“Association with good is not enough. Gehazi ran with Elisha but ended as a leper. Judas Iscariot was a disciple but he died a reporbate and a suicide.”

~Vance Havner

Keep Step With God

By Vance Havner

Enoch walked with God.
Genesis 5:24

Enoch did not run ahead of God or lag behind Him. He walked with Him. Some go too fast, they hasten to an immature and superficial experience with god, and their consecration is not thorough. They make a mechanical “decision,” but the depths have never been stirred. Or else in a spell of emotion they make a hurried covenant with God but have no root or depth.

Others go too slowly. They are so afraid of a false decision that they make none. They spend nights praying for what is already theirs in Christ. They go into vagaries and extremes of “seeking,” and sometimes become unbalanced.

There is a happy balance here. All that we need is in Jesus. Let us make no cheap and quick committals until all has been laid at His feet and we really mean business. Long hours of prayer are necessary only if we are stubborn, God is not slow to hear and answer. If we really mean business we need not tarry. Christ is here now, immediately accessible. No use wasting time afraid we are not “sure.” We can never be sure of ourselves; He is the sure One!

Walk with God. “Run not before him.” Lag not behind Him.

“Most people would not want to live where there are no churches but many of them live as though there were no churches.”

~Vance Havner

Two Anxious Mothers

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Some time ago, in Chicago, a little baby was kidnapped right out of her mother’s arms in a hospital room, while another mother left her baby in a cardboard box on top of a garbage can.

We have the feeling that in all probability the woman who abandoned her baby — and it probably was a woman — was just as much beside herself as the one who had her baby stolen from her arms.

A Registered Nurse told us some time ago that the proportion of mothers who do not want their babies is becoming alarming. We do not believe that these women wouldn’t want their babies under normal circumstances. Everybody loves a baby! But in such cases sin has come in to bring trouble and shame and misery. Some of these mothers are unwed and have been disgraced; others are separated or divorced from their husbands or would have to bring their babies home to nothing but bickering and trouble. Still others have passed diseases on to their babies and wish that they had never been born.

This is how sin wrecks lives and homes, but it is wonderful to know that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” as we read in I Timothy 1:15. How does He save sinners? First He bore the penalty of sin for us: “Christ died for our sins” (I Corinthians 15:3). But He will save us from sin’s control too, if we let Him. Romans 6:14 says to believers in Christ: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law but under grace,” and millions have proved this to be true.

Salvation is more than a religious term, or a feeling or sentiment, it is actual deliverance from the penalty and power of sin, through the redemptive work of Christ on Calvary, where He “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” for every one who simply but sincerely trusts Him as Lord and Savior.

Maker Of The Universe

by F. W. Pitt

The Maker of the universe
as Man, for man, was made a curse.

The claims of Law which He had made,
unto the uttermost He paid.

His holy fingers made the bough,
which grew the thorns that crowned His brow.

The nails that pierced His hands were mined
in secret places He designed.

He made the forest whence there sprung
the tree on which His body hung.

He died upon a cross of wood,
yet made the hill on which it stood.

The sky that darkened o’er His head,
by Him above the earth was spread.

The sun that hid from Him its face
by His decree was poised in space.

The spear which spilled His precious blood
was tempered in the fires of God.

The grave in which His form was laid
was hewn in rocks His hands had made.

The throne on which He now appears
was His for everlasting years.

But a new glory crowns His brow
and every knee to Him shall bow.

Faith in God’s Promises

By Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

November 10, 2014

Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. — Genesis 23:1–2

The Torah portion for this week, Chayei Sarah, which means “the life of Sarah,” is from Genesis 23:1—25:18, and the Haftorah is from 1 Kings 1:1–31.

This week’s reading begins with the death of Sarah. Do you remember how last week’s portion ended? Right before the story of Sarah’s death is the story of Isaac’s sacrifice. The Sages teach that when Sarah heard that Abraham had taken her only son and offered him to God as a sacrifice, her soul left her. Seems pretty unfair, right? Abraham followed the word of God and this was what happened. Yet Abraham did not complain or question God. He followed obediently with faith.

The Sages give us some more behind-the-scenes information. They explain that from the beginning Sarah was destined to die on that very day and at that particular time. But Satan devised an evil plan. Knowing that it was the time of Sarah’s death, he arranged for someone to come and tell her the news about Isaac so that it might appear as though it was the news that killed her.

In truth, Sarah had lived a full life; it wasn’t cut one moment short. This is hinted at in the Bible, but is only apparent in the original Hebrew. The portion begins by saying that Sarah lived for 127 years; however in Hebrew, the verse literally reads, “And Sarah lived for one hundred years and twenty years and seven years.” Her age is spelled out in full to teach us that, though Satan may try to confuse us, Sarah lived an absolutely full life.

Abraham was able to keep his strong faith. He didn’t fall for the illusion that Satan created in order to cause Abraham to rebel against God. No matter how it looked, Abraham didn’t question God’s justice and righteousness for even a second, and neither should we.

