-------------------------<BrethrenVoice>------------------------- [which seeks to be guided solely by the NT Biblical pattern, facilitates free flow of Christian info. To God be the glory!] [eMail Moderator: brethrenvoice-owner@...] [<GLEANINGS-FOR-THE-DAY> Archives/Read online: http://associate.com/digests/brethrenvoice/ezmlm.cgi] <GLEANINGS-FOR-THE-DAY> <5 October 2002> In this issue: ------------- (1) <Devotional> "Appreciative love" (Pt-2) - Ravi Zacharias (2) <Doctrinal> "Fasting, what does the Bible teach?" (Pt-5) - C.E.Wigg (3) <Exhortational> "Do I resemble the living Son of God?" (Pt-2/2) - Connie (4) <Prophetical> "The Redeemer's Return" (Pt-45)- A.W.Pink (1) <DEVOTIONAL> <SLICE-OF-INFINITY> APPRECIATIVE LOVE (PART-2) Ravi Zacharias I have a dear friend who is a renowned preacher. He's now in his sixties, but as a newborn he was given up by his parents for some very personal reasons. Through the years he wondered if he would ever find his parents. Then a few years ago, after much searching, he was able to locate his mother. She is obviously in her senior years, and when he asked if he could visit her, her heart overflowed with a joy she could not contain. This was a pleasure she thought she would never experience in her life, which had now been almost completely spent. She could hardly wait for the day to arrive. The day came, and it was blustery and snowy day. As the son drove slowly down the unfamiliar street, he saw a woman standing outside in the cold, waiting. Their reunion after these five long decades was something too tender to describe. But he told me that when he was leaving, he asked her, "Mom, is there anything I can do for you?" With tears running down her face she said, "Just love me, son. Just love me." Why that plea? Because in her heart she had to have wondered how it was possible for him to love her when she had given him nothing. "How could he love her without having any reason to love her?" she must have thought. But to him, she had given the gift of life, and that was enough of a gift to cause Appreciative love to find a way to express itself. This was more than needing love. It was the need of a particular love toward whom the heart was bent, born out of an appreciation for being. May I suggest that the ultimate object and resource of that kind of love is God Himself, who has formed us, and the culminating response from us is more than just love. That response of appreciation, of awe, of surrender, of hunger to be consummated in the spirit is what we, in Christian terms, call worship. And until we have found Him who alone is worthy of worship, the heart searches in loneliness. Just like the salmon that determinedly swims against rock and tide to return to where it was spawned and, having returned, gives birth to its own, so also does life spring from the one who has returned to his or her very source of being in worship, to God Himself. It is in turning to Him, dear friend, that you will find the fulfillment for which your heart longs. --- Copyright (p)(c) 2001 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. A Slice of Infinity is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. _______________________________________________________________________ (2) <DOCTRINAL> FASTING - AN EXAMINATION OF WHAT THE HOLY SCRIPTURES TEACH (PART-5) Charles E. Wigg ... NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING AND EXAMPLE: Though there are other examples that we could cite from the Old Testament, let us now look at the New Testament. Our Lord Jesus Christ: must ever be the supreme example, and we read of Him fasting only once, in Matt.4:2, and that was the occasion of the temptations in the wilderness. He did not fast to obtain more power, because he already possessed divine power, and was filled with the Holy Spirit. He fasted because of His hatred of everything sinful. He suffered being tempted, showing that temptation caused Him suffering. We are so different, because temptation gives us a certain pleasure, often more pleasure than the sin we are tempted to commit. He did not fast for a few hours, but for 40 days, this sapped His human strength, and caused Him to be very hungry. But He never yielded to any temptation, and the Devil was defeated, and had to leave Him for a time. HIS TEACHING ABOUT FASTING: Never once did the Lord Jesus command us to fast. In Matt.6:16 He tells that when we fast, showing that those to whom He spoke were in the habit of fasting, though they were doing it in a wrong way, as an outward sign of a devotion that they did not have. They were fasting, so that they might be seen of men, but H teaches us that if we do fast, then it is to be done secretly, and done to God, not to men. It is interesting that He did command us to forgive men for their transgressions, things done against us, but very strangely those who lay great stress and importance on fasting, are so often guilty of refusing to forgive their brothers and sisters, not just unsaved men in the world. In Matt.9:15, He told that His disciples would not fast while He was with them, but only after He had been taken away from them. From what follows He seems to say the fasting , such as practiced by the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist, was really only sewing a new patch on an old garment. Much of the fasting practiced today is just the same. An attempt to improve the flesh, by