The unseen Friend!

(George Everard, "Christian Living!" 1881)

"The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good!" Proverbs 15:3

"And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age!" Matthew 28:20 

Try constantly to realize the nearness and the presence of your Lord. There is always someone in the room with you. The unseen Friend, the Lord Jesus, who has loved you with an everlasting love, who gave Himself to die for your sake — He is most truly, though invisibly, present. He is near you in loving-kindness, ready to help you and comfort you at all times. He sees and hears all — therefore cherish continually the sense of His presence. Believe that He is by your very side.

A man who sincerely believes the omnipresence of God, cannot be indifferent to sin. To realize that the moral Governor of the universe is ever near, in all His holiness and power, and as much present as if He were nowhere else, must awaken solicitude.
To the soul, reconciled to God, the doctrine is full of consolation. In every place, in every condition, to have with us an almighty Friend, is a source of unspeakable comfort and joy. We need not fear, though we pass through fire or flood, if God is with us. Even in the valley of the shadow of death, we may fear no evil. In every circumstance and trial, it conduces to holiness, to know that God is present.

"Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
 I have called you by name; you are Mine!
 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
 When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up. 
 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior!" Isaiah 43:1-3

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Their resources are very limited — His are infinite!

(Arthur Pink)

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children — then how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?" Matthew 7:11

There is a double contrast here.
First, between an earthly parent and God.
Second, between their respective moral characters.

If an earthly parent does not allow his little ones to starve, but instead freely ministers to their needs — then certainly God will respond to the cries of His own children.
They were but the begetters of our bodies — He is the maker of our souls.
Their resources are very limited — His are infinite!

What abundant evidence God has given the Christian that He is his loving heavenly Father!
The sending of His Son,
the gift of His Spirit,
the bestowal of eternal life,
His erection of the throne of grace,
the innumerable promises He has made —
all exclude the idea that He will turn a deaf ear unto their requests.

But more, our parents were "evil" — whereas God is essentially good. The principal emphasis lies there. If  those who by nature are corrupt and filled with selfishness could find in their hearts to bestow needful things on their offspring — then how safely may He who has nothing in Him to check His benignity and bounty be relied upon. He is an ocean of all blessedness, which is ever seeking an outlet to communicate itself to those whom He has loved, chosen, and made His sons and daughters!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

A marvelous invention!

(George Everard, "Daily Prayer!" 1866)

"And it shall be that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24

A marvelous invention is at work, by which, with great rapidity, messages can be conveyed from city to city, and from country to country. Even beneath the waves of the wide ocean, the cable is laid down by which one continent is linked to another, and by which words, in a few minutes, can be spoken to a friend on a distant shore.

Just so, true prayer links together earth and Heaven, and is more speedy than any telegraph (or phone — or computer! Editor). One moment it arises from a believer's heart — the very same moment it reaches the ears of the Lord Almighty!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

The covenant of grace!

(Charles Spurgeon, "The Blood of the Everlasting Covenant!" 1859)

"The blood of the everlasting covenant!" Hebrews 13:20

Long before the day-star knew its place,
long before God had spoken existence out of nothing,
long before angel's wing had stirred the unnavigated ether,
long before a solitary song had disturbed the solemnity of the silence in which God reigned supreme
 — the Father had entered into solemn counsel with Himself, with His Son, and with His Spirit — and had in that council decreed, determined, purposed, and predestined the salvation of His people!

On the Father's part — thus ran the covenant. I cannot tell it to you in the glorious celestial tongue in which it was written. I am glad to bring it down to the speech which suits to the ear of flesh, and to the heart of a mortal. Thus, I say, ran the covenant in lines like these:

"I, the Most High Jehovah, do hereby give unto My only begotten and well-beloved Son — a people, countless beyond the number of the stars . . .
  who shall be washed from sin by Him;
  who shall be preserved, and kept, and led by Him; and
  at last, who shall be presented before My throne without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing by Him.
I covenant by oath, and swear by Myself, because I can swear by no one greater, that these whom I now give to Christ — shall forever be the objects of My eternal love! 
These, I will forgive through the merit of my Son's blood.
To these, I will give a perfect righteousness.
These, I will I adopt and make My sons and daughters.
And these shall reign with Me through Christ eternally!"