We learn another interesting thing from the original Hebrew. If we look at the verse that tells us that Abraham wept for Sarah, we see that the first letter of the word “weep” is written extra small in a Torah scroll. The Sages explain that while Abraham was human and certainly wept for his beloved wife, he didn’t weep very much – it was a “small” weeping. This wasn’t because Abraham loved his wife any less than anyone else, but because Abraham’s faith was greater than the average person’s. Abraham knew without a doubt that Sarah had gone to heaven. He knew that she was enjoying great reward. He knew that she was alive and well. Abraham knew that he would see her again. This is why our portion is called “And Sarah lived . . .” She never really died!

While faith can’t eliminate our hard times, faith can carry us through them. When we trust God’s promises, we can get through anything. For every problem, there’s also a promise. What promise from God might you choose to trust today?

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Faith Versus Presumption

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

The Word of God declares in Hebrews 11:6 that “without faith it is impossible to please Him”.

There is nothing that will haunt a man like the fear that God may be displeased with him, nor any joy comparable to the assurance that He is pleased. It is foolish, however, to suppose that we can please God with the things we think He desires. We must give Him what He says He desires. Thank God, it is not difficult to determine this, for He tells us again and again in His Word that it is faith He desires most of all. He wants us to trust Him, to take Him at His Word.

The Bible tells us at length how God loved us in spite of our sin and gave His blessed Son to die on Calvary’s tree to clear our title to heaven, but alas, instead of taking Him at His Word, thousands turn away from His gracious offer, “going about to establish their own righteousness” (Romans 10:3).

They do “good works” and make great sacrifices, thinking that a God of love will surely accept their efforts and overlook their sins. But this is presumption, not faith. How can a just God overlook sin? We should thank Him that in His matchless love He himself paid for our sins so that we might be free, and that salvation is “the gift of God”, obtained by faith alone.

Cain presumed that God would accept his attractive sacrifice instead of the prescribed one, but God refused both him and his offering. Pharaoh presumed that he could take his armies through the Red Sea as Moses had done, but he perished in the sea for presuming on God. Naaman, the leper, refused God’s way of cleansing, saying, “I thought…”, but the great general remained a leper until he took God at His Word. Will you take God at His Word and trust Christ as your Saviour?

God Has a Plan

By Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

October 13, 2014

Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” — Deuteronomy 34:4

The Torah portion for this week is V’Zot HaBerachah, which means “this is the blessing,” from Deuteronomy 33:1–34:12, and the Haftorah is from Joshua 1:1–18.

We all have dreams and aspirations. But as most of us discover, life doesn’t always go according to our plans. Finding that out can be one of the most difficult moments of our lives. Yet, it can also be one of the most fortifying moments as we learn to trust God and walk in confidence.

Recently, New York Giants running back David Wilson was given the life-altering news that he would never play football again. The athlete suffers from an acute back problem and was advised by the team’s doctors to leave his career in professional football. While the end of Wilson’s short career made headlines, it’s the way he reacted to the tragic news that really attracted people’s attention.

Wilson explained that he had prayed before he met with the doctors and asked God to put His answer in the mouths of the doctors. Wilson was sure that the doctors’ advice was really God steering his path. This allowed Wilson to experience the shattering of his dreams with faith and grace. In response to the news, he said, “Now I have a chance to dream another dream” and “God has a plan.”

In this week’s Torah portion we read about the shattering of another dream — Moses’ dream. As the leader of Israel, Moses wanted nothing more than to complete the mission that he began when he led the people out of Egypt. His ultimate goal was always to lead them into the Promised Land. However, as a result of Moses disobeying God’s instructions to procure water from a rock while in the desert, God decreed that Moses would not enter the land.

Until his dying day, Moses had hoped that God’s decree would be reversed. Yet, as we read in this week’s portion, Moses’ dream would not come to pass. God led Moses up to Mount Nebo where he could see Israel. There God said to him: “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob . . . I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”

According to Jewish tradition, Moses recorded these final verses of the Bible with tears in his eyes. However, we read in the next verse that “Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said.” Moses, ever the servant of God, accepted God’s plan.

We read in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Let’s remember that when our plans don’t succeed, God has a plan for us that is just, right, and good.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

A Lesson In Addition

By Vance Havner

And the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:41

For a church of three thousand members to take in one hundred and twenty more would be almost phenomenal these days. But here a fellowship of one hundred and twenty was suddenly augmented by three thousand. What a revival if that rate of increase were maintained!

How was it done? Through the preaching of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. There are additions and additions today, but how much of them is the Lord adding daily such as should be saved?

There is addition from without, like barnacles on a boat. There is addition from within, like grapes on a vine. It is to be feared that the church has encumbered herself with a lot of excess baggage, not members of the body of Christ, but names in an organization.

You will observe that the Lord did the adding. He uses His appointed means, but He must do it if it is to be the genuine fruit of Pentecost.

Have you been added from without or from within?