(December 2002 Edition)
Editorial - The Hardest Trial of Faith
At the Lord's Table - Feeling Sorry for Ourselves
Editorial
The Hardest Trial of Faith
The scriptures return to the theme again and again: the hardest trial of our faith, the hardest test of all, is not poverty or hardship or persecution, but prosperity.
Moses knew the terrible depth of the pitfall: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and your silver and gold increase, and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God. You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:10-18).
The life and death tests of faith during the reigns of Saul and David yielded wonderful generous-hearted souls like Jonathan and Barzillai and Abigail. The prosperity that followed under Solomon was a test that the Israelis and their king failed dismally. During Solomon’s lifetime, Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree…So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD (I Kings 4:25; 11:6,9).
The Lord Jesus acknowledged that persecution can be a challenge of faith. But prosperity chokes the word of truth, so that faith is sterile, bearing no fruit (Mark 4:19).
Very recently, we received a sad letter from a prominent British Christadelphian who has been about sixty years in the faith. He laments “a growing lack of interest in the Christadelphian faith both from members and those outside.” This he claims, “is due to indifference, lack of interest in the scriptures, centralization of opinions, and lack of commitment by local membership.” Much of this is due to the “choking” effects of prosperity. The ‘good things of life’ are increasingly looked upon as a blessing from God, even a reward for good living. But Moses saw them as a possible snare: when we live in large, flourishing cities and houses filled with all kinds of good things, then be careful! Temptation to spiritual amnesia is right at our door! (Deut. 6:10-12). A lukewarm Laodicean ecclesia is an almost inevitable outcome (Rev. 3:14-22).
Homeless street dwellers lie like Lazarus at the entrance to the great Guy’s St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, where patients range from dukes to poor asylum seekers. Observably, almost the only donors to these unfortunates are Asians, Africans, West Indians, hospital orderlies and cleaners. The prosperous multitudes merely pass them by, or actually step over them. Luke 21 reminds us that generous sharing with others is often inversely proportional to prosperity (v. 3). The special ecclesial collection for the poor brothers and sisters in Judea was a dramatic example (II Cor. 8:1-7). Another, perhaps, is the situation in our own brotherhood today. There is a whole menu of interesting tours and holidays – all very educational – on offer to brothers and sisters. There has been little difficulty in collecting thousands of dollars to assist one of the most prosperous regimes in the world (Israel) in building a reservoir – a worthy cause, no doubt, aimed at hastening the coming of the Lord. But at the same time some efforts are short on funds to preach the gospel of salvation. And one of the poorest ecclesias in the world struggles to help a faithful widower elder without relatives who was, at a recent visit, lying completely naked, with no bedclothes, and with no food in the house.
Let us remember Ecclesiastes 6:1-2 and 7:12: I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men: God gives a man wealth, possessions, and honour, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them…Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.
At the Lord's Table
Feeling Sorry for Ourselves
We have probably come this morning feeling very sorry for ourselves. We have been knocked around by nasty storms, nasty terrorists, and maybe by lots of other nasty things. (This exhortation was given just after the passage of hurricane Isidore and before the arrival of hurricane Lili, which was worse, and in the midst of political violence. Ed.) We are probably feeling like the Israelites in Ezekiel 18:2: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.
But do you remember the man with the banana? He complained bitterly that all he had left was one banana. He ate the banana and tossed the skin on the ground. Another man came, picked up the skin and ate it. Then the first man realized that there were others less fortunate than he. We may complain because our shoes hurt, but that doesn’t impress a man who has no shoes.
Ezekiel 18:5-8 describes a just man. Notice that the prophet is describing the kind of righteousness that is constant, regardless of storm or terror. Ezekiel explains that the righteousness God demands of us concerns the most intimate of personal relationships and experiences -- our worship, respect for neighbours, deep respect for women and their bodies, a heartfelt sense of fairness and justice, hatred of oppression of all kinds, mercy to the disadvantaged, care for the poor and the afflicted, “true judgment between man and man,” and an inclination to “deal truly” in every circumstance.
