Hello Everyone from the Editor

There is a great danger that we are all faced with in our lives – that is of becoming so used to evil, crime and violence, that we are no longer troubled or alarmed by these things.

You may have heard of the story of the hungry fox that saw some ducks on the water. He badly wanted to catch one for his meal. So he sneaked up-stream and pushed a branch into the water, and hid himself. When the ducks saw the floating branch they took flight in fear, but they soon settled down again.

The fox sent another branch down the stream, which almost had the same effect. He continued to do this until the ducks took no notice at all. Then the fox pushed a branch into the stream and floated down with it. The ducks paid no attention, and the fox seized a duck for his meal.

Now we may be like those ducks. When we first see a crime or violence, or read of some evil, we are troubled in our minds. But after a time we become used to these things and look on them as the usual events of life.

By this we become increasingly hardened in our hearts, and lose our feelings of pity and concern for others and cease to pray to God to have mercy on ourselves and other people.

This is one of the ways that we “are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (and the devil) Hebrews 3:13.

We should always seek to view evil and violence as the Bible does, and as God Himself does. It is hateful to Him and a breaking of His holy law.

The Runaway Slave

What a dreadful thing slavery is? A slave loses all their freedom, is forced to work for nothing; they are that person’s property to do what they want to with them.

In ancient times there were tens of thousands of slaves. When a nation was defeated in war, many of the people were taken as slaves, or if anyone was deeply in debt, they could be made slaves for years until that debt was paid-with interest. But worst of all there were evil men who captured and traded in slaves. A gang of men went around capturing innocent people and then selling them as slaves. Slave markets were held in some cities, and people were sold just like in our cattle markets.

When the gospel was first preached in ancient lands, people did not realise how dreadful slavery was, and some Christians still had slaves. Certainly they treated them far better than other people, but it was many years before slavery was finally realized as evil.

In one ancient Greek city called Colosse, there was a rich man, named Philemon who had slaves. When he heard Paul preach, he believed and became a Christian. Later the Church at Colosse held their services in his large house.

Being a Christian made Philemon, more gentle and kind towards his slaves and gave them more freedom. One slave, whose name was Onesimus, stole some of his goods and fled to Rome, the capital city of the Roman Empire, a city with two million people.

But God works in strange and wonderful ways! Paul had been arrested because of his preaching and taken to Rome. There he was placed under guard to await his trial before the Emperor Nero. Paul was allowed to live in his own rented house, chained to a Roman soldier preventing him to escape.

Somehow, Onesimus found his way to Paul’s house. Perhaps he had run out of money and was looking for help. Paul welcomed him into the house and spoke to him about his need of forgiveness and salvation. The Lord worked in Onesimus’ heart and he sincerely repented of his sin and trusted Christ and was saved. He was now a great help to Paul. However, there was a problem with Onesimus staying with Paul for a long time. He had stolen Philemon’s goods and had run away. What should he do? Paul believed that Onesimus should travel right back to Colosse, several hundred kilometers, and confess what he had done and ask for forgiveness. Onesimus must have agreed with Paul’s opinion. So Paul wrote a lovely letter to Philemon asking him to accept and forgive Onesimus seeing that he was now a brother in Christ, and promising to repay the debt that Onesimus owed.

We would love to know the end of this story, but we are not told. We may be sure that Onesimus did humbly return and ask for forgiveness, and that Philemon readily forgave him.

This story shows us several things. a) God’s wonderful working in the lives of those He saves. Onesimus found Paul, a prisoner, in a huge city and heard about Christ. b) That when we have done wrong, like Onesimus, we should apologize to the person we have wronged. c) Like Philemon, we should always be ready to forgive and accept those who apologize to us. You can read this story in the book of Philemon in the Bible.

Smile a while

q Holy dog: A converted African came to a missionary in great distress, “My dog has torn up my New Testament and eaten some of the pages. He was a very valuable dog” “Never mind” said the missionary, “I will get you another New Testament.” But my dog is a good hunter and a watch dog, and the New Testament is full of words of love and gentleness, I am afraid that he will never be of service again.” (True story)

q Dog peddler: Bill, “I am fed up with my dog. He will chase anyone on a bike. I will have to sell him.” “You don’t have to be that drastic” replied George, “Just take away his bike”.

q Poor criminal: Judge to accused, “Do you have anything to offer before I sentence you?” Accused. “No, Your Honour, my lawyer has taken my last dollar.”

q See-through case: A man wanted to see a doctor. “What is the matter?” asked the receptionist. “I am invisible and I want to see a doctor.” She called the doctor and said, “There is a man here who wants to see you; he said he is invisible.” “Tell him I can’t see him.” replied the doctor.

q Cosmetic beauty: When a wife applied the expensive cosmetics supposed to make her look years younger, she said to her husband, “Tell me honestly what age would you say I am?” The husband replied thoughtfully, “Judging by your skin, 20 years, hair 18 and your figure 25.” “Oh, you flatterer,” she smiled proudly. “Just a minute”, he replied, “I haven’t added them all up yet.”

q Found out: A lost Balloonist called out, “Ahoy below! Where am I?” Startled farmer, “You can’t fool me. Your up there in that basket.”

q Monkey business: What would you get if you crossed a monkey with an elephant? Hundreds of broken trees.