The Holy Spirit also, as one of the contracting parties of the covenant, gave His declaration, "I hereby covenant, that all whom the Father gives to the Son —
I will in due time quicken.
I will show them their need of redemption.
I will cut off all their groundless hopes, and destroy their refuges of lies.
I will bring them to the blood of sprinkling.
I will give them faith whereby this blood shall be applied to them.
I will work in them every grace.
I will keep their faith alive.
I will cleanse them and drive out depravity from them.
And they shall be presented at last, spotless and faultless in Heaven!"
This was the one side of the covenant, which is at this very day being fulfilled and scrupulously kept.

The Lord Jesus also, as one of the contracting parties of the covenant, gave His declaration, "My Father, on My part, I covenant that in the fullness of time, I will become man. I will live in their wretched world — and for My people, I keep the law perfectly. I will work out a spotless righteousness for them, which shall be acceptable to the demands of Your just and holy law. In due time, I will bear the sins of all My people. You shall exact all their debts upon Me. By My stripes — they shall be healed. My Father, I covenant and promise that I will be obedient unto death, even the death of thecross. I will magnify Your law, and make it honorable. I will suffer all that My people ought to have suffered. I will endure the curse of Your law — and all the vials of Your wrath shall be emptied and spent upon My head! I will then rise again, and ascend into Heaven. I will intercede for them at Your right hand. I will make Myself responsible for every one of them — that not one of those whom You have given me, shall ever be lost! I will bring all My sheep of whom, by My blood, you have constituted Me the Shepherd — I will bring every one safe to You at last!"

Christ can say of what He promised to do, "It is finished!" He has paid the debts of all the elect. He has, for His people and for their redemption — suffered the whole of wrath divine. Nothing remains now, except that He shall continue to intercede for them — that He may safely bring all His redeemed to glory. All for whom Christ died, shall be pardoned — all justified — all adopted.

The Spirit shall quicken them all, shall give them all faith, shall bring them all to Heaven. And they shall, every one of them, without hindrance, stand accepted in the Beloved.

The antiquity of the covenant of grace demands our grateful attention. It is a truth which tends to elevate the mind. I know of no doctrine more grand than this! It is the very soul and essence of all Scripture! In sitting down and meditating upon it — I confess my spirit has sometimes been ravished with delight!

Can you conceive of the idea, that before all things — God thought of you? That when as yet He had not made His mountains — He had thought of you; you, a poor puny worm?  Oh this cannot make us proud — but it must make us feel happy!

RULING, TOILING, WATCHING

RULING, TOILING, WATCHING

Raymond Golsworthy

"For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch" (Mark 13:34).

ONE of the marvels of Christ's ministry was His ability to present the deepest truths in the simplest and briefest terms. For those who have eyes to see it, there is, in the single sentence quoted above, a concentration of deep Church truth, and a survey of the whole present dispensation. It merits our closest attention.

In this verse the Lord tells of a wealthy householder who, obliged to undertake some foreign travel, preceded his departure by gathering together his employees and explaining what would need to be done during his absence. Some, it seems, were given 'power of attorney', qualifying them to negotiate various business transactions during the unspecified period of the master's absence. Others were briefed concerning practical tasks that would need to be undertaken either in the fields or in the homestead itself. Uppermost in the householder's mind seems to have been his concern that those left behind should remain constantly alert, on the look-out for his return. We notice that the whole chapter (Mark 13) deals with our Lord's Second Coming, and all that is said revolves around the key statement: "Then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with power and with great glory" (v.26). Our brief story is calculated to bear down upon that truth, and is designed to show us in composite form, what it is that the Lord expects from His people, the Church, during the present period of His absence from us. According to the story, His outstanding concerns are three:

