Scattered or Gathered?

Dear class,

Today's readings are taken from Nehemiah 1-3 and Revelation 15.

In Nehemiah, we read of how Nehemiah set out to restore Jerusalem.
It seems that the people have not learnt! Previously it had to do with the restoration of the temple. (c.f. Haggai 1) Now the people displayed the same indolence and apathy with the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The result is a motly crew looking each one only of his own with no part with God's law.

Brethren we too can fall in a state of being scattered. As the Chinese put it - like a pan of loose sand. With no form and strength.
The cause? - v. 7 tells us it was simply because the people had neglected the commandments of God.
If we deny God and His Word, He will deny us! (2Ti 2:12) The result is separation and susceptibility to attack. The herd that stays together will ward of the most vicious predator. And the predator knows a scattered flock is easy prey.

Conversely, if we were to turn back to God and keep His commandments, God has promised us to gather together in a common dwelling place and in the NT context, in Christ Jesus.
We talked about this briefly in class - God will provide! Regardless of how far flung a soul may be, how "impossible" it seems for the Word to reach the remotest areas. Where there are willing souls, God will provide the means. For the members in the body, it remains for us to continually recognise the fact that we are all members one of another (Rom 12:5; Eph 4:25) fitly joined together (Eph 4:16), bonded together in love (Col 3:14).

With so many examples before us, we certainly have little excuse not to be gathered and remain so in the fold of God.
The Lord help us to take heed and continually study to put God's Word in our hearts.

The Lord bless our day ahead.

in Him
Paul

--
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ~ Hebrews 3:13
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. ~ Acts 10:34,35

We Have a Choice

Dear class,

Today's readings are taken from Esther 4-7 and Revelation 11.

Observe v. 14 in Esther 4
For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

In context, Mordecai was reminding Esther of her obligation as a Jew to save her own people. And indeed her own life!
Notice the first part "then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from ANOTHER place." and then "but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed"

Brethren, sometimes we seem to think "oh so and so didn't have a choice, it was God's will". Judas Iscariot often comes to mind. He's the "unsung hero". Without him, Christ would not have died and the world would still be in sin.
This passage in Esther clearly highlights the fact that all of us HAVE A CHOICE. Yes, God's Will will be done. BUT we will still have to bear our own consequences. Esther could have been a coward and refuse to speak to the king. As Mordecai pointed out, God would have another means to deliver His people, but Esther may very well still be killed.
I have no doubt that even if Judas had not betrayed Jesus, God's will would still have been done. God merely made use of his betrayal. It was Judas' OWN choice to betray Jesus. He was offered a chance to repent but blew it away yet again when he decided to take his own life. Again his OWN choice.

On the other hand, we have one like Joseph who made the right choice to resist his master's wife's advances, yet was maligned and thrown into jail. But in the end, Joseph finally rose up from the ashes and became Egypt's prime minster.
What if Joseph had succumbed? Perhaps he might have conspired with the wife and murdered Potiphar. And then maybe, the wife might have gotten tired of him and got rid of him. Or what if Joseph died in prison?

You see brethren, we can go on and on in endless speculation. The fact of the matter is that we have a choice to do what is right in God's sight and that is really all that matters.
Esther could have been killed if the king did not raise his sceptre. Joseph could have been forgotten and died in prison. OR Esther could have kept mum and perhaps continue to enjoy the pleasures of royalty. Joseph could have succumbed and continue to enjoy his good fortune. But in the former cases, both would have been righteous before God and have their place in heaven, while in the latter, despite possible material success, would have been condemned to hell.
Our choices should be based on what is right. Not all right choices will have favourable consequences (at least in the worldly sense)! But ultimately, doing so, we will have our ETERNAL reward in heaven.
Question is - would we rather die as the rich man or as Lazarus?

God help us all to always choose the right thing to do.

in Him
Paul

--
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ~ Hebrews 3:13
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. ~ Acts 8:5
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ~ Acts 8:12

The Lion-Lamb

Dear class,

The reading today is taken from Ezra 1:1-4; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:5-2:70 and Revelation 5.

