THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM
“But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the City of the Living God,
the HEAVENLY JERUSALEM...” Heb. 12:22
The very thought of the city called Jerusalem in Canaan, stirred up the heart of every
Jew in the time of the O.T. saints. They praised Jerusalem. They wept for her when she was
in trouble. ‘If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not
remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem
above my chief joy.’ Psa 13 7:5,6. ‘Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem,’
‘Pray for the ‘peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love thee; peace be within thy
walls and prosperity within thy palaces. (Psa. 122: 2,6,7.) These Scriptures show how they
loved, cherished, cared for, and delighted in that beautiful city. When Nehemiah heard that
‘the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down and the gates thereof are burned with fire’, he
sat down (having lost all physical strength through grief ) and wept and mourned certain
days and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.’ (Neh 1:3,4). And when the king
asked him ‘Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? This is nothing else but
the sorrow of heart’, he replied, ‘Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city,
the place of my fathers’ sepulchres lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with
fire.” (Neh 2: 2,3)
If that earthly Jerusalem had captured the spirits of the zealous Jews and stirred up
their loyalty, love and devotion for her, can a man call himself a true Christian if he is not
stirred up by the very thought of the heavenly Jerusalem which is far greater and far more
glorious than the earthly Jerusalem, which shall pass away? St. Paul loved the heavenly
Jerusalem and called her the ‘the mother of us all’. (Gal 4:26.)
A TYPE
The earthly Jerusalem serves as a type of two things. Firstly, it typifies the
heavenly Jerusalem which is above. Secondly, it typifies the Church, (both individually and
collectively). Christ compared His followers (the Church) to ‘a city that is set on an hill’
which cannot be hid. (Matt 5:14). God told Jeremiah, ‘Behold, I have made thee this day, a
defenced city.. .against the whole land’. (Jer 1:18) In other words, it shows the constructive
work God can do in the life of a surrendered child of God.
Greatness of Jerusalem
The promised land, called Canaan, was given to Abraham’s children, according
to the covenant God had made with Abraham. God loved Abraham for his obedience
and loyalty. Therefore He ‘espied for them’ this beautiful land which is ‘the glory of all
lands’ (Eze 20:6). In the days of David, Jerusalem became the metropolis of Canaan. It
was called ‘The perfection of beauty,’ ‘the joy of the whole earth’. (Lam 2:15). No wonder
they were so proud of that city.
This suggests how much more we should be proud of our heavenly Jerusalem
which Jesus has gone to prepare for us. Situated far above all heavens, it is going to
be the most glorious, the most beautiful and the most joyful spot in the heavenly regions in
eternity. No wonder, that, when St. John saw that beautiful city, clothed with the very glory
of God, he could think of no other comparison than a ‘Bride adorned for her husband.’
(Rev. 21: 2)
It is time for every true believer in Christ to catch a vision of New Jerusalem. Jesus
is building a beautiful New Jerusalem in your heart today, while He is also building the
heavenly Jerusalem above. The Church that is caught up at His coming is going to be the
most glorious, the most beautiful and the most joyful group, shining in radiance, reigning
together with Christ.
Jebusites
Though God’s desire was that Jerusalem should be the metropolis of
Canaan. the Jews could not utterly overcome the Jebusites, the heathen race in
possession of that city. They were too strong to be overcome by the children of
Israel, though the promise was ‘Every place that the sole of thy foot shall tread
upon, that have I given unto you.’
(Josh. 1:3), and ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of
thy life.’ (Josh 1:5). Though it was God who was going to fight the battles for them, yet,
the children of Israel failed to have faith in God.
David
Since the time of Joshua, there arose a number of men of valour such as Gideon,
Jephthah Samson, Samuel, and Saul; but none of them could overcome the Jebusites and
possess Jerusalem, till David, the man after the heart of God, came to the throne. He knew
in his heart that Jerusalem was a God-chosen city where He wanted to dwell and establish
His name. Therefore his heart was stirred against the Jebusites. Standing on the promises
of God, he went to possess Jerusalem. But the Jebusites refused entrance into the city,
saying ‘Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shall not come in’ hither;
thinking David cannot come in hither.’ (II Sam. 5:6). Probably they thought of frightening
David with the threat of breaking his legs and blinding his eyes, as they had done to those
who attempted to possess it. But David could not be threatened because he knew his God
in whose name and strength he relied. He advanced his army into Jerusalem, and possessed
Jerusalem and also possessed the ‘strong hold of Zion’ (II Sam 5:7). He knew that God had
trodden down the Jebusites when He promised Joshua, ‘There shall not any man be able to
stand before thee.’ Josh 1:5 (‘Jebusites’ mean ‘a trodden down’ race.)
