Contents:
------------
1) <Exhortation> "The last day's boaster" - Connie Giordano
2) <Bible-Study> "The letters to the 7 churches in Asia (Pt-6) -C.E.Wigg
3) <Poem> "Jehovah-Jireh - The Lord will Provide" - William Cowper

1) <EXHORTATION>
"A LAST DAYS' BOASTER"
Connie Giordano

What is the answer to all of the "evil" boastings going on in these Last
Days? Man must get his focus back on God as being his sole ground of
confidence and reliance. He must make Him his joy and praise. His every
expectation must come from Him.

The Apostle Paul told us in 2 Timothy 3:1-2 that, in the Last Days, there
would be a group of people who we could expect on every side of us. They
would be called the "Boasters" - "This know also, that in the last days
perilous times shall come, For men shall be...boasters..."

These are people who are proud, self-assuming, vain-glorious, conceited, and
arrogant. They value themselves above all others, while despising and
looking upon their fellow man with scorn.

Many, if not all, of them are God rejectors.

In Romans 1:21-22, the Apostle Paul tells us that, because they do not give
God His rightful place in their lives, they are "vain" - "Because that, when
they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but
became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools."

Do you know of any "boasters" today? Have you become one of them? Are you
filled with an inordinate self-conceit because you are failing to glorify
God in your life? Or perhaps you are not thankful to God for His many
blessings because you feel as though you have played an important role in
gathering together all of your various accomplishments in life. You will
glorify someone. Who will it be? God, another man, or yourself?

In Psalm 34:1-2, David proclaimed - "I will bless the LORD at all times: His
praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the
LORD..."

"Bless the LORD at all times."
Continual praise in our mouths.
Making our boast in the Lord.

This is the only remedy against becoming a Last Days' "Boaster" as the
Apostle Paul described them. As Christians, we are to rejoice in the Lord at
all times. He is to be prominent in our everyday thoughts. From Him must
come our value and our every expectation. In Psalm 44:8, the Psalmist said -
"In God we boast all the day long..."

In other words, we do not boast in our God in a momentary or temporary
fashion - it is a continual and constant expression of our feelings. It is a
habitual employment for our soul. God is our one and only ground of
confidence and reliance, and we are not afraid or ashamed to continuously
express Him as such. Our boast is in the Lord Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 10:3 - The Scriptures tell us that it is the "wicked"
Psalm 94:4 - and the "workers of iniquity" who boast in themselves.

Psalm 10:3 - The "wicked" boasts of his heart's desire.
He boasts in the fact that he can do what he pleases.
Because he considers himself as being superior to others, he looks with
disdain and contempt upon others. He prides himself on his wealth, strength,
beauty, power, success, and talents. He also boasts in how often he
gratifies his various passions, desires, and lusts. He boasts in his sin.
Psalm 94:4 - He is a "worker of iniquity."

The wicked has no place for God in his heart. Psalm 97:7 says that he boasts
in "idols." Because he does not glorify God in his life, he looks to other
things or persons to be his protector and benefactor.

Such should never be the case for the Christian. Our boast should always be
in the Lord.

Psalm 49:6 - The "workers of iniquity" "boast themselves in the multitude of
their riches." They take great pride in their wealth. They feel as though
they are safer and stronger than others because of it. They attribute their
greatness and happiness in life to it. They consider themselves more
excellent than their neighbors and actually feel that their wealth is a sure
token of God's favor and approval upon their lives.

The "workers of iniquity" are full of this world - the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes, but especially the boastful pride of life. They are
full of selfish ambition, thirsting after the honor, admiration, praise, and
applause of men. Their "vain" mind craves after the grandeur and pomp of the
vain-glorious life.

But the Christian is not so. His boast is in the Lord. In God he boasts all
the day long.

The "worker of iniquity" boasts of false gifts.
As Proverbs 25:14 describes him, he is "like clouds and wind without rain."
He is big on his promises, but performs nothing.
He is a bragging man who pretends to give or receive so much.
He is always promising others that he will perform great feats for them, but
never follows through with his promises.
James 3:5 - His tongue boasts of "great things."
He is a great disappointment to all.

Proverbs 27:1 - Because this "worker of iniquity" lives without God in his
life, he boasts of tomorrow. He presumes upon time to come. He speaks of it
with no regard to the will of God or the submission to it.

James 4:16 - The Apostle James calls such boasting - "evil" - "But now ye
rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil."

What is the answer to this "evil" boasting in these Last Days? Man must get
his focus back on God as being his sole ground of confidence and reliance.
He must make Him his joy and praise. His every expectation must come from
Him.

