Spy Magazine
Hello everyone from the
editor
Confessing
Christ: Some years ago a man was holding gospel meetings for seamen, and a
number of them were converted to Christ. A few days later,
one of the young men came to the preacher with a blank card and asked him to
write a few words on it. He said, “You
will be able to write better than I can.” “What do you want me to write?” asked
the preacher. “Write these words, ‘I love the Lord - do you?’ After he had written them, he
asked the young seaman what he was going to do with the card?
He replied, “I am going to sea tomorrow, and I am afraid that if I do not
confess the Lord immediately, I shall become ashamed of my faith and let myself
be laughed out of it altogether. Now as soon as I go on board I shall go
straight to my bunk and put up this card that everyone may know that I am a
Christian.”
This young seaman was acting rightly. The
longer a person hides their faith, the harder it becomes to openly confess it.
But if we confess the Lord in some way that others may know that we trust in
Him and live according to His word as soon as we have an opportunity, the
easier it becomes to maintain that confession.
Confessing Christ should not be done on a
bold and arrogant manner, but trusting in the Lord of wisdom and grace, and
looking for a good opportunity to do so.
This does not mean that some people will
not laugh and mock you for your stand for Christ, but some will respect your
Christian convictions, and on occasions people have been led to think upon
spiritual things and have turned to the Lord.
The great reason we are to confess the Lord
is in obedience to His word. Confessing Him is for the glory of God and He is
worthy.
Convicted by a Crow!
When Dr. Adam Clarke
(1762-1832) was a young boy, one day he disobeyed his mother. He not only
disobeyed but also stared at her with a defiant look. His mother was very
offended at his attitude. She immediately took the Bible and read to him the
words in Proverbs 30:17. “The eye that mocketh at his
father, and despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it
out, and the young eagles shall eat it.” She explained this verse to him in a
very solemn manner.
Young Adam felt very guilty and thought
that the words in the Bible had been immediately sent from heaven. He walked
outside into the fields with a troubled heart and was thinking about his
actions and the warning his mother had given him. Suddenly a hoarse croak
sounded which caused him great alarm. He looked up, and saw this large crow
sitting on a branch. He thought it was the very bird of which the text spoke,
and was coming to pick out his eyes. Filled with fear, he clapped his hands at
the bird, and fled in tears to the house as quickly as he could, greatly
relieved to escape the punishment threatened against him.
This event caused him to consider his ways
and was a lesson he learned early in life that left a lasting impression on
him.
Precious Promises
The promises of God to believers in the
Bible have a number of special benefits for every Christian.
‘They are great source of spiritual
wealth.’ Those who search and embrace these promises, become rich with
these hidden treasures.
‘They are a great defence against
the attacks of the devil.’ There is a breastplate for his heart, a helmet for
his head, a sword of the Spirit to defeat temptation and sin. ‘They are a medicine to cure the many
ills that a Christian may have.’ When he is weak and feeble, they strengthen
him; to cure many diseases.
‘The promises are a storehouse of
spiritual food.’ Like the granaries Joseph built in
What is your name?
The
Bible calls Christians by many names and titles. Here are some of those
mentioned in the Bible.
“Beloved brethren; Blessed of the Lord;
Beloved of God; Children of the Lord; Children of the Living God; Children of
Abraham; Children of Promise; Children of the Kingdom; Children of Zion;
Children of Light; Children of the Day; Chosen Generation; Chosen Vessels;
Disciples of Christ; Elect of God; Epistles of Christ; The Faithful; Fellow
Citizens; Fellows Heirs; Friends of God; Heirs of God; Heirs of the Kingdom;
Heirs of Promise; Heirs of Salvation; Holy Brethren; Holy Nation; Holy
Priesthood; Holy Seed; Joint heirs with Christ; Kings and Priests unto God;
Lambs; Lights of the world; Little Children; Lively stones; Men of God;
Obedient children; Peculiar people; Peculiar treasure; People of God; Pillars
in the temple of God; Ransomed of the Lord; Redeemed of the Lord;
The Righteous; Royal Priesthood; Salt of
the earth; Seed of Abraham; Servants of Christ; Servants of the Most High God;
Sheep of Christ; Sheep of God’s pasture; Witnesses of God; Strangers and So-journers; Sons of God; The Lord’s freemen; Trees of
Righteousness; Vessels unto honour; Vessels of mercy.”
