-------------------------<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> <16 October 2002> In this issue: ---------------- (1) <Devotional> "'Dead or alive?', Resurrection" (Pt-1/8)- Ravi Zacharias (2) <Exhortational> "What is the will of God for your life?" - Connie Giordano (3) <Doctrinal> "Shall we meet our loved ones again?" (Pt-5) - D.L.Moody (4) <Prophetical> "The Redeemer's Return" (Pt-54)- A.W.Pink (1) <DEVOTIONAL> <SLICE-OF-INFINITY> "'DEAD OR ALIVE?', RESURRECTION" (PART-1 OF 8) Ravi Zacharias At a debate one of my colleagues attended on the existence of God, there was a rather vociferous atheist who sported an unforgettable jacket. Monogrammed on the back of the jacket were the words of a familiar verse, yet with a surprise ending. It read, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever...dead." The resurrection of Jesus has been called the linchpin of Christianity. Indeed, even the apostle Paul wrote that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, there was no faith to be had. What incredible words! Some who wrongly dichotomize "faith" and "facts" might expect the apostle to say, "Well, if we find out that Jesus really did not rise, we'll keep believing it because it brings comfort and besides, what would it do to Christianity?" Yet Paul says, in effect, if Christ is still dead, if he is still in the grave, let's hang up the whole thing. Eat, drink, and be merry! No historical event has been so subjected to scrutiny as Jesus' claim to have risen from the dead. This alone is an indicator of the event's importance. So many ingenious ways have been concocted to falsify it-from the swoon theory to the disciples' self-delusion-that it's almost humorous. I am amazed at the lengths to which some scholars have been willing to go in an attempt to debunk the resurrection, while scores of other religious figures (such as Krishna, Buddha, or Mohammed) have been left totally unstudied. Interestingly enough, an average student in India, for example, does not even know when Krishna was born or if indeed he ever was. At the same time, he or she has theorized about Jesus quite a bit. This is an ironic phenomenon. Of all His claims, His promise of His resurrection was understandably the most controversial. Yet, to be certain, it was the ultimate justification of His message. More people in the world bow their knee to Jesus than to any other religious leader. Are they justified in doing so, or is Jesus still in the grave like all of the others that have come and gone? I would like to comment on this issue, and eventually offer six reflections that will point us to the truth of the resurrection. Please join me, dear friend as we consider this all important truth. For in this we are agreed: If the resurrection of Jesus Christ is true, life itself must be defined by that truth. --- 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) <EXHORTATIONAL> WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR YOUR LIFE? Connie Giordano "Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success." - Bernard Edinger Various writers have commented on the subject of the Will of God. Some of their statements are as follows: John Blanchard: "A man in the centre of God's will is never 'just' anything." Sinclair Ferguson: "The will of God means death to our own will, and resurrection only when we have died to all our own plans." David Thomas: "The greatest folly in the universe is to oppose the will of God." As our opening quote states, there is no failure inside the will of God, and there is no success outside of it. Matthew 6:10 - If this statement is true - which it is - then it would behoove us as Christians to never start a day without earnestly praying for God's Will to be done in our lives just as it is done in heaven. Is this how you start your day, O Christian? Do you begin by asking the Lord to do that which He pleases in you and yours? Do you cry out to Him for His enabling grace in order to fulfill His purpose for your life? Do you earnestly plead that you would be brought into obedience to His commands? Do you petition Him, asking that all aspects of your life may be ruled by Him? God desires that we know His will. Ephesians 5:17 tells us - "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Because of the evil times in which we live, we cannot ever afford to be reckless in our use of the time allotted to us by God. In our manner of living, we must constantly have a thorough understanding of our duty before Him. This is generally obtained by acquainting ourselves with Him and His ways through the study of His Word. So many are puzzled over the specific Will of God for their lives. Their minds are plagued with such questions as: Which job should I take? Where should I live? Is it God's Will for me to be married? How many children should I have? Which church should I attend? What should I do with my life? Should I pursue the ministry? Should I go to the mission field? Should I pursue a career? Did God call me to preach and teach His Word? Which college or Bible School should I attend, if any? Should I buy a home, vehicle, a certain appliance for my home, etc. and go in debt? Many times we do not know God's specific Will for our lives because we are not wholly walking in His general Will as outlined in the Scriptures. For instance, 1 Peter 4:2 tells us - "That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." Many do not have the answers that they so desperately need because they are still living "in the flesh to the lusts of men" rather than "to the will of God." They are not yet totally dead to sinful lusts and corrupt desires or to the world and its enticements. They have made the "lusts of men" the rule of their lives rather than God's commands and dictates. This is the reason why many are in a state of confusion. They are trying to serve two Masters - the World and Jesus. The Scriptures are very clear concerning the Will of God for the sinner. Matthew 18:14: "Even so it is not the will of your Father Which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." Therefore, if you have unsaved family members, you can be certain that God wills that every one of them be saved. You can pray with utmost confident and boldness before the Throne of Grace for their soul's salvation. 1 John 5:14-15: "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." James 1:18: The instrument which God uses to convert sinners is His Gospel - the Word of Truth - "Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." His will is that all sinners would become "a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." The "firstfruits" is the first selected from anything. It is that which is first in time. It is that portion which is reserved for and consecrated to God and considered as His treasure. It is holy unto the Lord. The Scriptures are also very clear concerning the will of God for the Christian. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 tells us - "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification..." What is God's Will for every believer? 1 Peter 1:16 adds that living a holy life is His Will for every Christian - "...BE YE HOLY; FOR I AM HOLY." This demands that we abstain from all wickedness which defiles the soul, and that we quit unholy and ungodly habits which we performed before conversion. It requires that we stop sinning completely and begin to cultivate godly principles in our lives. It also calls for us to bring our character in accordance with His as outlined in the pages of Scripture. In James 1:21, the Apostle admonished us to - "...lay apart all filthiness..." This entails laying aside or casting from us all corrupt and sinful behavior and habits as well as suppressing all unholy affections and passions. We cannot do that unless we consider sin as being totally disgusting, offensive, loathsome, and filthy. Why is it that many in the Body of Christ do not have God's clear direction for their lives? Simply, because they are not fully surrendered to Him. There may be an area where they are still endeavouring to live according to the "lusts of men" - pleasing men - rather than doing the Will of God which is serving the Lord in utmost sanctification - separation from this world and its defiling ways and mannerisms. 1 John 2:17 - The Apostle John warned us that the things of this world were vain and continually vanishing, fading, and perishing - "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof..." The "lust" of this world plays before the worldling's eyes like a pageant, offering great amusement. But it is only for a moment for it soon fades. Many are involved in this mad pursuit for vanity and what amounts to - delusions of grandeur. Only he who loves God and does His Will will live for ever - "...but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." How important is it that we know God's Will and do it? Bernard Edinger, in our opening quote, stated that it was a matter of enjoying success or failure. 1 John 2:17 - The Apostle John made it much more serious than that - He stressed that it was a matter of eternal life in Heaven or eternal damnation in Hell. How important is it that we know God's Will for our lives and do it? It is extremely important! It behooves us as Christians that we not live our lives to the "lust of men," following the mannerisms, customs, and dictates of this world. Also, it behooves us to live holy lives, having absolutely nothing to do with sin. If so, we will never be "unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." We will know our duty and perform it. Matthew 25:21 - Then when we die, we will be welcomed into heaven as a "good and faithful servant." May God Bless His Word - Connie --- Copyright 2002 Connie Giordano _______________________________________________________________________ (3) <DOCTRINAL> SHALL WE MEET OUR LOVED ONES AGAIN? (PART-5) A STUDY OF 1 CORINTHIANS 15 D.L. Moody ... BROUGHT TO LIGHT BY CHRIST: What was unknown by the wisest men on earth was revealed by Christ. He "abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." "That undiscovered country," spoken of by the poet, "from whose bourn no traveller returns," is not an undiscovered country to the believer. Our Lord explored it. He entered the lists against Death in His own territory and came off more than conqueror. The sceptre of Death is universal still, but it is broken and shall one day crumble into dust. The Christian need no longer speculate about the future: certainty is reached beside the empty tomb of Christ. "Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept." We can see the trace of His returning footprints. TRIUMPH: And so we can join in the triumphant strain, "Death is swallowed up of victory." The