sewing a religious patch on to it. Even after the Lord Jesus went back to Heaven, we seldom read of the disciples and Apostles fasting. HIS CONDEMNATION OF HYPOCRISY: Though the Lord Jesus never commanded us to fast, neither is it commanded in the Old Testament, yet He spoke in the strongest condemnation of those who practiced fasting as a religious show. Their gloomy face, their neglect of their outward appearance, so that they may appear to be undergoing great suffering, so that they might attract the attention, the sympathy, the admiration of men, was clearly very repulsive to Him. He tells us the story of the Pharisee who prayed to himself, Luke, 18:10-14. That Pharisee gave God such a lecture about what he considered were his own good points, or works, and amongst them boasted that he fasted twice in the week. However he only exalted himself, and failed to gain the power and approval with God that he thought he deserved, neither was he justified, but the despised tax gatherer was. All this is meant to be a warning to us, may we have grace to heed the warning. I fear that the Pharisee has many modern counterparts today. Especially during the time of Lent, when misguided nominal Christians, deny themselves of so many things, which is not commanded in the scriptures, and are so proud of their self denial, though they continue in their sins, and reject the salvation that our Lord Jesus bought for all who trust in Him, with His precious blood .[To be concluded] --- [Reproduced with permission] _______________________________________________________________________ (3) <EXHORTATIONAL> "DO I RESEMBLE THE LIVING SON OF GOD?" (PART-2/2) Connie M Giordano .... 13. ZEALOUS John 2:17 - "And His disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of Thine house hath eaten me up." John 8:29 - "And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him." He had an intense passion to see men worship the Father in spirit and in truth. 14. MEEK Isaiah 53:7 - "He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth." Although He was hard pressed and ill treated, He suffered it patiently. He never complained or defended Himself. 15. LOWLY Zechariah 9:9 - "...behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly..." Matthew 11:29 - "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart..." Pride in one's heart makes a person so unlike Christ. He is the total opposite - mild, gentle, tender, humble, poor and afflicted - never harsh or overbearing. 16. MERCIFUL Hebrews 2:17 - "Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God..." He was the perfect candidate to be our Great High Priest because He is so compassionate. He is easily moved by our weaknesses and infirmities. 17. PATIENT Matthew 27:14 - "And He answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly." When He stood before His vicious accusers, He said nothing. Pilate marvelled at His silence for he knew how readily most men are to defend themselves. 18. LONGSUFFERING 1 Timothy 1:16 - "Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ night show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting." The Lord Jesus demonstrated utmost forbearance with Saul, the murderous Pharisee, who persecuted His precious Blood-bought people. 19. COMPASSIONATE Isaiah 40:11 - "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." Luke 19:41 - "And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it." He is the Good Shepherd Who cares so tenderly for His sheep. He is especially mindful of those who are young, feeble, weak, weary, exhausted, sick, and faint. Even though Jerusalem was indeed guilty of rejecting Him, He still wept out of pity for this God-forsaken city about to face total ruin. 20. BENEVOLENT Matthew 4:23 - "...and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." Acts 10:38 - "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil..." God is a Good God. He is in the business of doing good to all - healing and delivering all who are tormented by the devil. 21. LOVING John 13:1 - "...having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end." John 15:13 - "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Despite the many weaknesses and shortcomings in His disciples, He loved them constantly and continuously. He never changed His feelings toward them. He even loved the bitterest of foes who mocked and scorned Him. Their rejection of Him as Messiah and Lord of all didn't stop Him from laying down His life for them as well. 22. SELF-DENYING Matthew 8:20 - "And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." 2 Corinthians 8:9 - "...though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich." Despite what many are preaching today, claiming that He was rich, He subjected Himself to abject poverty for our sakes. He did not own a home of His own; He was financially supported by others; He did not have a large savings account or great prosperity. He submitted to a lifestyle of extreme poverty in order to direct our attention to the heavenly wealth that lies ahead in His Father's House and to show us the vanity of worldly wealth. He sacrificed the great riches of heaven so that we who were so poor and destitute in spirit could become so rich with the spiritual blessings found in Him. 23. HUMBLE Luke 22:27 - "For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as He that serveth." Philippians 2:8 - "And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself..." When He came to earth, He laid aside His Glory. He humbled Himself by becoming a man, obedient unto death. His entire life reflected characteristics of humility, poverty, submission, simplicity, and modesty. 