These names and titles show
us that believers are very precious to God.
When we compare them with the names given to unbelievers, we can see
that they are special and loved of God.
The Christian's walk
God’s word not only tells us that
Christians should walk in His ways, but also instructs us how we should walk.
Here are some verses that command us how we are to walk.
“Walk in newness of life.” Roman 6:4
“Walk honestly, as in the day.”
Romans 13:13
“Walk by faith and not by sight.” 2
Corinthians 5:7
“Walk in the Spirit, not in the
flesh.” Galatians 5:16
“Walk in love, as Christ also loved
us.” Ephesians 5:2
“Walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.” Eph. 5:15
“Walk worthy of the
Lord." Colossians 1:10
“Walk in Christ Jesus the Lord.” Colossians.
2:6
“Walk in wisdom towards those who are without.”Col.4:5
“Walk honestly toward them that are
without.” 1 Thess. 4:12
“Walk in the light, as He is in the
light.” 1 John 1:7
Thirty-three years in prison
A Spanish Prince was once cast into prison because
the king feared that he would seize the throne and take his place as king. This
prince was the heir to the throne, and he was very intelligent and loved the
Bible.
He was placed in solitary confinement in an
old prison in
“In the Bible the name Lord is found 1853
times; the name Jehovah occurs 6855 times. Psalm 111:8 is the middle verse.
Esther 8:9 is the longest verse. John 11:35 is the shortest verse. In Psalm 107
there are 4 verses alike. Verses 8,15,21,31. Each verse in Psalm 136 ends the same.
2 Kings 19 and Isaiah 37 are alike. There
are 66 books in the Bible, 1179 chapters, 31,373 verses, 773,693 words and
3,586,483 letters.” These facts were scratched with an old nail on the rough
stone walls of his cell.
This study enabled the Prince to keep his
sanity for the years he was imprisoned. However we must never think that a
person is saved through knowing curious facts and figures about the Bible. The
Bible is to tell us of Christ and our need of Him. It is through faith alone in
Jesus Christ that we are saved. Hopefully this Prince did know Christ as his
Lord and Saviour, and did not just use the Bible to find out many curious
things.
Brain teaser
How many creatures can you find in the
sentence below??? The names must appear
in the words; no jumbling or combining words allowed. There are twenty creatures in the
sentence. How many can you find?
“Kneel in the kayak grasping the boat, but
don’t wrench the bullion or scowl at the chart.
Behind the taped and sealed planter is a benevolent collier. The foxglove is in the bath.”
The whole
armour of God
Christians have many battles against the
devil, sin and the world. Ephesians 6.11 tells us to ‘Put on the whole armour
of God.’ To be completely equipped and covered by the armour that God has provided.
This armour is not only for protection, but also to attack and ward off the
attacks of the devil. If we have only a part of the armour, we are very open to
the attacks of the evil one.
This may be illustrated by the ancient
Greek story of the ‘Achilles heel’. Achilles was a Greek hero who fought in the
Trojan War. When he was an infant his mother was warned of the future danger,
so she dipped him in the River Styx that was supposed to protect him. But there
was one part of his body that was not dipped - that was his heel. His mother
held him by the heel when she dipped him in the river. When at last he went to
war, his enemy Paris, shot him in the heel and killed
him.
The devil will seek
to attack believers in that part of their lives that is not protected. However,
God has supplied a ‘complete armour’,
Ephesians 6:11-17. God’s armour for the Christian is not some physical and
natural thing as the ancient Greeks imagined, but it is spiritual – in our
hearts and lives.
The Bible compares our Christian armour in
Ephesians 6 to the various parts of the armour worn by Roman soldiers. There is the girdle about the loins – to give
us strength; the breastplate to protect our hearts; shoes for the feet – to
walk in God’s ways; shield of faith to ward off the darts of the enemy; the
helmet of salvation to protect our minds, and the sword of the Spirit which is
the word of God – to resist the devil’s attacks. We put on this armour by
prayer and faith in the Lord.