1. He wants us to exercise authority during His absence

This, we notice, is the first matter mentioned: "He gave authority to His servants". Without a doubt one of the greatest revelations of the New Testament is that the Church is a company of people "called out", and called out for administration. It is helpful to notice that the Greek word, 'Ecclesia' (usually translated 'church') is applied to a group of citizens specially chosen to exercise authority in civic affairs (Acts 19:39). In like manner we may say that the Lord's Church consists of a people 'called out' to exercise authority in the spiritual world. In connection with His Church our Lord said: "And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:18-19). It is striking that the same words are repeated exactly where the reference is to the local expression of the church (Matthew 18:18). These are the only two occasions on which the Lord is quoted as actually using the word 'church', and in both cases he makes it plain that it consists of a people called out for administration and authority. This, then, is an authority which has clearly been delegated to us by our Absent Master, and it may be used to the extent to which we ourselves are subject to His will. With it we may bind God's enemies, and even resist the devil himself, so that he will flee from us (James 4:7). And by this authority we may 'loose' situations and set captives free. This, evidently, is a primary function of the Church during the period of our Master's absence. How sad it is that so few Christians know anything of a spiritual authority! So much is possible through believing prayer because of the authority of the name in which we pray. We need to allow the Word of God to enlighten us as to the Church's calling to apply the power of that name to actual situations and we also need the Lord's help to be faithful in this matter.

2. He has much work for us to do during His absence

We are told that this householder "gave to every man his work". This also is significant and basic. None of us would question that there is very much work that needs to be done before the Lord returns. Just prior to His going, our Lord said: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). The fact is that we who are the Lord's people have been put in trust with the gospel (1 Thessalonians 2:4). Today as much as ever there is a great deal of sowing of the seed which needs to be done in a worldwide context, to say nothing of the harvest waiting to be reaped from seed already sown. Now is the time for such evangelistic witness. But Peter's commission reminds us that now is [94/95] also the time in which we have the commands: "Feed My sheep" and "Feed My lambs (John 21:15-17). This refers to other activities and callings which are an related to the same household and to be done in the light of Christ's near return. It is strenuous work, as all vital service must surely be, but it is the very work for which our absent Lord ,has provided full sufficiency.

If the Lord gives His Church work to do then He can be trusted always to provide the resources for it. We shall not get very far if we take the matter up in our natural strength or fleshly energy, but we do not need to do this, for the Spirit's power is freely available for those who give themselves to toil for the Lord in the light of His coming. It was after his thrilling words about the coming glory that Paul told the Corinthians to be: "steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58), and in that same chapter he had revealed the secret of his own successful work for Christ through the years: "yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10).

It is strikingly true that when expectation of the Return of Christ is forgotten or obscured, the work of the Lord languishes. According to our text the Lord has given to every man his work during the period of His absence, and we understand that when He does come back He will take a lively interest in noting to what degree His commands have been obeyed. We have work out in the field, sowing the seed of the kingdom and reaping the harvest of His sacrificial death, and we all have allotted tasks inside the house (1 Timothy 3:15), ministering to one another and providing for that which is beautiful in His sight; and really this is all one work to be undertaken purely and simply for the Master's gain and pleasure. If we are taken up with our own interests, our own future, our own likes and dislikes, then we shall lose sight of the fact that the Lord is at the door, and so become slack about spiritual things when we should take pleasure in being busy in His service. The devil tries to tell us that our efforts and sacrifices are unappreciated, that nobody seems to notice whether we pull our weight in the Lord's house or not. He even suggests to us that the Lord does not show any special sign of delight in what we do, or disappointment when we do not do it. The great consideration which will deliver us from all his wily temptations is to remember Christ's words: "Behold, I come quickly". With those words ringing in our ears how much more will we attempt in His name, while we do it in glad anticipation of our Lord's return.

3. He has a special desire that we should be constantly watching for His return

Together with all the other commandments and orders, we are told that the householder gave special instructions about watching: "He commanded the porter to watch" (see also verses 33, 35 and 36). We are all to share in the authority, all to share in the labours and all to share in the watching. In this sense we are all 'porters'. Now this was not just because the Lord likes to know that His people are eager to see and welcome Him, though this is true, but His command was given because He knows very well that this glad anticipation of His coming provides the essential motivation for utmost diligence in His business, and for patient persistence in the sacrifices which His will entails. How true it is that behind the unspiritual behaviour of so many Christians lies a sort of idea that the Lord is delaying His coming! Take away this active watching for Christ and you lose the supreme incentive for holy living. The surest way to have the loins girded for service and the light burning in clear testimony is to be "like unto men that wait for their Lord" (Luke 12:35-36).

