Page 1 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

Table of Contents:Thanks: So Much More Than a Word - - - - - - 1The Rarest (and Best?) Way to Give Thanks - - - -2A Thanksgiving Meditation - - - - - - - - - -3Exegetically Speaking- - - - - - - - - - - - 4Words to Stand You on Your Feet - - - - - - - 5Living out the Living Word- - - - - - - - - - 7Following God - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9Points to Ponder - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10Jewels from Past Giants - - - - - - - - - - -10

Counselor’s Corner - - - - - - - - - - - - 13The Story behind the Song - - - - - - - - - -14Church Builders - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel - - - - 15Marks of the Master - - - - - - - - - - - - 16Book Reviews- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18News Update- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -18Sermon Helps - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20Puzzles and ‘Toons - - - - - - - - - - - - 22

__________________________________________________________________________________________Thanks: So Much More Than a WordBy William O. Vickery

Originally Published in Pulpit Helps, November 1997.Saying “thanks” is good. It is good because it is

nice to say; it has the appearance of propriety. There are times when “thanks” or “thank you” will ease what would otherwise be an awkward situation or even gain a response by permissive grace rather than a reaction in angry intolerance. Even children are taught “thank you” and “please” as magic words. Long before they learn the concept of thanks, they are taught to use the tool of saying thanks to their advantage.

Saying thanks is good, but is it enough? Giving “thanks” implies saying it, but carries with

it a far deeper expression both to the “thanker” as well as the “thankee”. A little boy with his heart set on a warm, live puppy for Christmas can say “thank you” very nicely and sincerely for the puzzles and socks and shirts. But if you want to see the difference between saying it and giving it, just stick around ‘til he opens the package with the note that says, “look in the closet,” where he finds the puppy neatly hidden for his surprise and enjoyment. Oh, yes, he’ll still use the same words, but they have a deeper, more expressive meaning. Giving thanks is more than being nice…or using tools…or working the system. Giving thanks is verbalizing a true and deeply-felt sentiment of heart and spirit. Saying “thanks” is nice, but giving “thanks” is better for obvious reasons.

Say it, Give it, Live itIs there more to “thanks” than saying it and giving

it? I believe there is; not as a replacement or substitute for the former, but as a complement to them both by living it.

How can one put thanks into living? Well, let us recall the case of the little boy and the warm, live puppy. Every little boy who ever had a puppy has learned this truth: living thanks boils down to how well one takes care of what he has said or given thanks for. Is the puppy fed well—by the boy, not the parent? Does the boy, by caring, gentle affection, build a good relationship with the puppy?

Giving thanks is spontaneous. The moment of spontaneity soon passes and may even be surpassed in time by an even greater moment of spontaneity. We human beings tend to enjoy the moments of spontaneity, and happily we have them along life’s pathway, much like mountain peaks scattered across the terrain. Eagles fly from mountain peak to mountain peak. People don’t. People must walk down through the valleys to get from one mountain peak to another. That’s life. It must be experienced step by step, day by day, not spontaneous moment to spontaneous moment. By living “thanks” as well as by saying and giving “thanks,” we can enjoy a grace that will enhance the face of life itself because it will affect our attitude—which, in turn, will have a bearing on the way we can relate to others.

What if There Were No Tradition?For Americans, there is a tradition of observing

Thanksgiving Day each November. It is recognized as a national holiday and happily so. But one wonders if it were not a holiday, would there be any giving of thanks? That is the question that each person must answer for himself, just as each person will determine how he will express his thanks by saying it, giving it, or living it.

Saying “thanks” is good; it is mannerly, tactful and serves as a lubricant to overcome friction. Giving thanks is better; it penetrates superficiality and allows for deeply-felt expressions to pass from one person to another. More of the whole person is exercised in giving thanks than in saying it. Living thanks is best. It transcends superficiality and exceeds spontaneity. It abides within the inner man as a continuing resource contributing to the development of character, shaping of life-style, and building of personal relationships with God, family, fellow Christians, and friends.

Thanks begins with the thankful; it is not dependent upon anyone else. Speak it. Give it. Live it. Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Courtesy of Glad Tidings

Page 2 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

__________________________________________________________________________________________The Rarest (and Best?) Way to Give ThanksBy Joe McKeever

A few months ago, I spent part of a morning sketching a class of first graders on the next-to-last day of school. As I finished and was about to walk out the door, the teacher handed me a booklet the children had put together thanking me for drawing them.

