“There is so much dissension among the brethren that sometimes one wonders whether he is in the communion of the saints or the confusion of tongues.”

~Vance Havner

Subtlety and Simplicity

By Vance Havner

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
II Corinthians 11:3.

Strictly speaking, what is in mind here is the simplicity of our faith in Christ rather than the simplicity of the Gospel, but we need not stop there. What stands out most is the contrast between subtlety and simplicity. Satan deals in subtilties. Our Lord deals in simplicities. There is sublimity aplenty but the sublimity is revealed to the simple, kept from the wise and prudent and revealed unto babes. We have let our minds be corrupted by Satan’s subtilties away from the Saviour’s simplicities. Beware of any teaching, any movement that is sneaking and insidious. The truth is frank and honest and aboveboard. Satan’s subtilties bear the mark of the serpent—“the snake in the grass.” Our Lord stood in the public place and invited men to Him. The Early Church came out in the open. Paul said, “This thing was not done in a corner.”

It is part of Satan’s program to make our faith and practice complicated and involved. Now and then we need a rediscovery of the simplicity that is both in and toward Christ, in Him and in our faith in Him.

 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness…

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 — King James Version

 “God called Philip out of a spiritual awakening in Samaria and sent him off on a way “which is desert” (Acts 8:26). One must always be prepared for strange turns in the divine itinerary of our earthly sojourn. God’s timetable does not follow our little patterns. Next day may move us from a Samaria to a Sahara! But He who says “Go” goes along.”

~Vance Havner

If Any Man Will…

By Vance Havner

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
John 7:17

The battle is fought in the citadel of the will. We have intelligence, emotions, and will. We may not be able to understand with the intelligence or feel with the emotions as we would like, but we can take a stand in the will and be true to God, however all else may clamor.

Do not yield to confusion. Are you a man or a mob? Too many today do not have themselves in order and under command. Many a man is not a personality, he is a panic!

Of course, our poor wills, left unaided, are but cotton strings. But when we will the will of God He begins to work in us both to will and do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). We submit to His will: “Thy will be done.” Then we assert His will: “Thy will be done!” It is both passive and active. “Thy will be done” is not mere resignation to the inevitable, it is affirmation of the invincible. However little the intelligence may understand or emotion feel, we take our stand in the will yielded to His will.

And Others

By Vance Havner

And others were tortured,…
Hebrews 11:35

This “Westminster Abbey of the Bible” rises through a glorious galaxy of faith-heroes, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and many more, until it reaches a pinnacle in a summary of those who wrought righteousness, subdued kingdoms, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, of women who received their dead raised to life again.

But not all fare that way. Suddenly the verse changes gears: “And others were tortured, mocked, scourged, put in bonds and imprisonment, were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword, wandered, being destitute.”

Faith is not a sure road to the headlines, success, earthly victories, and deliverance from harm and danger. Some move grandly through in that first procession—and who wouldn’t like to be in that crowd? But there are others for whom things go the other way.

One thing they all had in common: “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith…” We can do that, no matter which procession we are in!

A Twofold Purpose

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Have you ever noticed the wording of the majestic statement with which the Bible opens?

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

It does not say that God created “the universe,” but “the heaven” and “the earth.”

This is because God had a special purpose for the earth quite distinct from His purpose for the rest of the universe. This purpose concerning the earth and the nations to dwell upon it is progressively revealed in the Scriptures. We look forward to its glorious consummation when “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” — when the Christ who was crucified here shall come into His right, reigning as King of kings and Lord of lords.

But God also had a very special purpose concerning heaven which He kept hidden in His own heart of love until man’s sin and rebellion had reached their climax. Then He stooped down, saved the “chief of sinners” and used him to make known the wondrous secret of His purpose to offer to sinners everywhere, salvation by grace through faith alone, reconciling them to Himself in one body by the cross and giving them a present position and a future prospect in the highest heavens.

God’s purpose concerning the earth and Christ’s reign upon it is the subject of prophecy (Luke 1:68-76), His purpose concerning heaven and our exaltation there with Christ is the subject of “the mystery” (Ephesians 2:4-10; 3:1-4). Into these two great subjects the Scriptures are basically divided.

Appreciate What You Have

January 26, 2015

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” — Exodus 14:5

The Torah portion for this week is Beshalach, which means “when he sent them away,” from Exodus 13:17–17:16, and the Haftorah is from Judges 4:4–5:31.

You may have heard the quote: “What if you woke up today with only the things that you thanked God for yesterday?” It’s a poignant message about gratitude. But consider this as a follow-up question to ponder: “What if you woke up today with none of the things that you complained about yesterday?” Think about that for a moment.

Did you complain about your car? Your house? Someone special in your life?

Let me tell you something about the Exodus story that we are continuing to read this week. On one level, it’s about the liberation of speech. That’s right – it’s not just about the redemption of the Israelites; the subtext is about the redemption of our speech.

Two of the main symbols of the Exodus story are Pharaoh and Egypt. In Hebrew, those two words take on whole new meanings. Pharaoh, in Hebrew paroh, can be split to form the Hebrew words peh ra, meaning “bad mouth.” Pharaoh represents our own bad speech – the kind of talk that brings us down and others, too. Bad speech is when we complain, or tell ourselves that we are not good enough or not loved by God. Egypt, Mitzrayim in Hebrew, is related to the word maitzarim, which means “narrow” or “constricted place.” Egypt symbolizes our own psychological constricted states, such as when we are depressed and hopeless, or when we have a short-sighted view of the future, or when we feel that all is lost.

These states of constriction and bad speech are what God rescues us from in our lives, even today.

Now, let’s pay attention to the moment of redemption and how Pharaoh and Egypt react. “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, ‘What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!’” After kicking the Israelites out of Egypt, suddenly Pharaoh became acutely aware of the value of what he once had.

Here’s the lesson: When we are in a “constricted state” (Egypt) with a “bad mouth” (Pharaoh), we don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone.

We take so many things in our lives for granted – from the people in our lives to the modern-day amenities like clean water, gas, heat, and fresh food. Even worse, we complain about the very same blessings that we once prayed for! It is truly liberating and redemptive to get out of Egypt and leave the bad-mouthing behind. We need to appreciate all that we have before it becomes what we once had.

Today, if you get the urge to complain about something, pause and ask yourself this: How would I feel if tomorrow this was gone?

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Emotion

By A.W. Tozer