24. RESIGNED Luke 22:42 - "Saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done." No matter how hard it was against His flesh - He submitted himself to the Father's Will. 25. FORGIVING Luke 23:34 - "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..." In the midst of those who were most intent on killing Him, He made intercession for them. He begged the Father to pardon them, reminding Him that they did it all through ignorance. "Conformed to the image of His Son" - Are we? Are we lovely, holy, righteous, faithful, true, and just in all our ways? Is there any guile or deceit in our mouths? Are we undefiled - without blemish or spot? Are we innocent, injuring no one? Are we obedient, zealous of God's Glory, or do we still seek our own glory? Are we meek, lowly, compassionate, merciful, patient, and longsuffering in our dealings with others? Do we go about doing good for all? Are we constant or fickle in our love for others? Have we made ourselves "poor" so that others may be "rich" spiritually? Do we sacrifice in this life so that others may enjoy the blessings of God, too? Have we humbled ourselves and become servants to God and men? Have we resigned ourselves to the Will of God no matter how hard it may be on our flesh? Lastly, can we forgive others - yes, even our enemies - who have so wrongfully treated us? More and more with each new day, we should be resembling the Living Son of God. This is God's purpose and plan for our lives. It will happen by His grace and through the power of His Holy Spirit. The characteristics of Jesus will become ours. We will increasingly look more and more like Him. At least, that should be our Daily Goal. May God Bless His Word. Connie --- © 2002 by Connie Giordano _______________________________________________________________________ (4) <PROPHETICAL> "THE REDEEMER'S RETURN" (PART-44) PRE-MILLENNIALISM ESTABLISHED Arthur W. Pink .... 4. A groaning Creation can be delivered only by the Second Advent of Christ The difference in belief between post and pre-millennialists concerning this point is as great as the difference between light and darkness. Post-millennialists believe that Christ will not return until the end of time and that then He will come to judge the human race. As to what is going to happen at the end of time Scripture does not leave us in ignorance. Says the apostle Peter, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up" (2 Pet. 3:10). Post-millennialists then look for the world (the Kosmos) to be "burned up" and for "the heavens" to "pass away" at the time of Christ's Return; in other words, they look for the destruction of the old creation as the consequent of the Second Advent. But pre-millennialists look for the emancipation of all creation from its present bondage as one of the glorious results of our Redeemer's Return. They base this belief on the teaching of Rom. 8:18-24, a passage which has already been examined in an earlier chapter. Without again entering upon a detailed exposition of the entire passage, let us seek to summarize its contents. "The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (vs. 22). This is the lot of all Nature to-day. The world groans beneath an accumulating load of sin and wretchedness. Man groans: his soul groans, and so does his body. Animals groan. The earth itself groans, sometimes like a great giant in awful pain. How then can the world enjoy a thousand years of rest and peace and blessedness whilst the whole creation is in travail! The whole creation is here personified and represented as sending up to heaven a loud and agonizing groan. And God in heaven hears it: His ear is not heavy that it cannot hear, nor is His arm shortened that it cannot save. A day of liberation for the groaning creation hastens on. It is announced in the very passage we are now reviewing. The day when this groaning creation will be delivered is the day when Christ returns to usher in the Millennium and when the saints shall be revealed in glory with Him. The time of creation's deliverance is here said to be at "the manifestation of the sons of God" (vs. 19 and compare Col. 3:3). This manifestation of God's sons is in verse 23 denominated "The Adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" which has reference to the "first resurrection"--the "resurrection of the just." A groaning creation then is waiting for the Return of Christ and with Him the Saints manifested in glory, for then, and not till then, will it be emancipated from its present thraldom. Here then is the answer to our question--What is the time of the Redeemer's Return? He shall return before the Millennium. He shall come back to usher in the Millennium and set up His Messianic Kingdom, restore Israel, and deliver a groaning creation. As to how near His pre-millennial coming may be we leave for consideration in the next two chapters.). [To be concluded] _____________________<BrethrenVoice>_____________________ Subscribe, eMail:<brethrenvoice-subscribe@...> Unsubscribe, eMail:<brethrenvoice-unsubscribe@...> FAQs/Faith Statement, 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 _______________________________________________________