From
the Editor
Hello everyone
How many evidences do you have that you are alive? You can count a great number – you hunger
and thirst, you can see, hear, smell, taste, your heart beats and dozens more.
The same is true if you are alive spiritually.. The Bible mentions many signs that a people
are spiritually alive. They desire God, they walk in His ways, they talk to
Him, they fight against sin, they love righteousness and hate evil, all these
and more prove that a person is alive spiritually.
However, we tend to be more aware of our physical signs of life,
because we dwell in the flesh, and are more aware of the things we see and
hear.
In this copy of the SPY magazine we mention a number of things
Christians have and do. But remember
Christians are not all alive to the same degree. Just like we are not all physically active to
the same extent – one can see, hear, walk better than
another. It is the same
spiritually. Often preachers forget this fact.
We must not forget that no Christian is alive spiritually as they
should be. When we read the Bible, we are told to run in the way of God's
commandments, wrestle against spiritual enemies, pray without ceasing, love God
with all our heart, but when we look at our lives we find that we fall far
short. However, remember that all
movements and desires prove that a person is alive, so does all spiritual
desire and action.
Christians need to always remember what they should be, and pray for
bigger and better things in their lives, that they may glorify and serve God as
they should. Be sure to measure
yourselves by the pages that describe what Christians should be like.
Obedience to God
One of the most important things in a Christian's life is to obey the
Lord. Paul said, when the Lord spoke to
him, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” Acts
26:19. All of God's true servants were obedient to Him. When Abraham was
commanded to leave his homeland, he obeyed, and went out, “not knowing where he
was going.” Hebrews 11:8. and many others.
Christians are called to be “good soldiers of Jesus Christ.” 1 Timothy 2:3. One of the soldier's main qualities is to
obey. What does true obedience consist
of?
Obey quickly: Not wait for some future time. God told the Israelites
to go into the promised land; but they refused. Then later they attempted to go, but they
were defeated by their enemies. They did no obey when they should have done.
Obedience must be exact: Mary told the servants, “Whatsoever He says
unto thee, do it.” John 2:5. Not do something else, or
a part of it, but obey just as the Lord says.
Obey courageously: The
Lord said to Jeremiah, “Be not afraid of their faces.” He said also to Joshua,
“Fear not, for I am with thee.”
Obedience should be with faith: That the Lord will help us and will not
fail us or leave us. When we obey the Lord we may confidently be assured of His
help and grace.
Obedience must be with joy: “Serve the Lord with gladness.” “I delight
to do Thy will, O my God.” Psalm 40:8.
It must not be done with a drudging spirit, but willingly. It is a great privilege to obey the Lord. The angels of God obey Him fully, and the
Lord Jesus, “became obedient unto death.”
Where do we find what we are to do in obedience to God? It is in His word. God says, “Obey My voice.” Also, God may lay
upon our hearts something we should do, or bring some needy cause to our notice
that we may do in obedience to Him.
Prayer to God
Prayer is speaking to the Lord our God.
Making known to Him the things we desire and also to offer our praise to
God. “Let your requests be made known to
God.” Philippians 4:6. The Bible contains many examples of people who prayed,
and it contains many wonderful promises to those who pray. God has no dumb children.
Prayer should often be secret: Speaking to God alone. Jesus said to go into your closet and shut
the door and speak to your heavenly Father in secret. Nehemiah prayed secretly in his heart.
Prayer should be definite: To ask what you need. When Blind Bartimaeus
shouted for help, Jesus asked him, “what he wanted the Lord to do for him?” He
replied, “Lord, that I might receive my sight” He had a definite request, then the Lord
restored his sight.
Prayer should be with confidence: “Come boldly to the throne of grace, to
find mercy and grace to help in time of need.”
Not boldly with pride, but with assurance of being heard. Hebrews 4:16.
Prayer must be with perseverance: “Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye
shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.” Luke 1:9. Elijah prayed earnestly, when God sent rain.
Prayer must have faith: “Ask in faith” James 1:6 “When ye pray, believe.”
Matthew 21:22. Unbelief is the enemy of
prayer.
