<BrethrenVoice> <GLEANINGS-FOR-THE-DAY> <23 August 2002> Contents: --------- (1) <Ehortational> "Emotional IQ" - Ravi Zacharias (2) <Ehortational> "Psalm 28" - Connie Giordano (3) <Doctrinal> "The mistaken term 'The Brethren'" - W.E.Vine (4) <Prophetical> "The Redeemer's Return" (Pt-11)- A.W.Pink (1) <Exhortatory><Slice-of-Infinity> EMOTIONAL IQ Ravi Zacharias In Daniel Goleman's excellent book Emotional Intelligence he writes about the last moments of Gary and Mary Jean Chauncey battling the swirling waters of the river into which the Amtrak train they were on had plummeted. With every bit of energy they had, both fought desperately to save the life of their young daughter Andrea, who had cerebral palsy and was bound to a wheelchair. Somehow they managed to push her out into the arms of rescuers, but sadly, they themselves drowned. Some would like to explain such heroism as evolution's imprint. That we humans behave this way by virtue of evolutionary design for the survival of our progeny. One is hard-pressed not to ask, "Why did the healthier preserve the weaker and not themselves?" But even the author was unable to explain it all in mere Darwinistic terms. He added that "only love" could explain such an act. In another story, you may recall the chess victory of the computer Deep Blue over the world champion Gary Kasparov, which caused many to compare the similarities of machines and humans. Yale professor David Gelertner disagrees. He writes: The idea that Deep Blue has a mind is absurd. How can an object that wants nothing, fears nothing, enjoys nothing, needs nothing, and cares about nothing have a mind? It can win at chess, but not because it wants to. It isn't happy when it wins or sad when it loses. What are its [post]-match plans if it beats Kasparov? Is it hoping to take Deep Pink out for a night on the town? (Footnote 1: David Gelertner, "How Hard Is Chess?" Time, 19 May 1997.) He continues: "The gap between the human and the surrogate is permanent and will never be closed. Machines will continue to make life easier, healthier, richer, and more puzzling. And humans will continue to care, ultimately, about the same things they always have: about themselves, about one another, and many of them, about God." What a unique capacity God has put within us-the capacity to feel. From the selfless sacrifice of loving parents to our own personal thought lives, we recognize that this ability is one aspect of the insurmountable differences between us and machines. In the words of the biblical writer, it is we-and not our PC's I might add-who have been made "a little lower than the angels." Life, feeling, and thought are His gifts to us. When we think His thoughts after Him, we feel and act in highest measure. --- Copyright (p)(c) 2000 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. _______________________________________________________________________ (2) <EXHORTATIONAL> PSALM 28 Connie Giordano "Unto Thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto Thee, when I lift up my hands toward Thy holy oracle. Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts. Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert. Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them, and not build them up. Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed. Save thy people, and bless Thine inheritance; feed them also, and lift them up for ever." Psalm 28 gives us much insight on Prayer, the Lord Jesus, and the Wicked. David cried out in verse 1 - "Unto Thee will I cry, O LORD my rock..." That word "rock" refers to God as our fountain or the originator of all the good that we possess. Isn't that the Truth? James 1:17 says- "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Psalm 85:12 says - "Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good..." When we address God in prayer, we understand that He is the giver of all Good; therefore, we expect Good from Him - Jeremiah 29:11 tells us - "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Contrary to what the skeptics want us to believe, our God hears and answers prayers. When we pray to Him, we can expect an answer from Him. Verse 2 of Psalm 28 says - "Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto Thee..." Verse 6 says - "Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications." And verse 7 says - "...my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped..." It is a sure thing that every time that the righteous pray, God hears and answers. As long as we trust in Him, we will be helped - no matter what we are asking of Him. We can expect Him to speak to us. We can expect Him to utter words of kindness and assure us of His favour. Otherwise, we would be like those who go down into the pit - like those who despair of life, whose troubles overwhelm and crush them because they cannot bear under them. As David said in Psalm 28:1 - "...lest, if Thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit." We can be assured of the fact that God will always give us occasion to rejoice at our answered prayer - Psalm 28:7 - "...therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song will I praise Him." We can trust Him, and then watch Him work the Impossible on our behalf! He'll do it each time that we pray. We can count on it! Psalm 28:2 tells us - He will hear us from His "holy oracle." The "holy oracle" was the oracle of His holiness. It referred to the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle or the temple - the holy of holies - the "secret place of the Most High" - the place where God gave responses to the prayers of His people - Exodus 25:22 - "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony..." In this particular Psalm, David gives us some insight on the Lord Our God. Verse 7 says - "The LORD is my strength and my shield..." Verse 8 says - "The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed." In Psalm 18, David referred to God as His strength amidst other descriptive titles which proved that He was a strength unto His people - Psalm 18:2 - "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God...in Whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." In Psalm 27:1 he said of the LORD - "...The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Then again, we read of the same concept of the Lord being the "saving strength" of His anointed in Psalm 20:6 - "Now know I that the LORD saveth His anointed; He will hear him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand." Since David was a man of war, he knew from experience what it was like to have God as his shield about him. Psalm 3:3 says - "But Thou, O LORD, art a shield for me..." In Psalm 33:20 he referred to God as "our help and our shield" - "Our soul waiteth for the LORD: He is our help and our shield." In speaking of bringing total defeat to his enemies, David petitioned the Lord, his shield, in Psalm 59:11 to "...scatter them by Thy power; and bring them down, O LORD our shield." In Psalm 89:18, Ethan the Ezrahite referred to the Lord as "our defence." The same word means that He is our shield against false accusations or harm. Lastly, we find a perfect example of God as a shield to His people in His words to Abraham in Genesis 15:1 - "...Fear not, Abram: I am Thy shield, and Thy exceeding great reward." Besides insight on Prayer and the Lord Jesus, David also gives us insight on the wicked. Psalm 28:3 - David refers to those outside of Christ as "the wicked" or "the workers of iniquity." These are the people who do evil. He describes them as those "...which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts." They speak words of friendliness. They appear as friends and profess to be so. They use flattering words, yet all along they are secretly plotting our ruin. Do you know of any wicked people like this? They use plausible pretences to entice us to fall into sin, disgrace our testimony, and bring shame and reproach upon the cause of Christ. Verse 5 says - "...they regard not the works of the LORD..." In other words, they have no knowledge of the true God. They do not acknowledge what He does in Creation, in His providences, through His commands and laws, and by His Spirit. They take no pleasure in His works. They do not submit to His orders and commands. They do not recognize His providential workings in their lives, and they certainly do not yield to the Spirit's strivings. For their rebellion, God will reward them accordingly - Psalm 28:4 - "Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert." God will deal righteously with them by justly recompensing them for their evil designs, works, and plans. Psalm 28:5 - He will "...destroy them, and not build them up." He will pull them down and not build them up. He will not favour them nor give them prosperity. Instead of health, happiness, and salvation, they will meet with calamity and ruin. In light of all that David touched on in this particular Psalm, he prayed 5 of the most powerful prayers. It would behoove us to pray the same - Psalm 28:3 - "Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity..." Psalm 28:9 - "Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever." David did not want to be associated with a wicked person. In Psalm 26:4-5 we see his determination to stay apart from those in rebellion toward God - "I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked." He was aware of the strong pull of the world to conform him to its image and to indulge in its amusements. He was aware of Satan's snare to use ungodly friends to trap or ensnare him in his walk with the Lord. He prayed a similar prayer in Psalm 26:9-10 - "Gather not my soul with sinners...In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes." Once again we see David's determination to live for God no matter what - Psalm 26:11 - "But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity..." David prayed - "Save Thy people..." He asked that God would preserve all of His people from all of their enemies, idolatry, and sin. "...Bless Thine inheritance..." The people of God have always been God's special possession and property. David asked for God's richest blessings upon His heritage - His people. "...Feed them also...." This word "Feed" means to rule. It refers to the care that a shepherd extends over his flock. He would feed them as a shepherd and rule them as a father. "...Lift them up for ever." David asked for the Lord to lift His people out of their troubles and distresses in all circumstances and at all times. The picture derived from this choice of words is that of a shepherd carrying the feeble, young, and sickly of his flock, lifting them up when they are unable to rise. Here we have one of David's Psalms consisting of nine verses. Nonetheless, within these nine verses are some of the most powerful truths that can transform our lives. Why don't we right now yield to the Holy Spirit in prayer and allow Him to change us into the image of Jesus from glory to glory and to bring us into wonderful liberty through His Word for surely as 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says - "Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is liberty." May God Bless His Word. Connie --- Copyright 2002 by Connie Giordano ______________________________________________________________________ (3) <Doctrinal> THE MISTAKEN TERM "THE BRETHREN" (PART 1 OF 2) W.E.Vine The appellation "The Brethren," as applied to companies of believers who seek to be guided by the Scriptures alone in the principles of their gatherings, is an utter misnomer. It is, or should be, repudiated by those who are so called. No doubt the term "Plymouth Brethren" had an innocent enough beginning, and arose from the fact that in their