The booklet was not unlike many I’ve received before, childish drawings throughout, with festive sentences saying “Thank you, Mister Joe, for drawing me,” and “Thank you for coming to our school.” One or two said, “You are a good drawer.” It occurred to me later that she had led the class to make that booklet before I ever arrived (since there would not be time afterwards). So, the children had thanked me for a job well done before I ever did it. They had thanked me by faith.

My pastor friend and mentor, Dr. James Richardson, in Heaven for a decade now, enjoyed telling of the time he spoke at the graduation commencement in one of our Southern Baptist seminaries. Outside the chapel, as the entourage was lining up to make their entrance for the service, the president handed James an envelope containing a check for expenses and a letter of appreciation. James laughed, “The letter thanked me for delivering one of the most inspiring commencement addresses they had ever had!” High praise by faith, I suppose.

For many years, I have interceded with the Lord for a particular family member who has seemed to have little use for God. A few months ago, I sensed the Lord saying it was all right to quit asking and begin thanking Him for answering my prayers. That came with a wonderful lifting of my burden for that person. Thereafter, my prayers were words of thanksgiving in appreciation and in advance for what the Lord was going to do. In the months since, we have been given evidence that the Lord is indeed at work in the life of that one. I’m still thanking Him.

Since all prayer is an activity of faith—praying to One we cannot see and are unable to prove, asking for what we may never see given, but continuing steadfastly to intercede—adding one more element to our prayer strategy is no stretch: thanking the Lord in advance.

Now, anyone can thank the Lord for what He has done, and that’s a good thing to do. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, heals all your diseases…” (Ps.103:2ff.). And, we sometimes wisely thank Him for what He has not done, “He

has not dealt with us according to our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10).

But let us take the next step and give Him thanks for what He will yet do. “Father, thank You for whatever comes my way tomorrow. You have promised to use it in my life and use me for Thy glory. So, thank You in advance.

“Thank You for the new people you will send into my neighborhood and into my life. For the new challenges I will be facing in the future. And for Your faithfulness and blessings throughout.

“Lord, thank You for blessing me in my old age (the part of it still to come!). Thank You, Father, for blessing me in my last days and through my final passage from this life to the next. And, my Lord, thank You for bringing me safely to the Father’s House and for the ‘Kingdom prepared for [me] from the foundation of the world’ (Matt. 25:34).

“I thank You for taking care of my loved ones, my three children and their families, as they grow into the mature years and beyond, for keeping them safe and well, for guiding their decisions, supplying their finances, and giving them great joy in the Lord.

“Thank You too for overseeing and securing the lives of our eight grandchildren, whom we expect to outlive Grandma and me by many decades. I thank You for blessing their choice of life-mates, for guiding them into the right careers, leading them to good churches, and making their entire lives fruitful for Thee.

“For these and all Thy many blessings, Father, we give Thee thanks. Oh, and Lord, thank You for the surprises that lie just ahead, blessings I would never have thought of or imagined asking for. I have no idea what they are, of course, but over these 70-plus years, I have learned how You delight in doing good things for Your children and surprising them with Your grace.

“Thank You, Lord—for who You are, what You have done, what You are doing at this moment, and what You will yet do. Oh, may I be faithful at each step of the process. Thank You!”

Joe McKeever is a retired Southern Baptist pastor from New Orleans, Louisiana. He blogs regularly at

www.joemckeever.com.

__________________________________________________________________________________________A Thanksgiving MeditationBy Justin Lonas

Page 3 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

We love holidays, not least for the connotations of rest and comfort they carry in our culture: time off from work, good food, visits with family and friends, etc. Perhaps none is more purely a restful holiday than Thanksgiving (unless, of course, you’re hosting a cadre of picky and ungrateful relatives, but that’s another story), which is given as a day to stop striving and instead praise God for His tremendous blessings. It has hitherto resisted commercialization beyond the sale of turkeys and cranberries, and its foundation in expressing gratitude gives at least a halo of selflessness to the whole exercise.