Even in our spiritual race, our victory over Satan and our possessing our heavenly
blessings depend on how much we cleave unto God, trusting in His Word. Satan, the
spiritual Jebusite, cannot prevail against us. He was trodden down under the feet of Jesus
at Calvary. Don’t allow Satan to blind your eyes or break your legs. Christ is the David of
the New Testament. He is the Lion of Judah. He has utterly destroyed Satan on Calvary.
Having spoiled the principalities and powers and dominion of Satan, He ascended far above
all heavens, and is now on Zion (Rev 14:1) the highest peak of the city of heavenly
Jerusalem. He has opened a new and living way for us to go to Him.
Many don’t want to hear any more of Zion or New Jerusalem, just because they see
some who have preached so much about these lovely places in heaven, are in the gutters
today, blinded and crippled by the prince of the power of the air (Satan). These blinded
preachers have lost the vision of this glorious city. Therefore they deny the very existence
of these heavenly places, as they cannot see them any more, neither can they run the race,
being crippled. The beautiful Zion or Jerusalem which was getting built in their hearts by
the Holy Spirit is destroyed now, and burned with fire by Satan.
The reason why?
Why did the Jews love Jerusalem? I shall give you just a few reasons why God had
chosen the City of Jerusalem. (1) To put His name there - II Kings 21:4; (2) To build His
temple there - I Kings 9:3; (3) To declare His praise – Isa - 62:7; (4) To set His throne -
Jer. 3:17; (5) To set the thrones of kings to reign with Him - Psa. 122:5; (6) To dwell with
His saints - Psa 35:21; (7) To rejoice with His people - Isa. 65:19; and (8) To defend His
people - Isa. 31:5..
Applying these things to our personal life, and to our eternal rewards, we can see that
He has chosen us to make us a beautiful city inwardly, clothed with His glory, a. city set on
a mountain that cannot be hid; He wants us to be His temple today, being filled with the
Holy Spirit, and later be a glorified temple for Him in that City above. He wants to reveal
His praise and glory in our Christian life, so that we may be clothed with His glory in New
Jerusalem, revealing His glory to other regions in heavenly places. He wants to reign in us
today that we may reign with Him, sharing His throne in eternity. He also wants to rejoice
with us on the highest plane of love and fellowship with Him.
Therefore, let us press forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ.
—To be Continued.
Destroy The Amalekites
“Now go and smite Amalek, and witerly destroy all that they,;
have, and spare them not; but slay, both man and woman,
infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”
1 Sam. 15 : 3.
Here, the prophet Samuel brings a message from the Lord to king Saul. He reminds
Saul that he has been anointed king over Israel, and that it is his duty, now, to utterly destroy
all the Amalekites and their belongings.
What wrong had the Amalekites done? In the time of Moses they had attacked the
people of Israel - all the weak ones - in Rephidim. This was the occasion where the Scripture
says, “When Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed.” and when he let down his hand,
Amalek prevailed.” Ex. 17:11. God fought against the Amalekites and utterly destroyed
them.
Now the Lord’s message which we read earlier came to Saul, and as commanded by
the Lord he went against the Amalekites, but he did not utterly destroy them, He preserved
the king and the fatlings. 1 Samuel 15: 9. Saul’s conduct had grieved the Lord and he sent
Samuel again to Saul with the message that as Saul had rejected the Word of the Lord to
utterly destroy all the Amalekites, that the Lord would also reject him from being king. 1
Sam. 15:22.
What lesson is there for us in the command of the Lord and the conduct of king Saul?
We are an anointed people. We are anointed kings and priests unto the Lord. He would
have us also destroy all the Amalekites! Who are the Amalekites we have to face? They are
the enemies within us. Read Colossians 3:8. “Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate
affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry” — but they are not all.
And as we read further we find the Apostle exhorting the believers to put off the following:
“Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication and lying,” which are also
enemies that must go out our lives. The Song of Solomon Chapter 2: 15 refers to these
enemies as “the little foxes that spoil the vines.” All this shows how essential it is for those
who have received the anointing to be wholly sanctified, i.e. “to put off the old man with
his deeds, and put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge.’’
