so far, and I think many more will come out as soon as things quiet down a
bit. We are rejoicing in the privilege of freedom, and in the restoration of our Lord and
Savior as our Captain instead of man; and also in the privilege of enjoying the beautiful
truths our Heavenly Father once gave us through Pastor Russell. Again we have tuned our
heaven-given harps; and again the beautiful Song of Moses and the Lamb is welling forth
from seven thankful hearts that are overflowing with joy and praises to our Father for His
wonderful deliverance from the snare of the fowler.
When I
compare our experiences with those of the early Church, I can truly see how God has
permitted it all for a test to His people. Gideon's Band has been a helpful lesson to me,
specially the water test: the people were led to the brook or channel and went down on
their knees to drink; the few that took up the water in their hands and lapped it, were
safe, because the light background of the hand revealed every speck of dirt in the water;
but how few do thus drink! Many go down on their knees and drink, with their hearts
content, thinking themselves safe because it comes from the channel! The Gideon of our
army is watching the test and alas, how few pass the test!
We are now
being revived spiritually and feel the sweet cleansing influence of the Holy Spirit that
we have so long missed, and how much I have prayed and waited for its return only God
knows! but in His mercy He has heard our prayers and we are appreciating His love more
than ever. When I think of the ten years I lost serving man, when I could have been
serving God, it makes me weep. Again I praise His name for having kept you faithful and
providing this heavenly food for His starving children through the pages of the
"Herald." Everyone of those who read them agree that they are the best they ever
read.
I do not
mean to take too much of your time, I know you are busy serving the Lord, so I will close,
praying the Lord will continue to guide you and use you for the comfort and happiness of
His children, and with much Christian love and good wishes from us both,
G. O. -- Mass.
Surely the
Convention held at Atlantic City, N. J., September 15 and 16, did not fall behind the
previous Conventions of the year in the sweetness of Christian fellowship, spiritual
fervency and in the spirit of love and brotherly kindness. This season of communion in the
Lord was very precious. It was evident that it was the desire for closer fellowship with
the Lord and to partake more largely of His spiritual grace that had brought the friends
together. And those who come with this purpose upon their hearts are always a means of
spiritual uplift to others. Those matters. that lie near to the hearts of God's trusting
children, attaining the fullness of Divine favor and joint-heirship with Christ in the
Kingdom, were given earnest consideration. Indeed the earnest contemplation of the Divine
instruction as to the present duties, obligations, and ministry of the Church, is what
logically engages the hearts and thoughts of consecrated brethren in Christ when they
gather in such conferences. Those features of the Christian faith -- such as our heavenly
calling, the trials and testings of the Church; her present development into the
character-likeness of the Lord, and her final gathering together unto Him, were elaborated
upon to the strengthening and general encouragement. of those present. About fifty of the
friends thus assembled at Atlantic City from various surrounding places, rejoiced in their
privilege of speaking often one to, another, in the hope that they might be numbered among
those who shall be really and truly the Lord's in this time when He is making up His
jewels.
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