A believer who exploits or uses someone else is not “just.” Someone may know all the answers to the questions in Bible Basics yet still needs to “repent.” Only if he is generous and caring can he be considered “just” or righteous. Such a man shall “surely live.”
In Luke 15 the Lord Jesus expounds further on repentance. He says that heaven’s hosts rejoice when even one individual human being “repents” and grasps God’s salvation. He tells us by parable that uncaring self-love is not being “just.” A just man is one who runs into the arms of the Father’s love, and then in turn extends his own in gladness to others.
At this table we can be uplifted, and gain strength to be truly just, after the example of our ever-caring and truly righteous Saviour.
Leroy Johnson
Abu Bakr and his Jamaat-al-Muslimeen have been prominent in Trinidadian affairs once again. Prime Minister Patrick Manning offered a grant of government land to the militant Muslim sect, and then, following public outcry, cancelled it a day later.
One subsequent reaction of Abu Bakr was to say publicly that he could give no assurance to anyone that the Muslimeen would not attempt another coup like the one twelve years ago. Moreover, the next time it would be much better planned.
Quite disturbing for many Trinidadians is the publication in the local and American media of allegations that Abu Bakr has links with al-Qaeda. It is said that a plot has been uncovered to hijack an airplane from Trinidad to New York and fly it into a strategic target in the United States, a story which the American FBI have been called in to investigate.
The funding of Abu Bakr’s Jamaat by Libya and the Saudis is no secret. The Muslimeen are actively utilizing anti-Western sentiment, constantly demanding world war against Christians and Jews.
The Muslims in nearby Guyana are becoming much more militant during the past few months. A new four-story Islamic Academy has been opened in downtown Georgetown. Both students and teachers are required to wear Islamic clothing at all times. Significantly, its international affiliation and accreditation are not with other Caribbean institutions but with the International Islamic University in Malaysia.
Yet another major development in our region is the recent establishment of Djamia College, the first recognized tertiary institution in the Caribbean for training imams and other Muslim clergy.
From our vantage point here, it certainly looks as if the West is bent on a big war to destroy militant Islam. This gives the Muslimeen in our midst a rationale to call upon “all faithful Muslims” to unite in ‘jihad,’ a series of secretly planned pre-emptive strikes against the “infidels.” Above all, many say, as a first step towards conquering the world for Islam the “holy sanctuary” at Jerusalem must be “cleansed” of all “Zionists” and Christians.
From our man in Trinidad
Are you an Adonijah or a David
During the campaign for the recent general election in our country, we heard the blare of sirens, then watched an advance guard of motorbikers with flashing blue lights, followed by a black limousine with tinted windows, and then another pack of bikers close behind. A candidate hopeful of election was passing by.
It reminded me of Absalom, another candidate for leadership. Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. And of Adonijah: Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
Godly leadership has a different style altogether. King David, the man after God’s own heart, spoke of his concept of leadership:
He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
What a beautiful picture! That is a leader I can trust. That kind of leadership is what so many people in this country dream of after the election, but we know that they are much more likely to get another Adonijah.
I like watching Bible videos with my one fairly good eye. I cannot hear the dialogue any more, but I can watch the action. I notice that in the videos on David and Solomon, you never see Absalom and Adonijah with the people. You only see them up on a horse or in a chariot. But David, and Solomon, in his earlier years, were content with donkeys or mules, or simply walking, happy to be on a lower level, close to their subjects.
Jesus, my King and leader, is like that lowly and riding upon an ass. He is not aloof. He walks with me and, when he returns, he will come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. I like that idea. From my verandah, I have often sensed the sweet scent of rain upon the newly mown lawn below. Some Christadelphian literature portrays the Lord Jesus, in his coming kingdom, as terrifying in his divine glory, a royal figure too majestic ever to be approachable. But that is not what I learn from the Bible. When I was younger, we often used to read Psalm 2 and Psalm 72, pictures of our coming king. Kiss the Son, Psalm 2 tells us. You can’t kiss someone on horseback or in a chariot. He shall save the children of the needy. I suppose today that would make him head of the Children’s Emergency Fund. And he will spare the poor and needy. In that regard he will certainly have a lot of work to do, at the grass roots level.