Prayer must be according to God's will: “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” 1 John 5:14.
For things promised in His word and agreeable to His revealed will.
Prayer must be in the name of Christ: “Whatsoever ye shall ask in My
name, that will I do, that the father may be glorified in the Son.” John
14:13. “If ye shall anything in My name, I will do.”
Parts of prayer: These are
often summed by the letters ACTS. A =
adoration, to worship and praise the Lord. C = confession, to acknowledge our
sins and pray for forgiveness. T = thanksgiving, to acknowledge all God's
mercies and benefits to us. S =
supplication, to pray for our spiritual and temporal needs, and to pray for
others who are in need.
Have a good laugh
Clothes found: As a young boy
who was looking through a large family Bible, suddenly a large dry leaf fell
out. He looked at it, then
ran to his mother. “Look what I found? I
think it is one of Adam's clothes.”
Big
End of School: After one week at school, a young girl told
her mother, “I'm wasting my time. I can't read, I can't write, and they won't
even let me talk!”
Basic Maths: Teacher: “John, why are you doing
your multiplication maths on the floor?”
John replied, “Well Sir, you told me to do them without using tables.”
Set in his ways:
A thief who was running from a crime, fell into a batch of wet
cement. He became a hardened criminal!
Sore point: “Are you in
pain?” a mother asked her crying son. “No”, he cried, “the pain is in me!”
Dangerous axe: Teacher: “George Washington not only
chopped down his father's cherry tree, he also confessed that he had done
so.” “Now, Louie, do you know why his
father did not punish him?” Louie: “Yes,
because George still had the axe in his hand!”
Quick makeover: A father from the country took his young son to the
big city for the first time. He was amazed at the things he saw. In a large store he saw an old lady walk
towards a lift and the doors closed behind her; shortly after he saw the doors open
and out walked a young woman. Thinking that the change had taken place in
the lift, the young son excitedly said to his father, “Quick Dad,
lets call Mum.”
Teacher: Donald, what is the chemical
formula for water? Donald: “H I J K
L M N O” Teacher: “What are you
talking about?” Donald: “Well, yesterday you said the formula is H to
O”
Christian Fellowship
“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the
fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:9.l
Christian fellowship is a unique way by which God's people share in matters of their
faith and religion. Unfortunately, it is
one of the numerous Bible truths which the modern world hijacks and uses for
its own purpose. So it is worth thinking about what fellowship really is.
What? Is it any different from a fellowship of any like-minded people? How does it differ from a gathering of
non-Christian friends? Surely it must mean more than a meeting for a chat! One of the things which make it special is
what those who delight in it have in common, not a thing, but a
person – the lord Jesus Christ, who is interested in them and all they say
and do. And they all have an interest in
Him and all the Bible tells them about Him; what He did on the cross and continues
to do for them in the gospel. He has
promised in His word; “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I...” Matthew 18:21.
When? Fellowship is important to young and old in
the faith. It is one of the telling
marks commended in the Bible, see Malachi 3:16; Hebrews 10:25. Yet it is not something we practice
naturally. We must work on it. One of
the reasons for this difficulty is the busy lifestyle many of us lead these
days. So we have to find time, even if it means sacrificing a favourite
pastime, hobby or TV program!
Who? Another aspect of fellowship is a balance
of ages. Young Christians like to be together. Perhaps they don't feel relaxed
in the company of 'oldies'. But it is as
good to mix as it is to talk! Certainly
we want to meet with other Christians just to be with them; perhaps to discuss
nothing in particular. The examples of fellowship in the Bible indicate that it
is a means used by God to teach and encourage us. As young Christians we make many mistakes in
our relationship with God as we do in everything else. So it's always good to have someone of
experience on board to keep us right.
How? Often it is through being in
fellowship that we find our greatest encouragement. Preaching has one huge disadvantage - the
talking is one way traffic! I remember one minister being taken aback when a
man attempted to answer a rhetorical question he raised in his sermon! Still, I am quite sure many of us would
dearly like to ask questions in the course of a sermon, 'what do you mean: can
you explain?' Meeting in fellowship
allows for questions to be asked and answered in a relaxed and informal
way. It is an excellent opportunity to
deal with issues that are seldom raised in the pulpit.