We read of the "Lion of the tribe Judah" and the Lamb with "seven horns and seven eyes"
Once again, we note that the book of Revelation is written primarily in figurative language.
The "seven" here refers not to the number but the idea of perfection. The Lamb was to have perfect power (horn representing power) and the Holy Spirit.

In total contrast to worldly wisdom, here was the King of Kings, one whose dominion was to be forever and ever, having been slain as the perfect sacrifice who is the one who will finally judge the world.
The Lamb was slain to redeem us, with His sinless blood (1Pe 1:18-20). v. 9 tells us that it is His blood that would redeem us to God and that this privilege was extended to everyone and anyone who would render obedience. It is also through His sacrifice that we are consecrated as a holy priesthood, to offer up sacrifices acceptable to God (1Pe 2:5)

Even as we look forward to the glorious day of His appearing, let us be reminded of the precious price that was paid for our redemption and be diligent to present ourselves as a holy priesthood, in the manner pleasing before God.

The Lord bless our day ahead.

in Him
Paul

--
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ~ Hebrews 3:13
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. ~ Acts 8:5
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ~ Acts 8:12

Of the Dead and the Glorious

Dear class,

Today's readings are taken from Daniel 7,8 and Revelation 3:1-13

In the account of Rev 3:1-13, we read of 2 contrasting churches, Sardis and Philadelphia - one dead, one a glorious pillar.

As we examine closer we note a few pertinent points:

1) Works
Both have them! But one is described as "dead" and "not...perfect". Certainly reminds us of what Jesus mentioned in Mat 7:21-23.
The other has an interesting comparison to the opening and shutting of a door. Certainly, if God be for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31) And verse 8 tells us the key to it all - Keep His Word and deny not His name.
There can only be one way to claim righteous works - by abiding in His Word. And thence, can we claim to uphold God's name and not deny Him. Indeed oftentimes, we deny His name not in our words but through our actions.

2) Hold fast
To both churches, Jesus exhorted them to hold fast that which is good. We think of a lifeline. First of all, it must be the correct one! An unsecure lifeline is as good as death itself. God, through His Word tells us which is the true lifeline. Then having identified so, we hang on for our "dear life" and never let go!

3) There is hope
Even amid the damning proclamation, there remains hope for the repentant. If only we bring to remembrance our first love. Hence it points to the importance of Christians being exhorted and reminded of one another (c.f. 2Pe 1:12,13,15; 3:1; Heb 3:13). There is hope for the faithful in times of trials and tribulations, if only we would trust and hang on to the Word. (v.10)
Tough times don't last but tough Christians do! We need to be constantly reminded that our afflictions are but for a moment, in contrast to eternity. (2Co 4:17,18) Can we afford to let up? Let no man take our crown, yea even ourselves!

Let us continue to hold fast to our profession of faith (Heb 10:23) and look forward to the day of His appearing! (2Ti 4:8)

The Lord bless our day ahead.

in Him
Paul

--
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ~ Hebrews 3:13
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. ~ Acts 8:5
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ~ Acts 8:12

Contend For The Faith

Dear class,

Today's readings are taken from Ezekiel 47,48; 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34 and Jude.

One of the most oft quoted passage in the book of Jude is Jude 3
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

We note that this is THE faith, the system of faith in Christ Jesus (Gal 2:16;20; Col 1:23, etc), as opposed to "personal" faith or conviction (Heb 11:1 ff; Rom 10:17, etc.)  The Greek word root here for contend is "agonizomai", interestingly from where we get agony!
According to Strong's the literal meaning alludes to competing for a prize. Generally, to endeavour to accomplish something, fight, labour fervently, strive.
Thus, contained here are 2 basic concepts -
1) The faith is something we can grasp, attain to, labour to keep within. (Col 2:7; 2Ti 4:7)
2) The faith is something we need to defend. (Phi 1:17; 1Pe 3:15)

And yes indeed something at times we "agonise" over! It is a day to day endeavour to keep and defend THE faith!
We will experience persecution (2Ti 3:12), we will be spoken evil of (1Pe 4:4), we will be beset with cares and threats within the church (c.f. 2Co 11:28; 2Ti 4:3-5), we may very well have to forsake our closest ones and our lives (Luk 14:26)

Yet Jesus promised us a great reward in heaven and life eternal (Luk 6:23; Jhn 12:25), and inheritance in all things (Rev 21:7). Wherefore, we have great joy (1Th 2:19) even as we look forward to the Day of His appearing (2Ti 4:8).

