-------------------------<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> <10 October 2002> In this issue: -------------- (1) <Devotional> "Root that weather the storm" - Ravi Zacharias (2) <Witnessing> "Don't be misled...and...dead!" - Author Unknown (3) <Prophetical> "The Redeemer's Return" (Pt-49)- A.W.Pink (1) <DEVOTIONAL> <SLICE-OF-INFINITY> ROOTS THAT WEATHER THE STORM Ravi Zacharias When my family and I lived in England some years ago a terrible windstorm hit much of the country. Amazingly, thousands of trees were felled in one night. Some days later we were walking outside Buckingham Palace and my wife noticed something very significant. While the trees themselves were huge and very tall, their roots were unbelievably shallow. We marveled at this seemingly inexplicable disproportion. A bit later, while visiting some friends, we expressed our surprise at the gigantic trees that were supported by such short roots. What we heard bore fascinating lesson for life. The water level below the soil in England is so close to the surface that the roots do not have to penetrate very deep to find their nourishment. As a result, the roots stay shallow, and even though the trees are massive and sturdy on the outside, the first major storm uproots them with very little resistance offered. What instruction is contained in that illustration, dear friend! It is not sufficient to have roots; the roots must go deep. But how do we build root systems capable of weathering every storm that seeks to draw us into the temporary and the profane? We said earlier that love was not the root but was only the branches. The root, we indicated, was worship. But if our understanding of God and reverence for Him is shallow, the busyness of life and the distractions of our minds will fell the strongest of us no matter how sturdy we look outwardly. Allow me to close with this illustration. You may recall the film Chariots of Fire and its main character, Eric Liddell. Before Eric went as a missionary to China, he ran in the 1924 Olympics and won the gold medal. When he was asked by his sister why he spent so much time practicing, he said: "God has made me for a purpose, for China. But he has also made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure." You see, friend, worship binds all of life together and gives it a single focus. It takes all of the cries of our heart, the diversity of our loves and abilities and coalesces them into one direction. Worship is the supreme expression in life, the root from which life's branches grow and expressions flower. Join me the next few days as we consider how to plant strong roots, capable of weathering life's storms, by seeking to make worship penetrate deeply into the soil of our lives. --- 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) <WITNESSING> DON'T BE MISLED...AND...DEAD! Author Unknown [This article should help us in our sharing of the Gospel especially with those who are followers of the so-called "god-men" or the religious systems of this world. These men or systems could perhaps be sincere or at least they appear to be so. We should however do our best to drive home the point that should they continue to follow such god-men's directions, they would end up their eternity in the hell. The story is edited and Bible verses added to make the message more relevant. God bless - Ben] OFFER OF HELP A terrible blizzard made the progress of the train more and more difficult. Visibility was very poor, and a woman passenger with a child was concerned about missing her stop. Seeing her anxiety, a gentleman said to her, "Don't worry. I know this route well. I'll tell you when to get off". At the last stop, before the one the woman wanted, the gentleman told her, "The next station will be yours". When the train stopped again, he said, "This is your stop. Get out quickly". The woman took her child, thanked the gentleman for his kind interest, and got off the train. The next time the train stopped, the gentleman was shocked to hear the conductor call out the name of the station the woman had wanted. "You must be mistaken, Mr Conductor. Didn't we just stop there?", he asked. "No, sir", was the conductor's reply. "We had a problem with the engine and stopped for a few minutes to repair it". TRAGIC RESULT "Oh no!" cried the gentleman. "I told a woman and child to get off at the stop between stations!". When they finally found the woman and her child, both were frozen to death - THE TERRIBLE AND TRAGIC RESULT OF WRONG DIRECTIONS BEING GIVEN AND FOLLOWED. MAN'S DESTINY As horrible as this is, it is far worse to misdirect the souls of men. Man is created as a tripartite being with a visible part (body) and two invisible parts (soul and spirit), which controls the body. His life does not end on death, which is only the temporary disappearance of his physical body. He is destined to live eternally-each man born into this world is to spend his life after death either in comfort (heaven) or in torment (hell) depending on what he does and how he conducts his life in this world. There are many well-meaning but contradictory voices heard today from various religions and faiths giving directions to man on how to attain the ultimate comfort. Many of them are giving false and misleading directions. But beware! where eternal life and salvation are concerned, we must be damn sure now that we are in the right track. There is no other chance given to man to make up for the wrongs he might have been doing in his life. We don't want to be misled and end up our eternity in torment (hell). Most often those involved in religious teachings are sincere or at least they appear to be so-just as the man on the train was-but they are also misled. If we follow their directions, we will end up out in the cold-dead in our sins-for all eternity. But how can we be sure we are not being misled in our spiritual matters? Ask the following questions to ourselves to find out whether we are on the right track that leads us to where we all want to spend our eternity in comfort: QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED TO US 1 Can we logically explain the events that took place from the beginning of history? Can our explanation about creation of the universe, the vast array of the heavenly bodies, the earth, its plant and animal kingdom, man, etc. be scientifically sustained? 