-------------------------<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> <11 October 2002> In this issue: ------------------ (1) <Devotional> "Our first and best" - Ravi Zacharias (2) <Doctrinal> "Shall we meet our loved ones again?" (Pt-1)-D.L.Moody (3) <Prophetical> "The Redeemer's Return" (Pt-50)- A.W.Pink (1) <DEVOTIONAL> <SLICE-OF-INFINITY> OUR FIRST AND BEST Ravi Zacharias When I was about twelve years old, I was asked to play Joseph in the nativity mime that Christmas. So I arrived at church early and was walking around with time to kill. On a table at the altar, I saw a silver bowl with wafers in it. Ignorant of what they were, I took a handful of those wafers and enjoyed them as I admired the fine cathedral. Suddenly I saw the vicar coming out of the vestry and walking straight toward me. I politely greeted him and continued to enjoy the biscuits in hand. He stopped, stared, and quite out of control, shouted, "What are you doing?" As surprised by his outburst as he was at my activity, I blurted, "I am Joseph in the nativity mime." That evidently was not what he was asking. " What is that in your hand?" he demanded. I received the most incomprehensible tongue-lashing to which I have ever been subjected. The word that the priest kept repeating was sacrilege. I chose never to check out its meaning, for I was sure this was the end of the line for me, having done something I couldn't even pronounce! Years later, after I became a Christian, I read a definition of sacrilege, as I could still hear the echo of the vicar's words. A sacrilege is taking something that belongs to God and using it profanely. Certainly, this is true. But sacrilege, said this writer, does not only consist of such profane use. In its worst form it consists of taking something and giving it to God when it means absolutely nothing to you. How does all this apply to the theme we've been discussing: worship? Well, worship at its core is a giving to God of all that is your best, and, may I add, trusting Him with the outcomes. Worshippers seek to give the first and best of their time, energies, intellect, wealth and plans to God, and allow him to take care of their lives. Writer Anne Ortlund tells the story of Queen Elizabeth, who asked a man to go abroad for her on business. "I sincerely wish I could, but I can't," said the man. "My business is very demanding. It would really suffer if I left." "Sir," replied the Queen, "if you will attend to my business, I will take care of your business." Ortlund closes by saying, "Work out the implications in your own life of putting God first," and, may I add, giving Him your best. --- 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> SHALL WE MEET OUR LOVED ONES AGAIN? A STUDY OF 1 CORINTHIANS 15 (PART-1) D.L. Moody This is one of the grandest chapters in the writings of Paul. It is especially grand to those who have lost friends. No sooner do loved ones pass away than the question arises, Shall we meet them again? Paul answers this question and gives a consolation we can find so clearly stated nowhere else. What a consolation to know, as we lay our friends away, that we shall meet them again in a little while! As I go into a cemetery, I like to think of the time when the dead shall rise from their graves. We read part of this chapter in what we call the "burial service." I think it is an unfortunate expression. Paul never talked of "burial." He said the body was sown in corruption, sown in weakness, sown in dishonour, sown a natural body. If I bury a bushel of wheat, I never expect to see it again, but if I sow it, I expect results. Thank God, our friends are not buried; they are only sown! I like the Saxon name for the cemetery -- GOD'S ACRE. The Gospel preached by the apostles rested upon four pillars: the atoning death of Christ, His burial and resurrection, His ascension, His coming again. These four doctrines were preached by all the apostles, and by them the Gospel must stand or fall. In the opening verses of I Corinthians 15, we get a clear statement from Paul that the doctrine of the resurrection is a part of the Gospel. He defines the Gospel as meaning that Christ died for our sins, but not that only -- He was buried and rose again the third day. Then he summons witnesses to prove the resurrection: "He was seen of Cephas [Simon Peter] then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time." Now that is pretty clear testimony, strong enough to satisfy a candid inquirer. But the Greeks had no belief in the possibility of the resurrection, and these converts at Corinth had been reared in that unbelief. So Paul puts the question: "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" It was one of the false doctrines that had crept into the church at Corinth, because no orthodox Jew would ever think of questioning it. To deny the resurrection is to say that we will never see more of the loved ones whose bodies have been committed to the clay. If Christ has not risen, this life is the only one, and we are as the brutes. How cruel it is to have anyone love you if this be true! How horrible that they should let the tendrils of your heart twine around them, if, when they are torn away in death, it is to be the end. I would rather hate than love if I thought there will be no resurrection, because then I would feel no pangs at losing the hated thing. Oh, the cruelty of unbelief! It takes away our brightest hopes. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." [To be concluded] _______________________________________________________________________ (3) <PROPHETICAL> "THE REDEEMER'S RETURN" (PART-50) THE IMMINENCY OF THE REDEEMER'S RETURN Arthur W. Pink .... 2. The Apostles referred to the Redeemer's Return in the language of Imminency. (2/2) So real was the hope of the Redeemer's Return to the heart of the apostle Paul and so imminent did this event appear to him that we find he included himself among those who might not fall asleep but be among the living saints when the Assembling Shout should be heard. Said he, "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor. 15:51, 52). Again, "For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our (not "your") vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Phil. 3:19, 20). Once more, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we (not "ye") which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). The enemies of the faith have seized upon these very statements to show that the apostle Paul was in error, that he wrote by unaided human wisdom, that he merely recorded in his Epistles his own beliefs, and that in some of these he was clearly mistaken. But such an objection is quite pointless to the saints who believe that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." We hope to show further on in this chapter why the Holy Spirit moved the apostles to write of the Second Advent of Christ as an event which might take place in their own day. The apostle Paul was not alone in this regard: we find that the other apostles also regarded the Return of our Lord as something which might occur at any time. The apostle James wrote, "Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (Jas. 5:8). There is no ambiguity about this language: such a statement not only argued the pre-millennial Coming of Christ, inasmuch as His Coming could not be said to have "drawn nigh" if a whole Millennium intervened, but it also announced the imminency of His return--something which might be expected at any time. The apostle Peter declared, "But the end of all things (all things connected with this present regime) is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer" (1 Pet. 4:7). The apostle was expecting the speedy winding up of this present economy and the introduction of a new order of things when his Lord returned and took the government upon His shoulder. The apostle John said, "Little children it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time" (1 John 2:18). The "last time" or "last hour" (Greek hora) must be distinguished from "the last days" (2 Tim. 3:1) and "the last day" (Greek hemera--John 6:39). The "last days" refer to the closing decades of this present dispensation. The "last day" looks forward to the Millennium when the saints shall participate in the "first resurrection"--it is the last Day of God's dispensational week, foreshadowed by the Sabbath. The "last hour" is connected with the Antichrist. It is the "last hour" of Satan's freedom for, excepting the "little season" referred to in Rev. 20, after this dispensation Satan will be for ever banished from these scenes. This dispensation then is Satan's "last hour" as the "Prince of this world" and it is during the closing moments of this "last hour" that the Antichrist shall be revealed. The force then of the apostle's statement was to the effect that though the personal Antichrist had not appeared up to the time when he wrote this epistle, yet, the saints must not conclude from this that the Second Coming of Christ was necessarily a long way off. No; even then there were many Antichrists by which they were to know it was the "last time." Thus we see that the testimony of the apostles was uniform and explicit. They were looking for their Lord to return at any time. Such ought to be our attitude too. "Let not my eyes with tears be dim, Let joy their upward glance illume; Look up, and watch, and wait for Him-- Soon, soon the Lord will come. Soon will that star-paved milky way, Soon will that beauteous azure dome, Glories, ne'er yet conceived display-- Soon, soon the Lord will come. Changed in the twinkling of an eye, Invested with immortal bloom, I shall behold Him throned on high, And sing, "The Lord is come!" One beam from His all-glorious face These mortal garments will consume, Each sinful blemish will efface-- Lord Jesus, quickly come! What will it be with Thee to dwell, Thyself my everlasting Home! Oh, bliss- Oh, joy ineffable! Lord Jesus, quickly come!" [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 _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com