It is true that the Lord has pardoned all our sins; it is true that God has given us the
Holy Spirit. But it is likely there could yet be certain unsanctified traits in our lives. If we
sincerely desire to be fully sanctified, we must wait at the feet of the Lord to find out what
our shortcomings are, and when we realize what they are, we must ask God the Holy Spirit
to burn them out. If we do not destroy the Amalekites, the Amalekites will destroy us. It
Was an Amalekite that killed King Saul.
What is the purpose of sanctification through the Holy Spirit? It is to make us ready
to be the BRIDE OF CHRIST.
Many are truly anxious to serve the Lord, but they would like to do it in their own
way, rather than in accordance with God’s Word. Whatever we do as unto the Lord should
be strictly according to the Word of God. King Uzziah entered the temple of the Lord, to
burn incense. He was followed by Azariah the priest and other priests who withstood him
saying, “It appertaineth not unto thee Uzziah to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the
priests, the sons of Aaron that are consecrated to burn incense; go out of the sanctaury
for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God.” 2
Chronicles 26: 18. Then Uzziah was wroth with the priests, and while he was wroth with
the priests the leprosy rose up in his forehead, and he had to be thrust out of the house of
the Lord.
When we do things contrary to the Word of God instead of a blessing, what we do
will turn out to be a curse. So let us minister unto the Lord, each man in his calling,
according to the grace of God. Let us make our calling and election sure.
Let us search ourselves and look for the Amalekites that dwell in us. Then
we must destroy them by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we neglect to do this, a
time will come when we shall be too weak and the Amalekites will destroy us.
Therefore let us mortify the works of the flesh through the Spirit.
The Lord has given us the Holy Spirit, so that we may be made ready for His coming.
May the Lord give us grace to be sanctified by the spirit and be made ready for that day.
“Give me 100 men, who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care
not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen—such alone will shake the gates of hell
and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer.”
—Wesley.
Top
********
TESTI MON I ES
MY DELIVERANCE WAS FROM GOD
On the 24th of March I fell sick with a severe attack of dysentery, accompanied by
high fever and vomitting, I found it hard to bear my sickness and cried unto the Lord to
have mercy on me. I tried to get up on the second day and fell down unconscious, and had
to be carried to my bed. I found difficulty in breathing on the third day. My parents were
not able to be with me at first and the children of God, both workers and believers came
and prayed for me. ‘When my father came to see me he only kept on praising God so that
the abundant grace would be poured forth. (2 Cor. 4:15). When my mother was able to
travel, she did so wondering if she would see me alive, but the Lord spoke to her and
encouraged her. It was a shock for her to see me, but the Lord filled her in the Spirit and
comforted her. A pastor who came to pray for me had got the same message as my mother
and her faith was strengthened.
I received complete healing on the eighth day, but from day to day as the saints
prayed, my ailment was robbed of its vigour and I was regaining strength. Praise be to God!
Jesus is truly the Great Physician and when we believe Him for our healing He never
fails us.
I have also found Him to be my helper in all my difficulties. I praise and thank God
for His great mercy to me. Glory be to Him.
— NESAM LAZARUS
WHAT CHRIST MEANS TO ME
I come from a very devout Buddhist family in Gall Although I faithfully observed
the precepts of the Buddhist faith, yet there was a deep void within me which none
of these observances could fill. Nevertheless a way was opened . A copy of the Gospel
of St John fell into my hands and as I read of the sinless life of the Lord Jesus, and of His
suffering and death on the cross to save sinners, I was deeply moved and a voice within
me seemed to say, “My child, I suffered all this for you.” I decided then to forsake sin
and follow the resurrected Jesus. I had the assurance in my heart that my sins were
forgiven and I had peace within myself for sometime But without help I was unable to
maintain my spiritual life. The want of peace and harmony in my home had its effect on
me, and mine became a life of ups and downs till finally I gave myself to a
worldly life.
