Sep 18
16
SEPARATED
Acts 13: 2-3
Over time, the Holy Spirit worked in Barnabas and Saul and proved,
before the others in the church at Antioch, that these were two men whom
the Lord had chosen, filled, made faithful and who were proven faithful.
In the beginning, Barnabas was faithful to do what the Lord enabled him
to do where the Lord had placed him (Acts 4: 37.) Later, the Holy Spirit
put in the hearts of the saints at Jerusalem to send Barnabas to Antioch
who went faithfully. The Lord used Barnabas to bring Saul to Antioch.
When the saints determined to send relief to the church at Jerusalem
during the famine, the Holy Spirit put it in their hearts to send their
gift by the hand of these the two men. They did so faithfully,
separating themselves from all worldly distraction to the work given
them by the Holy Spirit. Then, after Barnabas and Saul returned from
Jerusalem, as they continued together at Antioch with the other
ministers and saints, in worship, in fasting from the cares of this
world, the Holy Spirit speaks to the heart of these ministers and the
saints at Antioch saying, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work
whereunto I have called them. (Acts 13: 2.) Sanctification is being set
apart for God’s use and being made willing to spend and be spent for the
service of Christ Jesus the King of glory. May the Lord use these two
men as examples by which to truly separate us for this great work.
Clay Curtis.
Come With Us and We Will Do You Good
Drew Dietz
“And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’
father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said,
I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the
Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel”. (Numbers 10:29).
Now I implore you, whoever you are, where ever you are; do this if you
can do nothing else: Come with the people of God and hear of our Gospel,
our God and our substitute, the blessed Lord Jesus Christ! Wayward
saint, troubled believer, come often, come frequently to the house of
God to hear of the Good things God has for you bundled up in the Son of
His Love! Lost, helpless and dying sinner; your only hope is to ‘look
and live’ upon the Redeemer as He is revealed and preached here in this
place every Sunday and Wednesday; come here and we will do you good. The
saints of God are a lot which care like no other people, have
experienced many things and can comfort like no other people and will do
all they can to promote God’s glory and your benefit like no other
people! Why? Because we know that we are of all people the chief of
sinners saved by the unmerited favor of the Sovereign and majestic
Saviour! If He has called us, He can call anyone, we leave the matter in
His ever compassionate hands! Yet, come with us and we will do you good
as we have opportunity!
WHY SHOULD WE SUPPORT MISSIONARIES?
(III John 6-8)
Many answers are given to that question in the Word of God. But the
Apostle here gives four excellent reasons for doing so. Having commended
Gaius for his good work in this regard, John encourages him to continue
with these reasons:
1. IT IS A WORK PLEASING TO GOD. John told Gaius that when one of God’s
servants came through town, not only was he to care for him while he was
there, but he was to “bring forward” on his journey. That is to say, he
was to provide such things as the preacher needed to carry on his
mission. This is a “godly sort” of work. The margin reads, “worthy of
God”. It is a work with which God is pleased. God delights to see those
who love Christ showing their love by generosity toward his servants.
2. WE SHOULD DO IT “FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE”. There is one thing that
compels the true servant of God to take his wife and children to a far
off place to preach the gospel, leaving relatives and friends behind. He
has a burning jealousy for the name of Christ. He preaches the gospel so
that men everywhere may bow down, trust, and worship at the name of
Christ (Rom. 1:1, 5). Our Lord is so highly honored by the service of
such men that he says that, what we do for them, we do for him (Mt.
10:40-42).
3. THEY HAVE NO OTHER MEANS OF SUPPORT. “They went forth taking nothing
of the Gentiles.” Our Lord expressly forbids his servants to beg for
support, especially from the unbeliever (Mt. 10:5-10; Luke 10:1-7). And
Paul condemned those pretentious servants of Christ who merely peddled
the gospel (II Cor. 2:7; I Thess. 2:5-9). You can mark this down, if God
is in a work, God will support it through the generosity of his people.
And no servant of God should have to provide a piece of bread for
himself. The people of God ought to take care of him. What man goes to
war at his own expense? Surely, the laborer is worthy of his reward!
4. What is more, by our loving, and generous support of God’s servants –
WE BECOME “FELLOW-HELPERS TO THE TRUTH” When we supply a man’s needs so
that he can preach the gospel, we become allies with him in the work:
What a privilege!
