<BrethrenVoice> <GLEANINGS-FOR-THE-DAY> <24 August 2002> Contents: --------- (1) <Devotional> "From first to last Adam" - M.J. Stanford (2) <Doctrinal> "The mistaken term 'The Brethren'" (2/2) - W.E.Vine (3) <Prophetical> "The Redeemer's Return" (Pt-12)- A.W.Pink (1) <DEVOTIONAL> FROM FIRST TO LAST ADAM Miles J. Stanford "For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace" (Hebrews 13:9). Thorough and intelligent establishment in the principle of grace concerning one's justification (re-birth) is the necessary footing for reliance upon the same principle for one's sanctification (growth). Unless the former is well settled, the latter will be badly unsettled. When the Lord Jesus has once died and risen, He is through with sin forever. He is now living in the eternal light of His Father's face. He is our Adam, our life. We died in Him. We were raised in Him. Through our death with Him at Calvary we have escaped forever from the old Adam life. Our feelings have nothing to do with it. It was all accomplished at the Cross. "We dare not deny God's Word. He says we died with Christ. We can cry triumphantly, when we know: 'I died unto sin with the Lord Jesus on the Cross, two thousand years ago! I reckon myself what the Father says I am in His Son-dead unto sin and alive unto God. Sin has no claim on me in the Lord Jesus, and cannot have dominion over me, as I yield myself to my Father in this wonderful new revelation of yielding myself to God, as one who is alive from the dead' (Romans 6:13). Thus will we begin to find how true and how tremendous is the deliverance that is in the Lord Jesus for us. And thus alone will we really honor the grace of God." -W.R.N. "There is no way to a full abiding fellowship with our Father, but through the rent veil of the flesh; through a life with the old man crucified in the Lord Jesus. God be praised that the Holy Spirit ever dwells in us to keep the old man in the place of crucifixion and condemnation, and to give us progressive liberty from all the old." -A.M. "As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Corinthians 15:49). --- Copyright ©1996-2002 TrueBranch Ministry. _______________________________________________________________________ (2) <Doctrinal> THE MISTAKEN TERM "THE BRETHREN" (PART 2 OF 2) W.E.Vine Another Misunderstanding ------------------------- Again, that a company of Christians ascertains the teaching of the New Testament in regard to baptism, and its teaching regarding the "breaking of bread," that is to say, "the Lord's Supper," as appointed for the first day of the week, and practices these ordinances as therein inculcated, has, in some quarters of denominationalism, given rise to the false idea that the fulfilment of these two ordinances especially characterizes those who are mis-termed "the Brethren." That view is not very general but it is existent. It serves, however, to exemplify the fact that faithful adherence to the Word of God is sure to meet with misunderstanding and prejudice and, upon occasion, what is tantamount to a scoff. That kind of thing should, however, only be the means of a continual and steadfast testimony, given in such a way that it will enable other Christians to search the Scriptures on these matters and carry them out in loyalty to Christ. Only so can any assembly meet with that approval which the Lord has expressed in His commendation to the assembly in Philadelphia, "Thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My Word, and hast not denied My Name" (Rev. 3:8). One who was closely in touch with the revival of the early part of the last century makes known the facts of the movement, in contrast to the imputation which is implied in the misconception concerning the term "Brethren." After mentioning how this revival began among believers by their reading the Bible together and ascertaining truths respecting the Second Coming of Christ and the assembly, he says, "They cast away all traditions, and read the Bible without note or comment. Many of them were men of understanding and learning, but they laid aside all tradition and commentaries, and resolved, by the help of God, to search for themselves. As they searched the Bible they could discover nothing around them like what was depicted in the Scriptures, and that startled them. They looked at all the sects, but they saw no facsimile of the description contained in the epistles." New Testament Teachings ----------------------- They found in the New Testament that believers met together to partake of the Lord's Supper without an authorized minister to consecrate or distribute the bread and wine. They were led therefore to meet together as believers as was done in the earliest times. They saw that in every local assembly there were divinely raised up elders (called overseers), always more than one, to care spiritually for each assembly and that it was not according to the teaching of the New Testament that a single ordained minister should conduct a meeting for worship and the breaking of bread, but that a local assembly was a body in which spiritual activities were carried on by the various members, whereas in denominations many gifted persons are unable to exercise their functions. They decided therefore that they must follow the Scriptures instead of the traditions of the systems of Christendom, which failed to recognize the rights and prerogatives of the Holy Spirit. This attempt to carry out the principles of truth was not made without great cost in many ways, for there was not a sect that was not opposed to it; every one was against this strange company, and thus it was at the cost of many friendships that the separation was made. That this revival of adherence to the Word of God has given rise to the unfounded appellation "The Brethren" is a device of the spiritual foe, whose aim has been thereby to prevent earnest believers from following the Truth. [Concluded] _______________________________________________________________________ (4) <Prophetical> "THE REDEEMER'S RETURN" (PART-12) Arthur W. Pink .... I. THE CHARACTER OF OUR HOPE As there is so much confusion and uncertainty respecting this branch of our subject, and in order to clear away the rubbish which human devisings have