The Lord bless us in our daily walk with Him.

In Him
Paul


--
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ~ Hebrews 3:13
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. ~ Acts 2:47

Diotrephes and Demetrius

Dear class,

Today's readings are taken from Ezekiel 45, 46 and 3 John.

3 John is a short letter of encouragement. It is interesting to note the 2 men that were mentioned as examples - Diotrephes and Demetrius.

First of all, we note that it was a God sanctioned act on the apostle's part to "name names". Both for positive and negative. The congregation has the obligation to do as such.
Paul exhorted the brethren to "mark" and "note" erring brethren (Rom 16:17; 2Th 3:14). He himself named Demas, which must have been a painful thing for him, since Demas had once been a faithful brother, yet fell away due to the lures of the world (c.f. Phm 1:24; Col 4:14; 2Ti 4:10). "Labeling" is an authorised measure to be taken when dealing with erring brethren. However, we do note that there should be a progression of rebuke, a concept as alluded to be Jesus in Mat 18:15-17. Very often, people get defensive when things suddenly blow out of proportion and we have a potential congregational split at hands. Also we note in 2Th 3:15 that we are to continue to admonish the fallen "as a brother". Something which is unfortunately is often lacking.

What was the problem with Diotrephes? It appears that there was some sort of "power" struggle. In the same letter, John had encouraged the brethren to receive faithful brethren, and had written to the church previously (v. 9a), yet here was Diotrephes which sought to do just the opposite. Not only that, he even falsely accused John and the saints with him and sowed discord between the brethren and them. (v.10)
Diotrephes had not only failed to "do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." (Gal 6:10) and "refresh" the saints (2Ti 1:16), and worse, was guilty of "malice", "evil speakings" and "envy" (Eph 4:31; 1Pe 2:1, etc)

In contrast was Demetrius, who had "good report of all men, and of the truth itself" (v.12a). Little was mentioned of this faithful brother. The only other reference in the bible of this name was in Act 19:24,38, where Demetrius was a well-known silversmith making shrines of the goddess Diana. There's no indication that this would have been the same person, although Gaius (the recipient of the letter) was also mentioned in the account in Acts (v. 29). But if it were, it is definitely a great testament to the power of the gospel in the conversion of a staunch idol worshipper (maybe more of riches! c.f. v.24b,25b) to a well-favoured brother in Christ. His conversion would have meant a sacrifice on his part of a well paying career and likely the wrath of his fellow silversmiths.
We notice an individual who was in favour with God and men. This was the very quality exhibited by Jesus (Luk 2:52). Yet as shown in Jesus' example, this did not mean faithful brethren would not have enemies.

John left us with a very important concept in v.11 "Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God."
Previously, John had exhorted the brethren to "try the (every) spirits" (1Jn 4:1). Paul also told us to "prove all things" (1Th 5:21). Further, Jesus taught us to "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." (Jhn 7:24), while Paul warned against people who had an outward appearance of righteousness (2Co 10:7). We are all too familiar with Jesus' warning of those who apparently does what is right but in actual fact practiced iniquity (Mat 7:21-23).
So here's the deal - we should not let ourselves be carried away by individuals who have a personal agenda, even when he has the greatest personality and charisma, and yea even when he seemingly engages in the greatest of works. The Word is our only guide to sift out such people and we should be disciplined to apply It consistently to every situation/individual.

Let us all seek to be Demetriuses and be wary of and mark the Diotrepheses and let no anyone of us fall into the category of the latter!

The Lord bless our day ahead.

in Him
Paul


--
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ~ Hebrews 3:13
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. ~ Acts 2:47