But God did not forget me. I had to come back to Him. When I was
eighteen, I was afflicted with a severe attack of catarrh. A pain in my chest and
swelling in my foot were also part of my afflictions, but these were nothing
compared to the severe headache which never left me. I was truly helpless and
was also devoid of sleep. No treatment answered. While I was in this pathetic
state I was led to meet the servants of God in Colombo. They spoke to me of
Divine Healing and as stated in the Bible they prayed for me anointing with oil
in the Name of Jesus. I was also moved to repentance and I truly repented and
confessed my sins before the Lord. While I was praying I felt a great burden
roll off me, and a great joy filled my heart. To my surprise I felt that all my
ailments had left me and glory to God I was able to sleep at night after that. My
healing led me to renew my consecration and I gave up my
worldly adornments as I realized that the ornament which is of great price in the
sight of the Lord is a “ meek and quiet spirit”.
Although I knew of Baptism by immersion it was not till after my healing that I was
baptised according to God’s word. In following the Lord wholly I had to face opposition
from my unconverted husband, but the Lord gave me grace to stand for Him. The joy that
the Lord gave me when He came to live in my heart was so real that neither suffering nor
persecution could take it away from me, and I cannot thank Him sufficiently for delivering
me from a life of darkness and ignora~ce. It is ten years since I got converted and I have
found Him to be sufficient for all things. Oh that many more shall know Him! Praise the
Lord!
— Mrs. .Salgado, Mt. Lavinia.
NOT FOR SALE
You cannot buy brains. You cannot Buy the artist’s touch, the musicians’ ear, or the
gift of song.
You cannot buy a good name, an easy conscience, or the right to pay. You cannot buy
a big, manly heart or the faith of a little child.
You cannot buy a good man’s confidence or a woman’s love. Neither can you buy
happiness - often it has a way of running from the person with great possessions.
Much less can you buy self-respect, or a place in the kingdom of heaven. If you enjoy
these blessings you must thank the Giver of every good and perfect gift.
— Christian Messanger.
Top
********
AN APPRECIATION
Pastor N.G. Thomas
“His servants shall serve Him; they shall see His face and His name shall
be in their foreheads.”
Rev. 22:3,4
Our beloved Pastor N. G. Thomas, who left us to be with the Lord on 23rd January,
1964 has truly become worthy of this honour. 1
Born to an orthodox Christian family in the year 1911, he was brought up in Ranni,
Kerala State. Early in life, he dedicated himself for preaching the glorious gospel of the
Lord Jesus. This happened when his family was stricken with a deadly disease (typhoid)
which took away one of the members of his family. Only Pastor Thomas and
another of his sisters were spared. He decided that if God would save the rest of his
family from the scourge of this illness, he would spend his life in serving the Lord. The
Lord answered his prayer and at the age of 13, our beloved brother began to preach the
Gospel. There were other men of God like Sadhu Kochukunju (also of Kerala) who gave
him the needed spiritual help and guidance in this ministry. Amidst difficulties and
persecution from his own brethren, he served God with great enthusiasm. Being so
burdened for souls while preaching the word and in prayer, we are told that he would weep
for perishing souls.
In 1936, God baptised him with the Holy Spirit. He also had a gift of laying of hands
and casting out devils. God further revealed to him the truth of baptism and he obeyed the
Lord in taking baptism by Immersion. This was a definite turning-point in his life. The
church to which he belonged excommunicated him; his own father disowned him and
threatened to take away his life. Subsequently the Lord revealed to him the deeper
Pentecostal truth and he worked in co-operation with the I.P.C. in India and later joined the
C.P.M. ministry with his family, wife and 3 children.
With those of us who shared spiritual life with Pastor N. G. (as he was familiarly
known in Ceylon) he has left a true and lasting impression of spirituality that
will continue to be with us. Though his period of ministry in Ceylon was not very long,
yet he has won the hearts of people by his untiring efforts and his youthful spirit. Those
who had the occasion to move closely with him, will not fail to recognise in him the
youthful spirit of Caleb of old. He had been a man of prayer. The Lord had laid on him a
special burden for the servants of God. Being a father himself, he was a father to the
younger brethren and they could in their difficulties, always look up to him for comfort,
consolation and guidance.
It was really a joy to be present in the Tarrying Meetings that “Pastor N. G.”
conducted. Every single soul who attended the meetings would leave the place with a.
definite experience from God. He was a happy and cheerful worker. No matter what use
God had for him, He kept himself humble at all times. Truly it could be said of him that
“he refreshed the bowels of many.” The Lord has honoured his ministry and many have
been delivered from the power of darkness and brought to the Kingdom of God.