evangelistic labors and the testimony they gave they were spoken of as "brethren from Plymouth." The mistake arose in generalizing the circumstances of a particular locality and in applying to other believers besides those at Plymouth a term which was meaningless and applied without the consent or agreement of the believers there themselves. The appellation is false in more respects than one. It is contrary to the teaching of Scripture, which, in the spiritual sense of the word, includes all believers and gives no justification for any such denominational terminology. Further, it suggests, what is quite unfounded, that the assemblies of those to whom the term is applied are amalgamated into a denominational union, an ecclesiastical system, whereas the New Testament teaches, as a foundation principle relating to assemblies, that each one stands on its own separate basis in dependence on the Lord alone and in subjection to the guidance and ministry, not of some union or organization, but of the Holy Spirit, who indwells each company as His local temple. That principle is maintained by the various assemblies of those who are simply seeking to adhere to the Scriptures of truth as the all-sufficient guide concerning the will of God, and as "the faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3, R.V.) -- "once for all," that is to say, as the final revelation of the mind of God for His people. The very adherence of such assemblies to the teaching of the New Testament causes them (or should do so) to repudiate the imputation that they constitute a sect misnamed "The Brethren." It is significant that no such denominational notice board is ever used outside the buildings where such assemblies meet. An Unfounded Supposition ------------------------- The term is also contrary to fact in that it presupposes that, at some time or other, those who, in different places, and apart from any mutual association, gained an understanding of what the New Testament teaches, and saw the importance of obeying it instead of following the traditions of religious systems, accepted the term "the Brethren." In any case it came to be applied as a nickname. The fallacy of such an appellation has been to a large extent successfully exposed, though perhaps inadequately. The fact is that, by a very marked movement of the Spirit of God, Christians in several places, without knowing what was similarly and simultaneously taking place elsewhere, came to see the absolute necessity of becoming obedient to what the Scriptures teach, in contrast to the denominational systems, which were simply an aftermath of the breakaway, in medieval times, from popery, and which stopped short of discerning and following the whole counsel of God as revealed in His Word. To abandon forms of error is one thing; to accept the truth in its fullness is another. Freedom from Human Dictates ---------------------------- Moreover, the work of the Spirit of God in opening the eyes of believers in different localities and at different times has gone on for over a century, without being directed by the dictates or teachings of some central authority. It is a significant fact that not only in Britain, but in America, Australia, New Zealand and countries on the Continent, as well as elsewhere, owing to the teaching of the Scriptures, whether by direct and independent reading of them, or by individual teachers apart from any society, assemblies such as those who are miscalled "brethren" have been formed without becoming associated with similar gatherings in other places, as in the earliest times, as recorded in the New Testament. Dishonour to the Holy Spirit ---------------------------- They cannot help what others call them, but that any in such companies should tacitly accept this unscriptural title is greatly to be deprecated. Its use is dishonouring to the Spirit of God and a falsification of the actual position of any Scripturally formed assembly. The flippant or jocular way in which the appellation, or some modification of it such as "the P.B.'s" or "the Plyms," is sometimes used, is also to be deprecated. The work of the Holy Spirit in enabling believers to gather according to the Scriptures, to be formed into local assemblies by His power and with the recognition of His rights and prerogatives to provide spiritual gifts for the care of each company, and to control and guide their worship, is all too sacred to permit of the use of such terms. There are those who do so who have never discovered the truth from the Word of God, and are ignorant of what the Scriptures teach as to assembly principles and of the way in which they are being maintained. Such epithets are part of the misunderstanding or taunts which those who are faithful to Christ have to endure, but let them never be accepted or used by any members of such assemblies themselves. That some local companies of believers are in such a low spiritual state that their character and conduct give the lie to their profession is undeniable, but this affords no justification for the use of the term "the Brethren," as if they were a degenerate sect, and as if what might be sadly true of any local and individual company was to be regarded as a general characteristic of all such assemblies. The fact which has been mentioned, that each assembly stands on its own separate and independent basis, makes the denominational appellation a complete misrepresentation. What is characteristic of one gathering can never be necessarily characteristic of all such. [To be concluded] _______________________________________________________________________ (4) <Prophetical> "THE REDEEMER'S RETURN" (PART-11) Arthur W. Pink .... THE HOPE OF THE REDEEMER'S RETURN In 1 Cor. 13:13 we learn there are three cardinal Christian graces namely, faith, hope, and love. Concerning the first and third of