Would it not be true to state that in a general survey of all that has been said to the Church for this particular dispensation, the Lord's paramount concern is that His people should be: "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13)? The Scriptural instructions about the Lord's Table make it plain that not only are we to look thankfully back to our Saviour's crucifixion, but also to look on with eager expectation to His return in glory. All through the centuries, the promise of the Second Coming has been like a lamp in the night, and in the darkest hours it has brought -- and to this day brings -- untold comfort and encouragement to sorely-pressed saints. We believe that now the appointed time is near, for explicit signs are being fulfilled before our eyes. How much more, then, should we be found earnestly watching!

Paul tells us that the Lord is going to give: "a crown of righteousness" to all those who love His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). To love that appearing entails much more than just accepting or propagating the doctrine, and much more than [95/96] merely waiting for an event. It is one thing to be waiting at an airport for some public figure, consulting as to the time of arrival and seeking out a good vantage point for watching, but it is quite another thing to be waiting eagerly for the long-desired homecoming of a beloved relation or friend. It is because you love the Comer that you love the Coming.

The outstanding idea associated with the return of Christ is that He comes to claim his blood-bought bride. So when we have said everything about the Church's privilege to administer the will of God in His name and to work devotedly in His service and even to be watchers for His Coming, we have not reached this most sacred and glorious of all aspects of His return, namely that He comes as the heavenly Bridegroom. Amid all the interests and attractions, yes and cares, of this world; amid all the thrills and problems of Christian work; supreme and paramount above all else the Lord longs for His people to be so in love with Him personally that every part of their lives in governed by the fact that He will soon be here and by a holy resolve not to be "ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28).
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RECOVERY OF LIFE'S CUTTING EDGE

RECOVERY OF LIFE'S CUTTING EDGE

Roger T. Forster

Reading: 2 Kings 6:1-7

THE background to this story is that Elijah and Elisha in their spiritually unified ministry, reflecting Christ and His Church endowed by the Spirit, had seen something of revival begin amongst the apostate Northern Kingdom of Israel. One major feature of this was the rise of the sons of the prophets and their wives -- men and women who wished to embody the prophetic word of God and relate to Elijah and Elisha as children learning God's way of family living.

In 1 Kings 20, the days of Elijah, there seemed to be just a few of these sons of the prophets in evidence. In 2 Kings 2, when Elijah was translated, there appear to have been fifty or so near at hand. In 2 Kings 4:1 mention is made also of their wives, and 4:43 indicates that there were over one hundred present in the community's life. Now in this sixth chapter of 2 Kings, we are told that the place where they were living was too small for such a growing community. It was this growth that occasioned the event of the building of a larger campus, with the subsequent loss of the axe head into Jordan in the course of the building operation.

One wonders if some modern Elisha, if appealed to under such circumstances, might have urged the workers not to worry about the loss of the cutting edge but to press on with God's work. As if to suggest that they should keep chopping with the axe handle, persevering and perspiring in their efforts to keep things going at all costs. Before we ask what the lost axe head represents, what the cutting edge of growth and church building is all about, it is important to remember that spiritual revival and growth is connected with the Biblical principle of community life. This is a truth not only illustrated [79/80] by the sons of the prophets in the days of Israel's apostasy, but throughout the whole church age. We are all aware of the beginning of the New Testament church in Jerusalem, with its spontaneous, voluntary, communal living, so that "All that believed were together and had all things common. No man called what he possessed his own, and there was none who had need" (Acts 2:44-45 and 4:32-34).

The Irish Missionary movement was made up of small communal bands, both from Catholics and from theUnitas Fratrum, a pre-reformation Biblical movement. Anabaptists, Moravians and Methodist class meetings are all in the same stream of those who saw the need of some form of living and sharing together. Going back to the New Testament it seems from Romans 16 that the church in the great metropolis of Rome certainly had house group cells, five of which are mentioned in that chapter.