During the latter period of his life, he was ministering in Coimbatore where he took
very ill and was bed-ridden for nearly two months. Though failing health stood in the way
of his serving the Lord to his heart’s content, yet he never permitted discouragement to get
the better of him. He was always joyful in the Lord and had a word of encouragement for
everyone who came to him. He was gifted with a wonderful spirit of humour which stood
him in good stead under the most trying circumstances.
On Thursday, 23rd January, at 12-15 a.m., while saints of God were singing and
praising God around his bed, he passed away peacefully to be with the Lord whom he loved
so passionately and served so faithfully to the end. It could truly be said of “Pastor N.G.”
that he “fought a good fight finished his course, and kept the faith.” Now he has gone to
receive the crown of righteousness which the dear Lord has reserved for him. All glory to
His Name!
Top
********
THE CHURCH
HOUSE OF PRAYER
“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled
together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with
boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither
said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all
things common.” Acts 4:31-32.
The church - the Spirit baptised body of Christ conserves the power that comes from
above. When the church begins to pray, this divine power that shakes the earth and rends’
heaven to bless the people of God is released and begins to work. The secret of the
manifestation of this great dynamic of God is put within the reach of God’s praying people
who have received the blessed Holy Spirit as stated in Acts 2:4. “And they were all filled
with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.”
First, the Holy Ghost unites the hearts of God’s children in a perfect bond of love,
and multitudes of such people are so united in the Spirit that they look like one individual
in the presence of God. “And the multitudes of them that believed were of one heart and of
one soul.” This marvellous experience is vitally needed by believers today. While people
in the world find it difficult to unite and are growing more and more apart, the Lord is
continuing to work the miracle of bringing nations to live together as brethren through the
power of the Holy Spirit, and it is through the prayers with tears of such brethren that the
world can be saved.
The early church had not only discovered the power in oneness, but had also
maintained perfect oneness, by which attitude of mind, God was enabled to give them
immediate answers to their prayers. The church was saved from the hands of her
adversaries. And God did signs and wonders and mighty miracles to save and heal
thousands of souls each day. In the light of present day happenings, it would seem an
almost impossible task to bring thousands of believers to agree on one point in prayer, as
was possible in the early Church but the Lord Jesus Christ gave the key to the opening of
this shut door. He said, “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that
they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 18:19. If
two agreed and prayed it would result in unlimited blessings. That ‘which seemed
impossible would be accomplished and the devil’s power shattered, for the promise of
God is Heaven’s support for the agreeing two. If in an assembly such praying groups
could be formed and the few agreed and prayed, the Lord would honour their efforts and
bring in those who remained outside, thus extending their coasts.
Dear praying partner, do net delay. Start a praying group with those of similar
burden and vision. Meet daily if possible and pray together; if this is not convenient,
meet as often as you can and unburden your hearts before the Lord. Be open with your
praying partners. Bring all your difficult, problems to Jesus. You should pray for your
Christian brethren, for those who despitefully use you and persecute you Pray that the
Lord will raise up more praying groups. The Lord will abundantly reward you by
answering your prayers and the bitter waters would be made sweet for you and
your praying partners.
Individual and collective prayer through the Holy Ghost is the
weapon that Satan dreads most when it is used in the right way. “The weapons of
our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strongholds.’ 2 Cor. 10:6. We read in the book of Acts that while Peter was kept
in prison, “prayer was made by the Church without ceasing unto God for him”,
and God sent his angel and delivered Peter. He was awakened and spoken to. His
chains fell off from his hands, and girding himself Peter followed the angel as if
in a dream. The iron gate leading into the city opened of its own accord and Peter
passed on to the street, but only as one seeing a Vision. The key that opened the
iron gate was the “deliverance power that was released through the Church being
on her knees. It took quite some time for Peter to realise what had happened to
him. The Scripture says, “When Peter was come to himself.” God’s deliverance
power worked with such tremendous force! Ah! If the church today learns to pray
with such fervour what a number of chains would fall off; and how many iron
gates would open!
When God’s power was wholly manifested through prayer, Judaism the
spiritual prison - that the Jewish nation had built up on their traditions began to crumble
and thousands and thousands of captive Jews were brought into the glorious light of the
Gospel through the saving grace of God. Christians turned the world upside down. The
power behind the triumph of Christian faith has been the praying with one accord in the
power of the Holy Spirit. “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall
never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,
and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” Is
62:6-7.