these, believers, generally, are well informed, but regarding the second, many of the Lord's people have the vaguest conceptions. When Christians are questioned upon the subject of Faith they are, for the most part, able to answer promptly and intelligently; but interrogate the average church-member about the believer's Hope, and his replies are indistinct and uncertain. Let Christian Love come up for discussion and we all feel that we are upon solid ground, but when asked to pursue the theme of Christian Hope many step cautiously and hesitatingly. That there is the greatest confusion of thought and belief among Christians concerning their Hope may readily be proven by questioning a number regarding the nature of their hope. Ask the average church-goer what his hope is, and he will say, Salvation--he hopes to be saved when he comes to die. Ask another and he will tell you that Death is his hope, for it is then that he will be released from all the sufferings of the flesh. Ask a third and he would say that Heaven was his hope. Perhaps this last reply would better express the common and popular belief than either of the others. But to say that our hope is future happiness, is to say no more than any heathen would say. There are several Scriptures which distinguish between Heaven and the believer's Hope. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:3-4). Here the "living hope" unto which we have been begotten is separated in thought from the "inheritance" which is "reserved in heaven" for us. Though closely connected, Heaven and the believer's Hope are certainly not synonymous as is clear from Col. 1:5 where they are again distinguished--"For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel." Heaven is not here said to be the believer's hope, for the hope is "laid up" for him "in heaven." What then is our Hope? It is strange that there should be such ignorance and confusion upon this subject for Hope is made almost as prominent in the New Testament as is either Faith or Love. The Church epistles have much to say upon the subject. In the epistle to the Romans when setting forth the consequences or results of justification, the apostle wrote, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (5:1). And again in 8:24, 25--"For in hope were we saved: but hope that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that which he seeth? But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (R. V.). To the Corinthians Paul wrote, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (1 Cor. 15:19). To the Galatians he wrote, "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith" (5:5). For the Ephesians he prayed that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened, and that they might know "what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18), and in setting forth the sevenfold Unity of the Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all" (4:4-6), and there can no more be two different hopes than there can be two Lords, or two faiths. To the Thessalonian saints the apostle Paul wrote, "Sorrow not, even as others which have no hope"(1 Thess. 4:13), and again, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace"(2 Thess. 2:16). Unto Titus he wrote, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13). And unto the Hebrews he said, "And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end. ** That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil" (6:11, 18, 19). The apostle Peter found cause for rejoicing in that God had "according to His abundant mercy, begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3); and again, he exhorted his readers to "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15). The apostle John wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear we shall be like him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (1 John 3:2, 3). Thus we see that the New Testament abounds in passages which speak of the believer's hope." In all ages God's people have had a hope set before them, and that hope has always centered in Christ. In Eden God gave to Adam the promise that the woman's Seed should come and bruise the Serpent's head and the anticipation of the fulfilment of this promise constituted the hope of the saints in those far-off days. Said Jacob, "I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord" (Gen. 49:18). The Hope that God set before Abram was that his "Seed" should be a blessing unto all nations, which hope, as we learn from Gal. 3:16, had particular reference to Christ. The Hope which God set before Moses was expressed as follows, "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him" (Deut. 18:18). For the fulfilment of this prophecy see John 12:49; 14:10, etc. The Hope which God set before David was stated as follows, "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy Seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish His Kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His Kingdom for ever" (2 Sam. 7:12, 13). And later, through His prophets, God again and again set before Israel the Hope of the appearing of their Messiah. This leads us to inquire now into-- [to be concluded] ____________________________<BrethrenVoice>____________________________ [which seeks to be guided solely by the New Testament Biblical pattern, facilitates free flow of Christian information. To God be the glory!] Contact Moderator/Gleaner, eMail: <brethrenvoice-owner@...> Subscribe, eMail:<brethrenvoice-subscribe@...> Unsubscribe, eMail:<brethrenvoice-unsubscribe@...> FAQs & Statement of Faith, eMail:<brethrenvoice-faq@...> "BrethrenVoice" Home: http://associate.com/digests/brethrenvoice/ eFellowship Home: http://groups.msn.com/BrethrenChristiansForum/ ["Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith." 2 Cor 13:5] ["You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Jn 8:32]