Every year, a few folks dutifully point out the folly of having a day set aside for thanksgiving when its presence is undetectable in our lives the rest of the year. Good for them, but don’t forget the reason we set aside feast days to begin with—to remind us of something worth remembering and to call us back to observance. Every holiday has something of that in its essence, even secular days like Memorial Day or the Fourth of July. We mark the place to prevent us from passing by without calling to mind its significance.

The best-known feast in Scripture is the Passover—the annual remembrance of God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Deut. 26:8). Each year, at Passover, the people were to cease from their daily grind and worship God again for His wondrous work. They stopped to reflect on how everything about their existence as a nation and every blessing they enjoyed was only by God’s immeasurable grace. In the New Testament, we see this ritual fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, at Passover.

While the finger-wagging of those (of whom I am often one) urging year-round observance of the reason for a feast doesn’t negate the value of special times of remembrance, there is a point and a biblical basis for ensuring that celebrating the occasion does not provide cover for a heart that denies the substance.

Scripture is replete with exhortations to worship from the heart, not from the ritual. Perhaps the most succinct and eloquent comes from Samuel’s rebuke of Saul in 1 Samuel 15. God commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites down to the last man, including their livestock. Instead, Saul defeated them, preserved the king alive, and took the choicest livestock for himself. He then took a few of the beasts and prepared them as a sacrifice, taking great care to follow the best priestly “recipes”, to be sure. The Lord, however, was not amused, and sent Samuel to meet Saul and deliver this message: “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22)

Charles Spurgeon (in the devotional Morning and Evening) writes of this verse:

“The sentence before us is worthy to be printed in letters of gold, and to be hung up before the eyes of the present idolatrous generation, who are very fond of the fineries of will-worship, but utterly neglect the laws of God. Be it ever in your remembrance that to keep strictly in the path of your Savior’s command is better than any outward form of religion, and to hearken to His precept with an attentive ear is better than to bring the fat of rams, or any other precious thing to lay upon His altar.

“If you are failing to keep the least of Christ’s commands to His disciples, I pray you be disobedient no longer. All the pretensions you make of attachment to your Master, and all the devout actions which you may perform, are no recompense for disobedience. ‘To obey,’ even in the slightest and smallest thing, ‘is better than sacrifice,’ however pompous. Talk not of Gregorian chants, sumptuous robes, incense, and banners; the first thing which God requires of His child is obedience; and though you should give your body to be burned, and all your goods to feed the poor, yet if you do not hearken to the Lord’s precepts, all your formalities shall profit you nothing.

“It is a blessed thing to be teachable as a little child, but it is a much more blessed thing when one has been taught the lesson, to carry it out to the letter. How many adorn their temples and decorate their priests, but refuse to obey the word of the Lord! My soul, come not thou into their secret.”

So, as Thanksgiving comes, celebrate with gusto, but let it be a crescendo in the symphony of your year-long pursuit of gratitude to the Lord for his indescribable gift of salvation from sin and death! Let the Psalmist’s refrain be on our hearts and our lips now and at all times:

“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.Serve the LORD with gladness;Come before Him with joyful singing.Know that the LORD Himself is God;It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.Enter His gates with thanksgivingAnd His courts with praise.Give thanks to Him, bless His name.For the LORD is good;His lovingkindness is everlastingAnd His faithfulness to all generations”

(Ps. 100:1-5).

Page 4 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

Justin Lonas is editor of Disciple Magazine for AMG International in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

__________________________________________________________________________________________Exegetically Speaking—by Spiros Zodhiates

The Blessing of TemptationJames 1:12

From Faith, Love & Hope: An Exposition of the Epistle of James, AMG Publishers, 1997.

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12).

This verse should definitely be connected linguistically and in thought to verses 2-4 of this chapter, where James speaks of life’s trials and temptations. These we are to meet with all joy, for their effect upon this life, which is patience, perfection, maturity, and wisdom. But that is not all. There is a life to come and it is then that the real reward of the patient and victorious Christian is obtained. It is joy here and blessedness there. Praise be unto God.

Our verse starts with a familiar word in the New Testament, the word makários, the same word the Lord used when He sat on the Mount of Olives and taught His disciples who the “blessed” are in this world. It is significant that this word is used by the Apostle Paul in describing God, as in 1 Timothy 1:11, in which he says: “according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God.” This, according to Paul, is an attribute of God. And yet the Christian is characterized by it, the Christian who has learned patiently to endure temptations and trials in this life. Surely we possess the inherent happiness of God since we are partakers of His nature. That explains the secret of the Christian’s happiness. No matter what happens in the outside world, the Christian is happy because God is within, because he is a partaker of the divine nature.