2 Can the credentials of our spiritual leaders and heroes be verified in history? Have the past utterances/prophecies of our spiritual leaders been fulfilled and can be proved in history? 3 Do we recognise that man is made of not just the flesh and bones that are visible, but something else, which gives him a unique identity and an ability to discern what, is right and wrong? 4 Do our teachings recognise the nature of man, his special place in relation to other living beings, his strengths, weaknesses and limitations. 5 Do we recognise that the cause of the perennial problem with man is the constant conflicts that take place within him? 6 Do our faith present God, who is the Creator of everything, as loving and interested in man in a special way? 7 Do our religious system present a practical and down-to-earth way for man to lead a life according to the wishes of his creator? 8 Do our teaching emphasise the need for a change in man to take place in his mind rather than on mere outwardly physical rituals. 9 Do our faith has a clearly defined future plan for man and the universe? If the answer is "no" to any of the above questions, we are in danger of being misled in our faith/spiritual matters. That makes it imperative for us to re-evaluate our faith or religious beliefs, no matter how sincere they sound or how kind they appear. Where we spend eternity-in heaven or in hell-is far too important a matter for you and me to entrust to just anyone! SURE DIRECTION Thank God, there is no need for us to depend upon doubtful direction. In His own sure Word, He has given us simple directions for the way to heaven. It is definitely not the way of doing our best, of following a man or of joining a group or organisation. None of these ways will lead us to heaven. We have all wandered too far from God for any such directions to help us: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The Word of God points us to Christ alone as "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). No one can get to heaven except through Him. He suffered and died, not as a martyr, but as the sin-bearer, to cleanse us from sin by His blood (1 Peter 3:18, 1 John 1:7). Now risen from the dead, He is proclaimed to all as the only way to true happiness and eternal life. The Bible says, "All the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins" (Acts 10:43). Could anyone say it more plainly? Listen to the sure direction of God's Word and escape from being mislead. Christ is the only one who ever said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrew 13:5). Follow Him today. He will not mislead you. He will not leave you out in the cold! ______________________________________________________________________ (3) <PROPHETICAL> "THE REDEEMER'S RETURN" (PART-49) THE IMMINENCY OF THE REDEEMER'S RETURN Arthur W. Pink .... 2. The Apostles referred to the Redeemer's Return in the language of Imminency. (1/2) "Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light" (Rom. 13:11, 12). The "salvation," to which the apostle here refers is the completing and consummating of our salvation, when we shall, in spirit and soul and body, be fully conformed to the image of God's Son. The time when this will be realized is the time of our Redeemer's Return, for, "when He shall appear we shall be like Him"(1 John 3:2). That time will be the believer's "day," that "perfect day" unto which the path of the just "shineth more and more" (Prov. 4:18). The "night," spoken of above, is the present period during which the Light of the world is absent. Observe that the apostle, under the Holy Spirit, regarded the night as "far spent," and the day as "at hand!" "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly"(Rom. 16:20). The reference here is to Gen. 3:15 where we have recorded Jehovah's promise to our first parents that the woman's Seed should bruise the head of the Serpent. As believers will, in the coming day, rule and reign "with Christ" (see Rev. 3:21; 19:14, 20:4) it is here said "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet." In the use of the word "shortly" we learn that the apostle did not regard the fulfillment of this promise as something which lay in the far distant future, but rather as that which was even then impending. "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in everything ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you; So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"(1 Cor. 1:4-7). From this passage we learn: first, that these Corinthian saints were "waiting" for the Coming of the Lord Jesus, which proves they were looking for Him to return in their generation; second, that the apostle commanded them for their attitude, yea, "thanked God always on their behalf;" third, that this expectation on the part of these Corinthian believers was the very summum bonum of Christian experience, inasmuch as it is said, they "came behind in no gift," and then as a climax it is added--"Waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the Day approaching"(Heb. 10:24, 25). The coming "Day" with its glories and blessedness was that which filled the apostle's vision. The promised "Day"--the Day of Christ--which was to follow this dark night of sorrow when the Bridegroom is absent, was the hope which stayed his heart. He could "see," by faith, that day was approaching, and on the fact of its imminency he bases an exhortation to those who are partakers of the heavenly calling to conduct themselves in the present in a manner befitting those who are the children of light. Again, in this same chapter the apostle says, For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry" (vs. 37). How clear it is from these words that the Holy Spirit desired the first century believers to be "looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ"! [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 _______________________________________________________