Finally Quite often we may think ourselves to be
unusual or odd due to some of the the thoughts or
feelings we have. But in fellowship, we
can hear of others similar to ourselves and we realise the problem is more
common that we thought. Sadly, many of
our opportunities at fellowship can be wasted.
We gather and talk, but so often the subject is of little profit to our
souls. Christian fellowship by
definition is Christ-centered. Whatever the topic of discussion, look at it
in the light of what the Lord had to say in His Word. Only when He is to the foreground of thought
and discussion can fellowship be truly a delight. Rev. Iain Smith.
~One Another~
The Bible has many things to say about 'one another'.
“Love one another” John 13:34.
“Receive one another”
Romans 15:7 “Forbearing
one another” Colossians 3:13. “Be kindly affectioned...
in honour preferring one another.” Romans 12: 10. “Be hospitable to one another” 1 Peter 4:9.
“Greet one another” 2 Corinthians 13:12.
“Be kind one to another,... forgiving one
another” Ephesians 4:32. “Serve one
another” Galatians
5:13. “Bear one another's burdens”
Galatians 6:2. Admonish one another”
Romans 15:14. “Build (edify) up one another” 1 Thessalonians 5:11. “Encourage one another daily” Hebrews
3:13. “Comfort one another” 1 Thessalonians
4:18. “Provoke one another to love and
good works” Hebrews
10:24. “Pray for one another; confess
your faults one to another”
James 5:16 “Be of the same
mind toward one another” Romans 12:16.
“Submit to one another” Ephesians 5:21.
One another is not a one way matter, but each
showing the same graces one towards others.
Sometimes believers are concerned whether these Christian graces are
shown toward them, and forget that they also are commanded to show the same
graces to others. By showing these graces to others we encourage them to do the
same.
The
A lady from Java was married to a wealthy English merchant. After some years the family moved to
This lady hired a Scottish woman to be her house-keeper and nurse. One day she said in broken English, “Nurse,
this is a poor place – poor place!” “Why, Madam do you
say that?” replied the nurse. “I look
out of my window and see no women in the street with jewels. In my country, women are all covered with
diamonds and pearls.” The nurse replied,
“O yes we have a pearl in our country – the
The lady was surprised and eagerly replied, “Pearl of great price! Have
you indeed'? I wish that my husband was
home, he would buy me this pearl; I would part with all my pearls to
have such a pearl.”
“O”, replied the nurse, “ this pearl is not to
wear. It is not to be bought as you
think. It is precious indeed; and they
that have it cannot lose it. They that have it are at peace, and they have all
they wish for.” “What can this pearl
be?” asked the astonished lady. “The
God was pleased to bless these words to the lady's heart and she came
to know Christ as her precious Saviour, in whom are
hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3.
Some time later this lady died; and on her death-bed she desired that
her jewels might be sold, and the money go towards sending the knowledge of the
Pearl of Great Price to those countries who have it
not.
Rescued from a formal religion
A minister, named Rev. W. Haslam, wrote an account of how he was saved
from merely keeping outward forms of religion.
Mr. Haslam thought of the church as being like Noah's ark, that no one could be saved outside of it. He thought that it was only through baptism
and the Lord's Supper that anyone could have the grace of God.
Then his gardener, named John, became very ill. He had always attended
Mr. Haslam's church, and received all the sacraments as he administered
them. He was thought to be one of the
most loyal and faithful members of the church.
However, when
the gardener was faced with death, his heart failed him. He found that his beliefs and religious
practices gave him no hope or confidence.
He had heard that other people could say they were sure that Christ was
their Saviour, their sins were forgiven and they were sure of eternal
glory. He had always thought that he
belonged to a church with superior teaching and had more forms and ceremonies
than others, yet he was afraid to die and had no assurance of salvation.
In his fears he sent for a a
humble Christian to talk and pray with him.