But who is so happy? It is not every Christian. Unfortunately there are unhappy Christians, plenty of them. Happy or blessed is the man, James says, who “endureth temptation.” That word translated “endureth” is the verb from which the noun “patience” is derived. Hupomonē is “patience” and hupomenō is “to be patient.” Let us analyze the word a little more. It is made up of the preposition hupó which means “under,” and the verb menō, which means “to abide, to stay.” Here are the trials and temptations of life seemingly having the upper hand over us. We are under them. What can we do?

One thing that we are tempted to do is to escape temptation, to run away from the trials of life. But that is not what we are supposed to do as warriors of Jesus Christ. We are supposed to hold our ground, to stand firm, remembering that He who is within us is greater than he

who is without. The load can never be so great that it will crush us. Since He who made the whole world is in us, with us, and for us, who can be against us, who can take away our happiness? Absolutely no one or nothing. We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

The word “temptation” here in our verse has the meaning of “trial” rather than temptation as we usually understand it. It refers to the adverse circumstances of life and not to something for which you are responsible, as we saw was the case in verse 2 of this same chapter. If we were to translate the first part of verse 12, we should say, “Happy is the man who stands his ground in the face of temptations.”

Now why should the Christian who has been under the fire of testings consider himself happy? Because of what he will receive after the testing period is over. “For having been proved or tested, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him.” What did James mean by “the crown of life”? There has been much theological discussion concerning the meaning of the phrase. I shall give you the two main meanings.

The Greek word stephanos actually means “that which surrounds or encompasses,” and it is usually the head that is encircled or encompassed. Therefore, the applied meaning is a crown, a wreath or garland placed on someone’s head as a sign of honor in victory. All along James speaks about the struggle of life, about the Christian holding his ground in the face of temptations. While here on earth the Christian is engaged in war, but if he participates in the divine nature, he cannot but be a victor.

This word also describes the Christian’s final reward in heaven. For James it is a crown of life; for Paul it is a crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), and for Peter it is a crown of glory. What is that final reward? It is that we shall reign together with Jesus Christ and with Him shall judge the world. Read the fourth chapter of Revelation and see how apparent this is. Think of it, those who now persecute us, revile us, tempt us, try us, and speak all manner of evil against us, shall one day be judged by us. We are now taken advantage of, but wait a while and you shall see what will happen.

When James speaks of the promise of the Lord, I do not believe that he refers to any particular promise or any special passage, but to all the Lord’s promises of the crown

Page 5 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

of the victor and of the regal glory that awaits him. The Word of God is full of such promises, so there is every reason for you and me to exercise patience as we go through the fiery furnace of trials. It is worthwhile being unpopular here for the sake of being popular with Him up there.

It is like the gatekeeper at the railroad station who demanded that everybody present his ticket before going through the gate to the train. From those who could not find their tickets readily there was much grumbling and swearing. One watching the scene said to the gatekeeper, “You don’t seem to be very popular with the crowd.” He just cast his eyes upward to the floor above, where the superintendent’s office was, and said, “I don’t care anything about being popular with this crowd; all I care for is to be popular with the man up there.” All that matters is to please the Lord who shall one day crown us with glory and everlasting blessedness.

James has spoken of faith and endurance in tribulation. But now he introduces something else and that

is love. To whom is God going to give this crown of life? To those who love Him. The actual translation from the Greek is “to those loving Him.” There is here the quality of continuity. It is not those who loved the Lord at one time, but those who love Him to the very end of their lives under all circumstances.

A young man spent an entire evening telling a girl how much he loved her. He said that he could not live without her and that he “would go to the ends of the earth for her; yes, go through fire for her, or die for her. But when leaving, he said, ‘‘I’ll see you tomorrow night, if it does not rain” How often we say we love God, yet deny it by our actions. Christ will give His crown of life only to those who love Him in deed and in truth. Do you?

Spiros Zodhiates (1922-2009) served as president of AMG International for over 40 years, was the founding editor of Pulpit Helps Magazine (Disciple’s predecessor), and

authored dozens of exegetical books.