What about spiritual leadership within the brotherhood? At the last supper, there was a big fuss among the twelve about leadership, and the Master made his views very clearly known. Most leaders, he said, interpret leadership as lordship. Those in authority like to be known as benefactors. But ye shall not be so. Leadership, he went on, means serving from the bottom, not laying the law down from the top. And, he stressed to them, it will be just the same when you are kings in the kingdom of God. Learn to lead humbly, gently, and tenderly today, and you will be a suitable candidate for leadership in the new world of tomorrow. Make sure that you get you own way now, and in the day when the honors are given, you will find yourself at the end of the line.
I feel so sad whin I learn of my leading brothers in Christ behaving like Adonijahs, determined to get their own way at any cost, and, like Pharaoh, treating their brothers and sisters with rigour. Try David’s style: it works so much better, and it will surely please the King of Kings.
Mary Eyre
(Several Caribbean countries have had general elections in October to choose their leaders. God Almighty elected our Leader before the foundation of the world.)
The ninety-two year old sister, well poised
and proud
Fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock
Hair fashionably coiled and coifed.
Even though she is legally blind
Moved to a nursing home today
Her husband of seventy years passed away
Making the move necessary.
After hours of waiting patiently in the
lobby
She smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.
As she struggled with her walker to the elevator
I provided a visual description of her tiny room.
I love it, she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight year old
Presented with a new puppy.
Mrs. Jones, You haven’t seen the room…just wait!
That doesn’t have anything to do with it,
she replied.
Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.
Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how
The furniture is arranged…it’s how I arrange my mind
I have already decided to love it.
It’s a decision I make every morning with my
God.
I have a choice: I can spend the day in bed
Recounting the difficulty I have with
The parts of my body that no longer work
Or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.
Each day is a gift from God
And as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day
And all the memories I’ve stored away
Just for this time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account.
You withdraw from what you have put in,
So my advice to you would be to deposit
A lot of happiness in the bank account of memories.
Thank you, my sister, for your part
In filling my memory bank.
I am still depositing.
Rudy Depass
Prophetical Considerations in Early New England
There are two remarkable periods of time recorded in scripture. One is already past, the other is yet to come.
The one already past was at or soon after the first coming of Christ, and this time was much spoken of in the scriptures. This the apostle calls the “fullness of time.” This was a most remarkable time, a great day, and many great things were done at this time. The way of instituted worship was wholly changed, and the ceremonial law abolished, and another way appointed by our Lord Jesus Christ instead thereof. The Jews rejecting the gospel are cast off and the Gentiles receiving the gospel are taken into their room. City and temple are ruined; the nation of the Jews, multitudes, multitudes are destroyed, the rest scattered the world over. The gospel is preached to all nations, and to that end extraordinary gifts are given. Therefore this was a great day, both notable and terrible, which Peter calls the last days and Paul calls the last days when God has spoken to us by His Son.
The future day
There is yet another remarkable period of time which is yet future, and that
will be at the second or next coming of Christ. His first coming was to put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself. His second coming will be without sin
unto our salvation. His first coming was mean in outward appearance. His
second coming will be unspeakably glorious, when he comes to build up Zion
and take unto himself his great power and reign, and all the kingdoms of
this world will become his and he will deal wonderfully with his people.
I do not know any one thing in scripture more insisted on than the glory of the latter part of the last days, including the thousand years of the kingdom of Christ until the last judgement. We may take notice how many great things God has yet to do in the world and how much of the prophetical part of the scripture is yet unfulfilled. We may note how many great and glorious things are yet unaccomplished, which are to be done now in this last age of the world, in bringing about all His glorious designs which He has purposed in Himself, and has promised the accomplishment of for His own glory.