It is in the smaller congregations that body life can most adequately be experienced. Many churches are inspirational in their singing, free and fulfilling in their worship, profound in their teaching and active in their organised outreach, all essential elements in the Christian life. Too often, however, the factor that is missing is the life-changing business of becoming more like our Lord Jesus, that is, "being conformed to the image of his Son". Yet this is really the heart of God's purpose in the churches. Failure in Christ-like growth among believers is a serious hindrance to Church growth as a whole.

"(of whom the world was not worthy)" Hebrews 11:38

INSPIRED PARENTHESES (35)

"(of whom the world was not worthy)" Hebrews 11:38

HERE is a glorious parenthesis. It discloses how different are God's values from those which are current among men. Faith faces a sneering and scoffing world and puts it in its place by asserting that the non-believers and unbelievers who have so despised the suffering saints of God were not fit to have the privilege of living in the same world with them.

WE note that the special commendation is not reserved for those great heroes of faith whom we all venerate as we read this chapter, but is applied especially to anonymous harassed and despised fugitives who were true believers. Men never praised them while they were paying the cost of their faithfulness, nor have they recorded their names for posterity. Heaven, however, has taken full note of their tribulations for the sake of the Name and, in due course, will reward them openly before a wondering universe.

WHEN that day comes the unbelieving adversaries as well as their fellows in the faith will appreciate how true this divine parenthesis has proved -- the world with its conceit and self-complacency was not worthy to have such choice souls resident in it.

NATURALLY those here described would never have claimed that their world was not worthy of them, and nor would we make any such claims for ourselves. Yet, as onlookers, we can learn even in our day to appreciate the great value to God of suffering and enduring faith. If we ourselves are knowing anything of the offence of the cross, we need not fear the world and we will not envy it, but we can quietly take to ourselves the comfort of this divine valuation.

DO we feel apologetic about ourselves? Sometimes we do. Do we take on the world's tawdry values and accept its poor estimation of men and women of faith who have nothing to boast of here on earth? Sometimes we do. Do we perhaps even envy the "men of the world whose portion is in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy treasure" (Psalm 17:14)? Alas, there are times when we do.

THE more important, then, that we should not only refresh our faith by considering the examples of faith represented by this "cloud of witnesses" but listen to God's verdict upon them: "Of whom the world was not worthy". That surely is a commendation which we would all like to merit. Who will care what men think of him if he can have such a verdict from God?

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I have much more to say to you

(J. R. Miller, "The Building of Character" 1894)

"I have much more to say to you—more than you can now bear." John 16:12

All learning is slow. This is true in proportion to the importance of the lessons. We learn some things quickly—but they are not the things which are of greatest value. Mere head-lessons are gotten more easily than heart-lessons. We may memorize the beatitudes in a few minutes—but it takes many years to learn to live them! And in spiritual and moral lessons—living is the only learning which counts. Anyone can memorize a code of ethics by heart, without much effort. But to get the faultless code wrought into conduct, disposition, spirit, and character—is the work of a lifetime!

In life-teaching, the lessons are given only as fast as they are learned. Our Master will not teach us more rapidly than we can live His lessons. It was in the midst of His most confidential talk with His disciples, that He said He had much more to say to them—more than they could now bear.

Spiritual truths can be received—only as we come to the experiences for which they are adapted. There are many of the divine promises which we can never claim, and whose blessedness we cannot realize—until we come to the points in life, for which they were specially given.

For example: "He will conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity; He will hide me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high on a rock." This word can mean nothing to the child playing amid the flowers, or to the young man or woman walking in sunny paths—without a care or a trial. It can be understood only by one who is in the depths of trouble. In the days of gladness, when there is no trouble, no pain—there are many of God's Words which seem to have no meaning for us. We do not need them. They are for times of sorrow—and we have no sorrow. They are lamps for the darkness—and we are not walking in darkness. They are for days of pain and loss—and we have no pain, and are called to endure no loss.