__________________________________________________________________________________________Words to Stand You on Your Feet—by Joe McKeever

A Creative Pastor Will Find Ways to Teach His People

We call pastors “preachers” for a reason, but the New Testament repeatedly calls church leaders to teach. So what is the difference? Think of preaching as exhorting and proclaiming in order to change lives; think of teaching as imparting information and insights in order to inform the mind and change the heart. Teaching can be an important part of preaching, and exhorting may be one component of good teaching. But the major chord of preaching is proclaiming, and the major thrust of teaching is conveying insights and truths. For more on that distinction, read what I wrote here.

That said, the fact that pastors should teach their people is a no-brainer. It’s explicit in the Scriptures and implicit in our being called “shepherds.” A wise pastor will be creative in finding ways to teach his congregation, recognizing that many who will listen to his sermons are not coming to any class or small group, no matter how he browbeats them or how enticing he makes it. He will have to find other ways to teach them.

I. Pastors Will Teach in Sermons, of CourseBut they should work at doing it well. Now, a smart

pastor will not announce to his people that what follows is “teaching.” I do not recommend something most of us have done at one time or other, telling them, “I need to do a little historical background for five minutes if you can hang on that long, then we’ll get to the good part of the message.” A better solution is to make the historical background more interesting, so much so that many find it the most

fascinating part of the sermon. And for that, you’ll have to work.

Take the matter of the Samaritans, who they are, and so forth. You could try something like this. “You know that Jews in the first century tried to avoid traveling through Samaria on their way to and from Jerusalem. There’s a good reason for this: The Samaritans were religious half-breeds, a mix between the good old-fashioned faith of Abraham and sheer paganism of the foreign nations. How they got that way is a fascinating story. Many hundreds of years earlier—in 722 B.C., to be exact—the Assyrians had figured out a way to keep a conquered people down. Their little discovery was to resettle them. When they captured the northern kingdom of Israel that year, they uprooted most of the people and moved them far to the north. Then, they took some other country they’d defeated and moved their people into Israel.

“It’s pretty smart, if you stop to think about it. What this does is to break up clans and gangs and families. It disorients people and makes them easier to control, which was the whole point. So, long story short, what they ended up with in Israel—the area north of Judea—was a strange civilization with pagans living alongside Jews, and them intermarrying and mixing up their religious practices. You could understand why the faithful Jews wanted nothing to do with that. In fact, in crossing that territory, Jews felt like foreigners and wanted to take a bath afterwards. Oh, by the way, you remember the wonderful story of Jesus witnessing to the woman at the well of Jacob? Well, she was a

Page 6 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

Samaritan and knowing that background helps us understand what was going on.” Something like that.

Figure out how to simplify the history lesson, but keep it accurate, and if possible try to whet the appetite of your people to dig deeper into the subject. It always helped me to practice on my kids. If a 9-year-old follows what you are saying, go with it. I suggest you not say something in a sermon like, “Now, the dictionary defines this word as…” which, I can guarantee you, is going to put your people to sleep. Instead, shortcut the process. Say, “That word means (whatever) in our language, however in the New Testament world, it meant….”

Teaching doctrine or history to God’s people is a little like feeding spinach to children: just do it but don’t make a big show of telling them it’s good for them. It’s possible to give good lessons to congregations without saying that’s what you are doing. Get the story clear in your own mind, figure out a way to say it simply, practice it until you get it right (and can steer clear of anything confusing), and then go do it.

II. Pastors Can Teach in StoriesWhen issues are volatile and some in the

congregation are feeling negative toward the subject at hand or even toward the preacher, he can often be most effective in transmitting God’s truth by telling a story. This is what the Prophet Nathan did as he confronted King David for adultery. It’s what the Apostle Paul did when on trial before hostile juries (the story he told was his own testimony; see Acts 22 and 26). It’s what Jesus did most of all, and of course, best of all. Mark 4:34 says our Lord almost never taught without telling stories.

Do not make the mistake, however, of assuming anyone can tell a good story. Some can do it naturally, but even those who think they cannot may learn the craft. Get help if necessary. A simple way is to find a pastor or teacher who excels in story-telling and take them to lunch where you pick their brain.