Faith and works
A godly Christian used to be a ferryman in
the Highlands of Scotland. He would row
people across a lake in his boat. On one
of his oars he wrote the word, “Faith”, and on the other oar, “Works”. One day
a passenger asked him what the two words meant?
The ferryman took the oar “Faith” and tried
to row with it alone. The boat just went
around in circles. Then he took the oar
“Works”, and tried to row with it – the result was the same. He then took the two oars and the boat moved
freely across the lake. He had illustrated what James 2:17 states, “Faith, if
it has not works is dead, being alone.”
We must be ‘strong in faith’ (Romans 4: 20 and ‘rich in good works’ 1
Timothy 6:18
"He died for me"
A man saw an American farmer standing at the
head of a soldier’s grave. “Is this your son’s grave?” he asked. The man
replied, “No, but he lived in our town, and I have come to find his grave.”
“Perhaps you are visiting instead of his father?” continued the man. “Yes, my
neighbour would be glad that I have come, but I came for myself. You see, I
have seven children, all of them are small, and my wife is not well. I was
drafted for the army, but there was no one to manage my farm, and I could not
afford to pay someone to do so. The money that I would get as a soldier was not
sufficient to feed my family. It seemed that I had to go, and my family would
suffer. On the morning I was to report at the army camp, my neighbour’s son
came to my house and offered to go to the war for me. He said that he had no
one depending on him, and he was able to go better than I was. He went in my
place, and was wounded in a battle. He
was brought back to the hospital here, and died, and this is his grave.”
The man had come a great distance to visit
this grave. He had a head-stone inscribed to express his appreciation to this
man. The inscription simply said, “He died for me”. He had made the
greatest sacrifice for the farmer who was filled with gratitude. How much more should we be filled with love
and thankfulness to Christ who died for us, to save us from sin and everlasting
punishment.
Giving away the
wrong thing
An African preacher
surprised his congregation by saying that some people would be lost by being
too kind and charitable. When everyone looked astonished, he repeated the same
words. He then explained what he meant-
“Many people attend
a Church service and hear the word of God, but they apply the sermon to
everyone else. Whatever they hear they
think that the words are suited to another person. If a sin is reproved they think that it is
just what someone needed to hear. Whatever is preached they can see how suited
the words are to someone they know.”
“In this way,” said
the preacher, “they are too kind. They
give away the whole sermon and do not keep anything for themselves.”
God’s word is to be
applied personally to our own hearts. We
are to read and hear God’s word as though it was spoken to us alone. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to apply
the words to other people, not for us to think how the words fit the lives of
others.
Praying always
A group of ministers were discussing how a
Christian can obey God’s word that tells us to “pray without ceasing.” 1
Thessalonians 5:17. After they had discussed this matter for a time, a lady who
was listening, said, “Why, gentlemen, I can answer that question.” One minister
asked, “Susan, do you know how to pray always?” “I hope so,” she replied.
“But you have so much work to do! How can
you find time to pray always?” asked the minister. She answered, “The more 1
have to do, the more I am helped to pray. When I open my eyes in the morning, I
pray, ‘Lord open the eyes of my understanding that I may behold wondrous things
out of Thy Law.’ While I am dressing, I pray, ‘Lord may I be clothed in the robe
of righteousness, and adorned with the garment of salvation.’ As I am washing
myself I pray, ‘O Lord, may I be washed in the
fountain opened for sin and uncleanness’. While I am lighting my fire I pray,
‘O Lord, kindle a fire of sacred love in this cold heart of mine’ And while I
am sweeping the room I pray, ‘Lord may my heart be swept from all its
abominations’. So, gentlemen, in this
way 1 am praying all the day long.”
A Christian may in this way turn many
common duties and actions into a prayer to the Lord for His grace and blessing
throughout each day.
Smile a-while
Absolute proof: A
minister spoke to a deacon and said, “I’m told that you went to watch a ball
game instead of attending church this morning.”
“That’s
not true,” replied the deacon, “and I have the fish to prove it.”