VICTORY
“Now thanks be unto that God Who always leads us forth to triumph with the
Anointed One, and Who diffuscs by us the fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every
places. Cor. 2: 14. (Literal Translation)
When you are forgotten or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you smile
inwardly, glorying in the insult or the oversight, because thereby counted worthy to suffer
with Christ — that is victory.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your taste
offended, your advice disregarded your opinion ridiculed, and you take it all in patient,
loving silence — that is victory.
When you are content with any food, any raiment any climate, any society, any
solitude, any interruption by the will of God — that is victory.
When you can lovingly and patiently deal with an any disorder, any irregularity, any
unpunctuality, or any annoyance — that is victory.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or to record your own
good works, or to itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown - that
is victory.
When you can stand face to face with waste, folly extravagance, spiritual
insensibility, and endure it as Jesus endured it—that is victory.
When, like Paul, you can throw all your suffering on Jesus, thus converting it into a
means of knowing His over coming grace; and can say from a surrendered heart, “most
gladly,” therefore, do “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake” - that is victory. (2 Cor. 12: 7-10.)
To love equally as much the grace that comes through being “instructed how to be
hungry” and to suffer, as you love the faith required to know how to be “full” and to
abound in health - that is victory. (Phil. 4: 12.)
When death and life are both alike to you through Christ, and to do His perfect will,
you delight not more in one than the other—that is victory; for, through Him you may
become able to say, “Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by
death.” (Phil. 1: 20; 1 Cor. 15: 54.)
The perfect victory is to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” and thus to triumph over one’s
self. (Rom. 13:14)
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” (Rom.
8: 37.)
— Selected
Is the Bible verbally inspired
The Bible declares that “All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God.” But as to
the method of inspiration i.e the manner in which God communicated His thoughts and
words to the writers of the Scriptures - there is really very little indeed to help us. There is
one verse however which throws a little light on the subject. “Holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” It is absolutely impossible to believe that it partook
of the nature of mechanical dictation because the writers of the different books of the Bible
of whom anything at all is known; not only maintained but also betrayed their own
undoubted individuality. The stern character of Moses, the poetic nature of David, the love
of John are clearly stamped upon their particular writings. So let us consider what the
writers themselves have to say on the subject of inspiration. In the case of Moses we are
told that God spake these words, “And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord”. David said,
“The spirit of the Lord spake by me and His word was in my tongue”. Jeremiah said, “The
Word of the Lord came unto me”, while Ezekiel wrote “The Word of the Lord came
expressly unto Ezekiel Amos says he wrote “the words……. which he saw concerning
Israel” and John says he wrote “the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto
him” These make it perfectly clear that the messages of the prophets and apostles were
absolutely and wholly from God, written under inspiration.
The question that naturally arises next is whether the thoughts were inspired or the
very words. If the testimony of Scripture is to be believed, God always gave the words!
This is made perfectly clear by the following passage. In Daniel 12: 8,9 we read, “I heard
but I understood not : then said I O my Lord’ what shall be the end of these things
? And He said, Go thy way Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of
the end”. Here we find Daniel writing words given him by divine inspiration which he
did not understand! Moreover, there are no ‘less than 333 prophecies in the Old
Testament which centre in the person of Messiah, everyone of which, relating to His
earthly life, has been fulfilled to the letter. Considering the remarkable detail of the
Psalmists’ predictions about the parting of the garments by casting lots (Ps. 22:18) or the
piercing of the hands and feet (Psa. 22:16), imagine the awful blunders that must have
occurred had the wording of such mysterious prophecies been left to the writers choice
especially when we remember that death by crucifixion was not a Jewish practice at all,
but Roman, and in its earlist form was accomplished by tying with ropes and not by
piercing the hands and feet, Still more remarkable is Isaiah’s prophecy “A virgin shall
conceive and bear a son”. It is needless to point out that upon no physical or scientific
grounds whatever can such a statement be understood. It must have staggered human
wisdom and reverent hearts for 700 years after which the prophecy was verified to the
letter. And there are yet hundreds of other statements in the Bible which can be proved to
be verbally inspired. …. To be continued
Top
********
TRY ME
By Dr. A. B. Simpson
“All things work together for good to them that love God.”—Romans 8: 28.