The man did not seek to comfort him at all, but told him he was a lost
sinner and needed to come, just as he was, to Jesus Christ for salvation. He urged him to pray to the Lord for mercy
and forgiveness, and explained to him the finished work of Christ on the cross.
The gardener was brought under deep conviction of sin for a time, then he found pardon and peace by faith in Christ.
This was a great disappointment to Rev. Haslam. Instead of rejoicing over a lost sheep being
found, he was very angry and grieved that he lost one of his best
disciples. He went to see the gardener, hoping
to reclaim him, but the man was firmly trusting in Christ. Instead of lying on a bed mourning over his sickness, he was
praising and thanking the Lord.
The minister said to him, “John you are excited, you must have been
drinking wine.” “No, master.” replied
John, “I have not touched a drop.” “Dear
master, I know you love me, and I love you, but you do not know this joy and
peace – if you did, you would have told me about it. O master pray to the Lord
to give it to you - to save your soul.”
Mr. Haslam could not stand this pleading of his gardener, and quickly
left the house confused and troubled in his heart and mind. He went to see another minister who was a
friend; he told
him that if he was converted, he would have rejoiced in John's salvation and
praised God with him and that he would never spiritually help the people in his
parish until he was converted himself.
Rev. Haslam became deeply troubled for days. The next Sunday he
trembled and feared when he went to preach.
However, as he preached the Lord suddenly opened his eyes to the gospel,
he saw Christ as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. His soul was filled with joy and peace. He now was filled with love and zeal to
preach Christ alone and salvation through faith in Him, and many of the members
of his church were saved.
The Love of God
A man who was thought to be insane was placed in an asylum until he
died. After his death a lovely hymn on
the love of God was found written on the wall of his cell. Two verses of which
contained the words.
“Could we with ink, them ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And
every man a scribe by trade.
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole.
Tho' stretched from sky to sky.”
Saved by Grace
A minister visited a another minister who was
a friend of his, when he heard that he was sick and dying.
“What are you doing, brother?” the visitor asked kindly. He replied, “I will tell you what I am doing, I am gathering
together all my prayers, all my sermons, all my good deeds, and all my ill
deeds; and I am going to throw them all overboard, and swim to glory on the
plank of Free Grace.”
Question 33.
What is justification?
Answer: 'Justification is an act of God's free grace, wherein He
pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for
the righteousness of Christ imputed to
us, and received by faith alone'.
Some events in life are of such huge significance that they are used as
a benchmark (an all-important point) for time. For example, the birth of Jesus
Christ has been used as the most significant date in history; the familiar BC
and AD of the Christian calendar.
The discovery by Martin Luther of what Justification
meant led to another memorable date axis, the Reformation of the 16th
century.
Justification is not a word we use every day. Its meaning is easier to understand if we
break it up in the following way: just-as-if-I. It means that God
accepts us just as if we had rendered full and perfect obedience as Jesus did
for us and instead of us, in His life on earth.
Justification is often said to mean, just- as- if- I had never sinned.
Luther had tried to be good and kind and upright before God and
men. But no matter what he did he could
never be fully assured of being pardoned and forgiven. It was not until he realised that his best
efforts drastically fell short of what God demanded, and they were what Isaiah
the prophet called “filthy rags” (chapter 64:6) that Luther realised he needed
help to be pleasing to God. That was when he turned to Jesus Christ as his
Saviour.
Then Luther, the German monk, found that the Gospel consisted of gift after gift from God –
justification (official standing) pardon ( forgiveness and cleansing) and
righteousness (holy acceptance).
For the first time in his life Luther found real lasting peace because
he now knew that it was not a matter of trying to please God by his own best
efforts, but a matter of trusting in what Jesus did for him, and receiving it
by faith alone.
This understanding of justification was an earth-shattering discovery
for Luther. So it must be for all who
hope to be friends with God and look to heaven our final home.
The question you must ask yourself is this: 'Does God accept you on the
basis 'just-as-if-I' gave perfect obedience through faith in the Lord
Jesus as Saviour', or am I still trying by my own works to make myself
acceptable to God?