Dry bones of Israel
Considering how these dry bones of Israel lie scattered most parts of the
world over, and do hardly know themselves of what nation they are, much less
do others know, and it may be speak divers languages, I rather incline to
think that God will, in some way or another, first bring the Jews into their
own Land, and give them advantage to return by drying up the river
Euphrates, that is, as I conceive, by diminishing and abating the great
power of the Turk in and about that part of the world; and that either by
intestine commotions, or wars with other nations, or both.
Now is the time when those dry bones will come together and stand upon their feet, and become an exceeding great army, and have breath breathed into them, and have a civil life put into them, but no spiritual life till after they be in their own Land.
Great wars to come
After their return to their own Land, way being made for them by the
weakening of the Turkish power, it is very likely there will be great wars,
and much blood shed, and the Jews will be much diminished and brought very
low, as we may read in Daniel 12:1. The prophet Zechariah tells us that
many of them shall be cut off and die and their holy city taken. A compound
of nations shall engage in a war, not with one another, but principally with
the Jews, and many nations shall be gathered together in battle against them
to destroy them. There shall be such a time of trouble as never was since
there was a nation to that same time. Then will the Lord go forth and fight
against those nations in the battle of the great day of God Almighty. God
will destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem. And Christ will
personally and visibly appear, and when his feet shall stand on the Mount of
Olives from whence he ascended, then he will come and all his saints with
him.
Then shall they [the Jews] be converted to Christianity, partly by vision, Christ personally appearing to them, whom they shall look upon and see with their bodily eyes and mourn, under a deep sense of their sin. Then it is likely that they will cry as those converted Jews in Acts 2:37, “What shall we do?”
Then will be the deliverance of his people out of the hands of all their adversaries, and the destruction of all the enemies of Christ and his kingdom. Then all the kingdoms of the world shall be his, and he shall reign, and his name shall be great from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same.
Exhortation to us
Seeing these things, and many things more which might be named, must come to
pass, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and
godliness? Looking for, and hastening to, the coming of the day of God and
our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may be found of him in peace, having our
loins girt and our lights burning.
It is a great duty incumbent on all Christians at all times, not only to wait, but to watch. Hardly any duty is more pressed in scripture than this, Christ foreseeing that wise virgins as well as foolish would slumber and sleep, when he should come. The apostle, speaking of the day of the Lord coming as a thief, warns the Thessalonians to watch and be sober. Blessed is that servant whom, when his Lord comes, he shall find so doing!
William Torrey, Weymouth, Massachusetts, 1695.
[It is well known among us that in the 17th century many groups of Baptists, both in Europe and America, believed in the Hope of Israel and the fundamental biblical truths taught by Christadelphians. Many brethren and sisters have copies of one early Baptist statement of faith which was reprinted some years ago and distributed by a Christadelphian ecclesia. One such independent Bible believer was William Torrey of Weymouth, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. Torrey studied at Harvard University, being admitted as a freshman in 1650, when the entire faculty consisted of the President and three junior instructors. He studied Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. It is likely that he was acquainted with works of the Polish Brethren in Christ, as we know that many of the earliest accessions to the world-famous Harvard Library included such works. For many years he preached the Gospel of the Kingdom, insisting that eternal life depended upon resurrection and judgement. He also lectured on prophecy and the signs of the times. The relevance of his views today is illustrated by one lecture he gave in 1695, when he was in his sixties, entitled “Man’s Extremity, God’s Opportunity.” The above selection from this address, in the original words with modernized punctuation, indicates that brethren have always studied prophecy seriously and prayerfully, but not necessarily assumed that the Second Coming was imminent in their own day. With conflict escalating in the Middle East, William Torrey’s lecture to his fellow Americans three hundred and six years ago is strikingly relevant.]