Every moment the great Refiner is waiting to add some new touch to your strength
and beauty, and fit for a higher place in His eternal life.
We are so prone to think that these things that come to us are accidents, incidents,
mishaps or personal injuries from personal hands. But after a while we learn that His hand
is above every other hand and His love above every hateful blow. You get up in the morning
and find everything wrong in the kitchen and dining-room, and you say, “Oh it is that cook;
it is that wretched stove.” Oh no! it is the Lord trying you and proving you. You come down
to business and find things wrong in your store and you say, “Oh it is that careless janitor.”
No, it is the Lord trying and proving you. You open your mail, expecting a check according
to promise from some person. It is not there. You say, “Oh, it is this dishonest and
unprincipled man.” No, it is the Lord trying and proving your faith. You meet with a friend,
the very one that you look to for help and comfort, and something happens to try you more
keenly, and everything in your life seems to become a source of annoyance.
You say, oh, it is the inconsiderateness of others;” No it is the Lord showing you
something in you that is wrong and that He wants to have burned away.
God tries us, proves us, and establishes us. It is not by a quick process. “He shall sit,
as a Refiner and Purifier of silver.” He sits down to His work, He takes plenty of time. He
will wait years with you over a single lesson, If you make Him do so, or He will get you
through it at once, if you are willing to take the quicker process and the hotter fire.
How touching is the love that will take so much trouble with all these little matters.
No wonder that Job should say, “Lord, what is man that thou shouldest magnify him? And
that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? and that thou shouldest visit him every
morning and try him every moment?”
And so He comes to you every moment, as Job says from morning to night. If you
would understand life as He does, you would see nothing but God; and as you meet Him in
everything, you would see nothing but God’s ever presence, and every unfriendly blow be
warded off. Against every fiery dart you would have a shield of faith that nothing can pierce
and out of every storm you would shout with the great apostle, “None of these things move
me.” Beloved, they will come until they don’t move you. “For unto you it is given, in the
behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake” Phil. 1:29.
“That He might present to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such
thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish” Eph. 5:27. “Not as though I had
already attained...
I press toward the mark”—Phil. 3:12-14.
The Lord Moved Among His People
The Waiting meetings held at the Colpetty Faith Home from Tuesday the 24th March
to Maundi - Thursday, and the week-end Services that were held at the New Town Hall,
have left definite and lasting impressions on all who gathered together to share the
blessings. From the assurance the Lord gave us through these meetings we can testify, to
God’s glory that the Lord has begun to build up His work according to His plan.
The outstanding feature of the Waiting meetings was That the Holy Spirit wholly
guided every meeting. The Spirit of God had the freedom to deal with every individual as
He wanted. It was indeed a rare opportunity that the Lord granted His dear children to
unburden their hearts’ problems before Him as unto a loving father, and the Lord dealt
with each one in His love and mercy. On the last day which was the day before Good Friday
the Lord revealed to us that He wanted to anoint His people afresh with power. An uphill
task of rebuilding and renewing the broken altars had to be done in order to receive this
fresh anointing. There was hardly any time left for that work, but suddenly, we felt the
moving of the Lord in a marvellous way. The Lord virtually took control of the meeting.
The Lord inspired His servant who conducted the meeting to stir up the gathering and he
exhorted us to renew our covenants with the Lord. One after the other we renewed our
convenants ‘with God, promising to be all out for Jesus, to make no
compromise with error and not to please the flesh. It was a heavenly time. The Lord helped
us to rebuild the broken altars and rededicate our lives to Him. Upon every one who
renewed their consecration, the Lord poured out a new anointing. Truly we had a wonderful
time of refreshing in His presence.
On Good Friday morning, as usual, a fairly large number of people attended
the Service at the New Town Hall. The touch of God that we experienced during the
course .of the week continued to effectively work in the meeting. On Saturday afternoon
though it rained heavily new faces were seen at the evening Gospel service. The Lord
stretched forth His hand, saved souls, and healed the sick ones.
The Easter Sunday service was well attended and many who had not
been with us in fellowship for sometime took part in this Service. The Lord made
it clear to us that the blessings awaiting us should exceed all our expectations,
and that we should not be satisfied with blessings, we had already received,
wonderful as they were. We had to expect great things from the Lord. He had
stretched out His.. mighty arm in our midst. All glory to God.
Top
********