Oh, Christian, we may not feel as though we can change the whole world of
its evil, but we can certainly start with our own lives, homes, and
families. We can make a concerted effort to not be a Last Days' Boaster as
the Apostle Paul prophesied. We can determine - starting with this day -
that we are going to individually and collectively make our boast in the
Lord all the day long. From Him and Him alone come our expectation and hope.
If riches increase, we will not set our hearts upon them. In God and God
alone is our salvation and our glory.
---
(c) 2003 Connie Giordano
_______________________________________________________________________

2) <BIBLE-STUDY>
"THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES IN ASIA" - (PART 6)
Charles E. Wigg

The Ephesians had borne much for the Lord, He twice mentions their patience,
but all this could not atone for the grievous fact that they had left their
first love. It was something else that motivated them in all their many
activities. It was not the warm glow of their first love for Christ.

They had fallen from that lofty height, and probably did not even know it.
But the Lord Jesus called them to remember, and to repent. To go back to
those first works, to the zeal and love for Christ that was their motive
then. He warned them that if they went on heedless, and refused to repent,
then He would remove their candlestick out of its place. It would seem that
they did not heed the warning, because there is no Christian testimony in
Ephesus today.

However the Lord commends them for the fact that they hated the deeds of the
Nicolaitans, and in this they were in tune with His great heart.

These Nicolaitins were people that practiced vile immorality. They taught
lascivious practices and life style. But the Ephesians hated their deeds.
The name they took comes from two Greek roots. Nico = I rule, and Laity =
the common people. There was a Church council held in early post Apostolic
times, where the doctrine of the Clergy and the Laity was propounded and
accepted This hateful doctrine has persisted down through the ages, and is
held and practiced today. Though there should be leadership in the Church,
yet the idea of men ruling over others within the Church is hateful to
Christ. This in the time of the writing of these letters, had also caused
many of those who held this doctrine to live dissolute lives, and sadly this
is true today, as is evidenced by the shameful disclosures that have shocked
righteous people in Australia, U.S.A, and other countries. And the
prevalence of divorce and re-marriage amongst those that take the position
of Pastors, etc.

This shows us that the Lord Jesus praised all that He could in that
Assembly, yet none of these things were sufficient for Him to allow the lamp
of testimony to continue to burn in Ephesus. His great longing was that the
believers there might repent of the fact that they had left their first
love. This is a solemn warning to believers wherever they are in the world
today. The insistence on correct doctrine and the maintaining of a correct
ecclesiastical position, or ground of gathering. The evidence of great zeal,
busyness in what we might call 'The Lord's work", none of these things,
(though right in themselves), can guarantee the continuing support and
blessing of the Lord. What He requires is warm-hearted devotion that flows
from a heart that is full of love for Him.

The sad truth was that what characterized the Church at Ephesus, was true of
the Church universally. Thus we have a prophetic revelation of the first
phase of the Church's history. The Writings of John were given to attempt to
stop this sad decline. In his gospel, and in his epistles, he sought to
bring the Church at large, back to a vital faith in Christ, and a deep firm
love for Him. [To be concluded]
---
[Reproduced by permission]
_______________________________________________________________________

3) <POEM>
"JEHOVAH-JIREH - THE LORD WILL PROVIDE - GEN 22.14"
William Cowper

The saints should never be dismay'd,
Nor sink in hopeless fear;
For when they least expect his aid,
The Saviour will appear.

This Abraham found: he raised the knife;
God saw, and said, "Forbear!
Yon ram shall yield his meaner life;
Behold the victim there."

Once David seem'd Saul's certain prey;
But hark! the foe's at hand;
Saul turns his arms another way,
To save the invaded land.

When Jonah sunk beneath the wave,
He thought to rise no more;
But God prepared a fish to save,
And bear him to the shore.

Blest proofs of power and grace divine,
That meet us in his word!
May every deep-felt care of mine
Be trusted with the Lord.

Wait for his seasonable aid,
And though it tarry, wait:
The promise may be long delay'd,
But cannot come too late.

------------------------------<BrethrenVoice>----------------------------
To be removed from the mailing list, send a blank eMail to:
<brethrenvoice-unsubscribe@...>
If you know of others who would enjoy receiving the <GLEANINGS>
in their email box every day, please could you tell them to send a blank
eMail to: <brethrenvoice-subscribe@...>.
To receive a statement of what we believe, send a blank eMail to:
<brethrenvoice-faq@...>
"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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------