Don Fortner
Come Here and Hear
Joshua 3:9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and
hear the words of the LORD your God.
The nation of Israel has been brought to the brink of Jordon by the
purpose and providential care of God. Before they began to cross over,
Joshua has some urgent, necessary and encouraging words. He tells them
to “Come hither and hear the words of the LORD your God.”
Friends these are the words that our Joshua, the Lord Jesus Christ,
commands His people. Notice that Joshua did not say, come if you want
to, come if you feel like it, but COME and HEAR the words of the Lord
your God. If you look closely at the next verses Joshua’s command is for
their good and God’s glory. In verse 10 of Joshua chapter 3, he
encourages them with the words, “Hereby ye shall know that the living
God is among you.” Has God revealed to you that He is always among you?”
He is among you to do you good! We have come nigh unto God. Ephesians
2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh
by the blood of Christ. God is among you dear believer and that is not
all! He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and
the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites,
and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. All our enemies will be driven out
from BEFORE US! And that means all of our enemies. SIN, is removed and
put away in Christ. CONDEMNATION, is no longer found on those who are in
Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1) THE LAW, is fulfilled in Christ, and though
it was once our schoolmaster, it has now brought us to Christ. (Gal
3:24) DEATH and the GRAVE, have no sting or victory. (1 Cor. 15:55) THE
WORLD, though we are in it, we are not of it. We have also been
delivered from our biggest enemy, OURSELVES. Romans 7:24-25 O wretched
man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I
thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Dear child of God, Come hither and hear the words of the Lord your God.
–David Eddmenson
He that knoweth God heareth us
Joe Terrell
We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us.
(1 John 4:6)
John gives us several ways by which we may prove that we are of God:
matters of both faith and practice. How can we know if others are of
God? The answer is simple: those that know God are willing to hear us.
They hear us with understanding, acknowledgement, and faith. It is not
as though we are the standard. Rather, God’s truth is the standard. But,
if we are of God, it is certain we will tell the truth of God. Since we
tell the truth of God, all others who are of God will rejoice in the
gospel we preach. We do not need to examine the lives of others, nor
delve deeply into their theology. We need only plainly proclaim what God
has taught us. If he has taught them also (and all God’s people are
taught of God) they will agree. If God has not taught them, they will
not agree.
John Bunyan-(extract from) The Pilgrims Progress
when night was come, and when Mrs. Diffidence and her husband the giant
was got to bed, they began to renew their discourse of their prisoners;
and withal, the old giant wondered that he could neither by his blows
nor counsel bring them to an end. And with that his wife replied, I
fear, said she, that they live in hopes that some will come to relieve
them; or that they have picklocks about them, by the means of which they
hope to escape. And sayest thou so, my dear? said the giant; I will
therefore search them in the morning.
Well, on Saturday, about midnight they began to pray, and continued in
prayer till almost break of day.
Now, a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed,
brake out into this passionate speech: What a fool, quoth he, am I, thus
to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have
a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any
lock in Doubting Castle. Then said Hopeful, That is good news; good
brother, pluck it out of thy bosom, and try.
Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the
dungeon-door, whose bolt, as he turned the key, gave back, and the door
flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he
went to the outward door that leads into the castle-yard, and with his
key opened that door also. After he went to the iron gate, for that must
be opened too; but that lock went desperately hard, yet the key did open
it. They then thrust open the gate to make their escape with speed; but
that gate, as it opened, made such a creaking, that it waked Giant
Despair, who hastily rising to pursue his prisoners, felt his limbs to
fail, for his fits took him again, so that he could by no means go after
them. Then they went on, and came to the King’s highway, and so were
safe, because they were out of his jurisdiction.
Christ Comes First
Todd Nibert
Christ said, “All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers (John
10:8).” Obviously, anybody coming before Him who claimed to be the
Messiah was a thief and robber. But He also means that anything that
comes before Him in any aspect of salvation is a thief and robber. It is
true that God chose me in eternal election, but it is because He saw me
in Christ. Nothing comes before Him in redemption. He did not first see
my faith before redemption could be applied to me. He redeemed me. He
comes first in regeneration. I do not live because I decided to believe.
I believe because He gave me life! “For of Him, and through Him, and to
Him are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:36).”