Trusting Christ fully

On one occasion, the Scottish preacher, Thomas Chalmers (called Doctor)(1780-1847) went to visit a woman who was deeply troubled about her sin. This woman was always looking into her heart, trying to find enough faith to believe that her sins were forgiven, so she was deeply troubled and despairing.

When Chalmers reached her house, he found that it was on the other side of a fast flowing stream, and over the stream was just one plank that did not look very strong. He put his foot on the plank and took a few steps, but it seemed too weak and fragile to carry his weight, so he stopped.

The lady looked out and saw that he was afraid to venture onto the plank, so she called out loudly, “Just trust the plank, Doctor.” And Chalmers did trust the plank and walked over the stream safely.

Afterwards he talked to the woman about her faith. She said her sins were too great and she did not have the right kind of faith. She told him how she had been deeply troubled for a long time.

Chalmers explained to her that she should trust fully in Jesus Christ alone, and to rely upon what he did for her on the cross. Then he thought how his own experience in trusting the plank over the stream illustrated her doubts. He said she should trust Christ just as he had trusted the plank which carried him safely, so she must trust Christ alone to save and forgive her.

Suddenly the woman understood what faith was. She said with deep joy, “O, Doctor, that is faith; just to trust Him.” She was enabled to humbly place all her faith in Christ alone, and was filled with joy and peace. Faith is just to trust in Christ like Chalmers trusted the plank. The plank did not break, nor will Christ ever fail those who place all their faith in Him.

“Saving faith is a resting faith, the trust which relies entirely on the Saviour.”

Bible safety

In the early days in America, two men who claimed that the Bible was false and that Christians were hypocrites; travelled the rough outback on some business. They told everyone their views if they had an opportunity to speak about religion.

These men were armed and took great care of their goods. Each night they took special care and one remained awake while the other slept in case they should be robbed.

One night they asked a poor settler for shelter at his log cabin. The man welcomed them and said they could have the best place that he could afford. This made the men very suspicious, in case he might intend to deceive them and kill them, as the place was far from any other dwelling. They resolved to have their pistols ready and for one to stay awake at all times.

However, before they retired, the man took down a well-worn Bible and read a portion, then he prayed asking God that the strangers should have a prosperous journey, and when their earthly journey ended, they might have a home in heaven.

They retired to their room, and the man who was to keep watch, instead of preparing his pistols, prepared to go to sleep. His companion reminded him of their agreement to keep watch. The unbelieving man confessed that after hearing the Bible and the man’s prayer, he now felt perfectly safe, just as he would in his own home. The two men went to bed and slept soundly. The ungodly sometimes secretly recognize God’s care, while outwardly they claim not to believe in Him.

A good beginning

The old saying is that ‘well begun is half won.’ This means that if we begin to do something well, it usually works out well in the end.

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) was told in the middle of the night that her uncle, King William 1V had just died and that she would now become the Queen of England.

Victoria was only eighteen years old. She arose from her bed and asked the messenger to pray with her. She knelt down and asked God for wisdom and help for the great task ahead of her. She prayed like Solomon did when he began to reign, “Give thy servant a wise and understanding heart.” 1 Kings 3:9.

God heard her prayer and she became the longest reigning Queen in English history and she was richly blessed in her reign.

A bad beginning

A group of workmen were once engaged in building a very large brick tower. As they were laying the foundation, one man did not lay some bricks correctly.

The work went on without anyone noticing the faulty work and each new line of bricks was not exactly right. Still the work went on and on, until the tower reached the height of almost twenty metres. Then, one day, as all the men were busy working, the tower suddenly collapsed and fell with a deafening crash, burying the men in the ruins. Many lives were lost and the materials were ruined.

Because the tower did not begin correctly, and there was only what appeared to be a small mistake, the whole of the building was destroyed.

Many lives are ruined because of one evil habit or one false belief. That evil is like a seed that is sown, that grows and grows until it destroys a person’s life.

If we begin with Christ and trust in Him then we have a sure foundation and then we will be spiritually safe all our lives.

Christ lifted up

During the American Civil War, a chaplain visited a hospital to see the wounded soldiers. He was told that a man wanted to see him urgently. The man said that he wanted the chaplain to help him to die.