Harsh treatment: Mr. Jones phoned the doctor to ask for an appointment.
The receptionist said she could give him an appointment in two weeks.” “But I could be dead in two weeks.” Mr. Jones
moaned. “Well, in that case,” replied
the receptionist, “you can always cancel the appointment.”
Clear foresight: “If you’re such a
good fortune-teller, you should be able to tell me the score of tonight’s
football match before it starts.”
“Before the game
starts, the score will be nil all.”
Expensive taste: A wife who was
wearing her new dress said to husband, “Everybody is gazing at me; they must
think I’ve been shopping in
Good gardener: Neighbour. “How did you tulips come up this
spring.” “Easy; with the help of your fox-terrier.”
·
Stranger
to his guide: “I thought you knew where all the puddles were.” “Well, I’m showing you, aren’t I.”
·
One
parent to another: “I don’t think college education amounts to much.” “Well,
you ought to see my son’s bills and see.”
·
What
is round and bad tempered? A vicious
circle.
·
Why
did the lady have everything in the house painted gold? She had a gilt complex.
·
Why
did the man sack his masseur? Because he
kept rubbing him up the wrong way.
·
Patient:
“Doctor, I have broken my arm in four different places.” Doctor: “Then you should remember not to go
to those places.”
·
Daughter:
“Dad do you really think that two people can live as cheaply as one?” “Yes, I have proved it. Your mother and I live on less than you do.”
A future Missionary
converted,
But killed and eaten by
cannibals
A
young lad, named John Williams, who was an ironmonger’s apprentice, had agreed
with a friend to spend a Sabbath day evening playing some games and having fun
together.
As
he was hurrying along the street to meet his friend, he turned into another
street and met his boss’s wife. “Where are you going John?” she asked. John told her what he intended to do. She said to him, “That would be the wrong way
to spend the Sabbath. Come to the Chapel
with me.”
John agreed and went with her to the
Chapel. That night the preacher spoke on the text, “What shall it profit a man,
if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36. The Lord
spoke to John’s heart and by God’s grace, he responded
to the gospel and trusted in Christ as his Saviour.
John
became a sincere Christian and a student of the Bible and trained for two years
to be a missionary. In 1817 he sailed
for the
In
1834-38 he visited
~The Shorter Catechism~
Questions19& 20 “What is the misery of that estate whereinto
man fell? Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?”
Some
words are really good at describing things!
For example, the word beautiful immediately paints a picture of
loveliness; the word grace conveys all that is good in God and men; the
word stormy almost makes you shiver! But what about the word misery
in Question 19? Doesn't it
have a Worzel Gummidge feel
to it [the miserable long-nosed pointed-chinned scarecrow in the children’s
story]? Misery is all that is horrible;
the absence of all happiness; what boys and girls never should be!
Yet
misery is all around us.
It is there in broken homes, in abused children, in all crime and
violence. Misery cannot be
hidden. That is what sin has brought into our lives. You may think that
toothache or some very severe pain is the worst misery a boy or girl
could ever endure. And to be sure that is miserable! But what is that in comparison to being
separated from God and never able ever to talk to Him or worse still,
suffering the pains of hell forever, as the answer to
Question 19 puts it?
It
is that thought that makes Question 20 so important! Rolf Harris once sang a song called Two
Little Boys. A line went something like
this: ‘do you think I would leave you crying when there’s room on my horse
for two?’ If that thought is really
nice and sweet, what about what God has done for those suffering from the misery
of sin? One of the most famous
verses in the Bible is far nicer and sweeter than Rolf Harris' song ever could
be: John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.”
God
has not left the human race to the lostness of its
misery. He has sent a Redeemer [the
Lord Jesus] to save those that will believe in Him. Their sin is taken
away and their misery is changed to peace and happiness. But what does this say about you? Has the Redeemer
taken you out of your misery and forgiven your sins?
You may be wondering how do go about making sure that He does. A good place to start would be to ask
Him! One of the sweetest prayers
recorded in the entire Bible is one of the shortest and simplest: ‘God be
merciful to me a sinner.’ Why don't you make this your prayer?………..