gathered around it, we will deal first with the negative side of the character of our Hope. 1. Our Hope is not the Conversion of the World. --------------------------------------------------- We pray that these pages may be read by many who will be startled by the above statement. A world which shall eventually be saved by the preaching of the Gospel has been the expectation of almost all Christendom. That the Gospel shall yet triumph over the world, the flesh, and the Devil is the belief of the great majority of those who profess to be the Lord's people. In the seminaries, in the pulpits, in the Christian literature of the day, and in the great missionary gatherings where placards bearing the words "The world for Christ" are prominently displayed, has this theory been zealously heralded. It is supposed that anything short of a converted "world" is a concept dishonoring and derogatory to the Gospel. We are told the Gospel cannot fail because it is the power of God, and though the Church has failed, yet, a day is surely coming when this captivating ideal shall be realized. To believe other than this, is to be dubbed a "pessimist," yea, it is to be looked upon as a hinderer and traitor to the cause of Christ. But what are the plain facts? The Lord Jesus Christ preached the Gospel, preached it faithfully, lovingly, zealously and untiringly. But with what results? Was the world "converted" under His preaching? Should it be said this question is not a fair one because He preached only locally, we accept the correction, but ask further, Was Palestine converted under His preaching? We have only to glance at the four Gospels to find an answer. In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord declared that the "many" were on the broad road that leadeth to destruction and that only a "few" were on the narrow path that leadeth unto life. In the Parable of the Sower He announced that out of four castings of the good seed from His hand three of them fell upon unfruitful ground. Again, we are told, "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (John 1:10, 11). No; the Gospel as preached by the Son of God Himself held out no promise of a world converted by the proclamation of it, for after three and a half years' ministry such as this world has never witnessed before or since, there was but a handful who responded to the gracious appeals of the Gospel from His lips--there were but one hundred and twenty all told that waited in the upper room for the coming of the Holy Spirit which He had promised to send to His followers (Acts 1:15). How was it in the days of the apostles? During the first generation of the Church's history, wonderful things happened which were well calculated to convert the world if anything could. Eleven men who had been trained by our Lord Himself were now sent forth to herald the glad tidings of salvation. The Holy Spirit was poured forth upon them, and in addition to the Eleven, Saul of Tarsus was miraculously saved and sent forth as the apostle to the Gentiles. But what success attended their efforts? How were they received by the world? Again we have but to turn to the New Testament Scriptures to find our answer. Like their Master, they, too, were despised and rejected of men. The apostles were everywhere spoken against and regarded as the offscouring of the earth. Some of them were cast into prison, others were slain by the sword. One suffered death by crucifixion and the last of the little band was banished to the Isle of Patmos. True it is that their labors were not entirely in vain. True it is that God honored His own Word and numbers were saved, and here and there churches were organized. But the multitudes, the great masses, both of Jews and Gentiles, remained unmoved and unconverted. The actual conditions, in the days of the apostles then, gave no promise of a world converted by the Gospel. How is it in our own day? "Ah!" it will be said "times have changed since then: Christ and His apostles lived in the days of Paganism and barbarism, but under the enlightenment of our modern civilization this twentieth century is far otherwise." Yes, but all is not gold that glitters. We do not deny, we praise God for the fact, that to-day there are far more Christians upon earth than there were in the first century. But there are far more sinners too! What we are discussing now is the Conversion of the world. Has the growth of the Church of God kept pace with the increase of the earth's population? We trow not. To-day there are probably 1,000,000,000 souls on earth who have never even heard the name of Christ! How then can we talk about a converted world when upwards of two-thirds of humanity is destitute of the Gospel? Moreover, what of Christendom itself? How much of that which bears the name of Christ is truly Christian? What proportion of those who term themselves the children of God, are really entitled to that name? More than half of professing Christendom is found within the pales of the Greek and Roman Catholic Churches! And what of Protestantism itself? What of the evangelical churches filled with their worldly, pleasure-loving, theatre-going, Sabbath-desecrating, prayer-meeting-neglecting members? No; my reader, be not deceived with appearances or high-sounding phrases. God's flock is only a "little flock" (Luke 12:32). There is but a 'remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5). Has the Gospel failed? Have God's purposes been defeated? Certainly not. The Gospel was never designed to convert the world. God never purposed to regenerate all humanity in this dispensation, any more than He did under the Mosaic Economy, when He suffered the nations to walk in their own ways. God's purpose for this Age is clearly defined in Acts 15:14--"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name." In full harmony with this, the apostle Paul declared, "I am made all things to all men, that I might be all means save some"(1 Cor. 9:22). Clearly then, the Hope of the Church is not the Conversion of the World. Having dwelt at some length upon the general, let us now come to the particular-- [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] _______________________________________________________________________