sting of death is sin, and God has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. They which have fallen asleep in Christ have not perished, but we shall one day see them face to face. What a Gospel of joy and hope we have, compared to that of unbelief! The heathen sorrowed without hope, wrote Dr. Bonar: "To them death connected itself with no hope, no brightness, no triumph. It was not sunset to them, for that bids us be on the lookout for another sun, as bright as that which set. It was not autumn or winter, for these speak of returning spring and summer. It was not seed cast into rough soil, for that predicts the future tree or flower, more beautiful than the seed. It was pure and simple darkness, all cloud, shadow, desolation." "A shattered pillar, a ship gone to pieces, a race lost, a harp lying on the ground with snapped strings and all its music lost, a flowerbud crushed -- these were the sad utterances of their hopeless grief. The thought that death was the gate of life came not in to cheer the parting and brighten the sepulchre. The truth that the grave was the soil and the body the seed sown by God's own hand to call out the latent life; that the race was not lost, but transferred to another building and another city to be "a pillar in the house of God," that the bud was not crushed, but transplanted for fuller expansion to a kindlier soil and air; that the harp was not broken, but handed to a truer minstrel who will bring out all the rich compass of its hidden music: these were things that had no place in their theology, hardly in their dreams." [To be concluded] _____________________________________________________________________ (4) <PROPHETICAL> "THE REDEEMER'S RETURN" (PART-54) THE IMMINENCY OF THE REDEEMER'S RETURN Arthur W. Pink .... 4. Why is it that our Lord has tarried till now? Why has not the Redeemer returned long ere this? (2/2) Why has not the Lord returned ere this? We answer-- Second, in order that God might fully display His long-sufferance. "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:8, 9). All through these nineteen centuries the Lord has been saying, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Ever since the Saviour left the earth, God has been dealing with the world in mercy instead of visiting it with judgment. God's patience toward our wicked race has been truly marvellous. Wonderful it is that the vials of His wrath have not been emptied upon the nations long ere this. What long-sufferance Jehovah hath shown in bearing with such rebels these twenty centuries! Why is it that the Day of Salvation has lasted until it now exceeds in length every dispensation that has preceded it? Why is it that the door of mercy still stands open wide and God is yet beseeching sinners to be reconciled to Himself? Why is it that Christ has not long, long ago returned in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not His Gospel? Why is it that He is not even now seated upon the Throne of His Glory and saying to His enemies, "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels"? Why? Ah! why? Because the Lord God is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish. Suppose that Christ had returned five, ten, twenty, fifty years ago, then, in such case, how many who read these lines rejoicing that they have been accepted in the Beloved, would have perished in their sins! Join, then, with the writer in returning thanks for the marvellous long-sufferance of our gracious God. Why has not the Lord returned ere this? We answer-- Third, in order that God might fully test the faith of His own people. This has ever been His way. Why those years of waiting before Abraham received Isaac? Why that protracted bondage in Egypt, when the chosen groaned beneath the burdens imposed on them by their cruel taskmasters? Why those four centuries of silence between the ministries of Malachi and John the Baptist? Why a four thousand years interval from the giving of the promise of the woman's Seed until its realization? Why?--to test the faith of His people, to demonstrate the reality of their confidence in Him. So in this dispensation. Why has our Lord tarried so long in the Father's house? Why these eighteen centuries for His church to journey through the wilderness of the world? Why is it that the first, the second, and the third "watch" has passed and yet our Lord has not come? Why did God permit the Blessed Hope to be recovered almost a hundred years ago, and still the Bridegroom tarries? Why this earnest expectation on the part of His own for three generations past and even now the heavens are silent? Why tarry the wheels of His chariot? Why?--because God would fully test the faith of His people. Why is He pleased to do this? To the praise of the glory of His grace. Perhaps to demonstrate to the angels, to whom we are "made a spectacle"(1 Cor. 4:9), that God has a people who by His grace can trust Him even amid the darkness of a profound mystery! Wonderful are the ways of our God. Scoffers may cry "Where is the promise of His coming?" Evil servants may exclaim "my Lord delayeth His coming," and our own wicked hearts may sometimes be tempted to murmur against the long delay, nevertheless, it shall yet be seen that He "doeth all things well." [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 _______________________________________________________