The chaplain replied that he would take the man and carry him into the kingdom of God if he could, but he could not help him to die. The soldier asked anxiously, “Who can help me?” He replied, “Only Jesus Christ can. He came for that very purpose, to save us.” The soldier shook his head, “He can’t save me; I have sinned all my life.” “But he came to save sinners,” answered the chaplain.

The chaplain stayed with this soldier and prayed for him several times. Then he repeated all the promises of God to those who believe that he could remember, but the man did not believe in Christ.

At last the chaplain said, “I would like to read you a conversation that Christ had with a man about his soul. He turned his Bible to John 3 and read the story of Nicodemus. When he came to verses 14 & 15, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Suddenly the soldier stopped the chaplain and said, “Is that there?” “Yes” he replied. The soldier asked him to read it again, which he did. The soldier lifted himself on his elbows and said, “That’s good; won’t you read it again?” The chaplain read it the third time then read the rest of the chapter.

When he finished the soldier had his eyes closed and was saying slowly over to himself verses 14 &15. His whole facial expression was now changed and seemed to be at peace. He opened his eyes and said, “That’s enough; don’t read any more.” The soldier only lived a few more hours, but died trusting in the Lord as his own Saviour.

Judson’s conversion

Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) who later became a famous pioneer missionary to Burma (Myanmar) was the son of a Congregational minister. As a child he was faithfully taught the truths of the word of God.

Judson was a very intelligent boy and went to college at an early age. There he became a friend of a boy who did not believe in God or the Bible. This boy was very clever and witty. He made fun of Christianity and seemed to have an answer for everything about God.

Soon Judson was led to adopt his ideas and to reject all that he had been taught. His parents were not told for some time, but when he returned home for a holiday he told them. His father sought to reason with him, but he could not answer Judson’s objections. His mother spoke lovingly to him, but he refused to listen. He announced that he wanted to travel and enjoy himself. He was now twenty years old.

Judson set off to visit some of the other towns. One night he stayed at a boarding house. When the landlord showed him his room, he said that he hoped that Judson would not be disturbed as there was a young man who was very ill in the next room who made a lot of noise. Judson was sure that he would sleep alright.

That night was a very restless one for Judson. The man was restless and groaned, and there were people walking around whom he thought was the doctor. Then Judson began to think of sickness and dying. Here was a young man very ill. He thought of how dreadful a thing it was to die. These thoughts troubled him for a long time, but then the noise ceased and he slept soundly till the morning.

When he came down stairs the next morning, he asked how the young man was. The landlord replied that he had died. “Died!” replied Judson. “Yes; we called the doctor but there was nothing that could be done for him.” “Do you know who he was? asked Judson. “Yes; he was a student from Providence College,” then he mentioned his name. It was Judson’s best friend. Judson was astounded. He was so overcome with grief that he could not leave the house for a few hours. The words, “Dead!” “Lost!” seemed to be ringing in his ears. Now, all the smart jokes and answers about God and the Bible all appeared so empty and worthless.

God had spoken to Judson’s heart. He now was sure that there was a God and that the Bible was true.

Sadly, he made his way home and told his parents what had happened. He was now a changed man and was determined to serve the Lord. He trained to become a missionary and in 1812 he sailed for Burma where he faithfully served the Lord all his life.

God sometimes uses sickness and death to cause people to turn to Christ and repent, However some people become hardened and bitter against God when troubles come.

The Shorter Catechism ~ Question 3

Question: What do the Scriptures principally teach?

Answer: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man.

Our Bible can be used in many ways! It is a hive of information on so many different subjects. Boys and girls can learn about how the world was created, where humans came from, the cause of pain and suffering and much else besides. But every book has a main theme. We might find some reference to religion in a book on space exploration but that is not why we read such a book. We read it because we wish to learn about exploring the universe.

The Bible speaks on many aspects of life but the most important subjects are in the answer to this Catechism question. Boys and girls can grow up to become experts in many fields of knowledge but where does that leave them in the end of the day if they know nothing concerning God and what God expects of them in this life?

The Lord Jesus once described this problem by picturing a very successful farmer. He knew all about farming and how to grow large fields of produce. He knew how to extend his farm, build new barns, and so increase his fortune. Friends and neighbours would enviously call him successful. Imagine this kind of person today in his fields operating the latest state-of-the-art combine harvester and collecting his children from school in the newest model Rolls Royce!

But Jesus reminds us that God calls such a man a fool, Luke 12:20 But God said unto him, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” He was a fool because he focused all his attention on the things of this world. He was unmindful of the fact that he had a never-dying soul. That is why the main teaching of the Bible is so important to boys and girls.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1