III. Pastors Can Teach in Small GroupsAnd sometimes need to do so for a good reason.

Some lessons do not lend themselves to congregational sermons but need a more personal and intimate approach. Studies on controversial subjects, hot-button issues, and doctrines that threaten to divide the congregation may need to be approached in a small group where a select group of leaders is pulled together and everyone can speak his/her mind without the usual restraints.

Let’s say you were pastoring a church in the Deep South during the days of high racial tension, the 1960s. The very mention of having members of another race in your church would set some members off. The trouble these members caused could (and did) tear up many a good church. And yet, as the Lord’s shepherd, you feel a strong compulsion to teach God’s people a respect for all mankind

and particularly love for brothers and sisters in Christ of other races. So, how do you do it?

You begin with one small group of your best people. By choosing only the most spiritually mature and those you have found to be trustworthy, you invite the small group to your home. (You have preceded this with much prayer!) You share the burden of your heart, that the world is dictating to God’s people whom they will love and how they will conduct the Lord’s business, and that the Lord’s church should set the standard for the world, not cave in to it. You make them know you have no other agenda—you’re not planning to force anything on anyone—but you feel a leading from the Lord to teach God’s people how to behave, how to love, and how to respond to troublemakers. You want their best input. Make it non-threatening, a time of Bible-study, and a discussion involving everyone present. You will know quickly how open they are to continuing such a study. As this goes forth in subsequent sessions, if it does, the Lord will make clear the next steps for the church.

Controversial issues are best dealt with in small groups of the most mature at first. Pastors will do some of their best teaching there.

IV. Pastors Can Teach Leaders Who Will in Turn Teach Others

This is a good way to teach stewardship principles, for instance. As lay leaders learn the concepts and principles, they are able to return to their classes or home groups and pass them on.

Why would a pastor want to teach his leaders stewardship principles? What would seem to be a no-brainer is not. The answer is: There are a lot of crazy notions out there in “churchland”. You must teach them God’s Word, otherwise you leave the field open for every crazy idea that comes down the road.

I recall having private conversations with our financial chairpersons to discuss ways to present the monthly report to the church without panicking the membership. This is a touchy area—especially if the chairperson is insecure and easily offended—but you can point out more positive, encouraging ways to report on the church’s money. Are we in the black? Do we have any unpaid bills? Don’t we have a nice building fund available? Are there good reasons why we may be running behind last year’s giving? That sort of thing. What the pastor must not do is allow someone, particularly a member of his staff, to frighten the membership by statistics if that is only one side of the story.

V. Pastors Will Teach in Counseling SessionsA counseling session consists of active listening,

silent praying, gentle questioning, followed by timely teaching. Eventually, after the person has poured out his problems and there is little more to be said, the minister can

Page 7 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

share a great insight from scripture or from his experience. This is the time to teach, and not before.

When the distraught person enters the pastor’s office in tears, broken-hearted or angry or scared, is no time for the minister to teach. He needs to listen and assist the visitor to unloading all that is troubling them. Finally, they are ready to listen. That’s why, throughout the session, as the other person is unburdening themselves, the counselor is sending up prayers for the Lord’s guidance and making a few notes on what to share when the person is ready.

VI. In Casual Conversations, a Good Pastor Can Teach.But not much. Picture this. You are in the bleachers

at the high school football game and enjoying a Friday night outing with your wife and a few friends. The discussion does not stay on what’s taking place on the field, however. At one point, someone raises a question about

something in today’s news or something the president said. Everyone has an opinion about it. As the pastor, you bide your time. Translation: do not rush to give your opinion—or your authoritative pronouncement!—on everything. Let others speak up. While others speak, you are asking the Lord for a word of wisdom on this situation.

Share what He gives you to say, and nothing more. Oh, one thing more. Do not look for your small audience to fall at your feet with choruses of “Such wisdom! We’re not worthy!” You may never know that one or two received what you said and took it to heart. Just do it by faith and leave it with the Lord.

Have fun teaching, pastor. It’s a great life.

Joe McKeever is a retired Southern Baptist pastor from New Orleans, Louisiana. He blogs regularly at

www.joemckeever.com.__________________________________________________________________________________________Living out the Living Word—by Justin Lonas

Who Is Worthy?Psalm 15

Editor’s note: Due to an extremely busy schedule and the fact that we just finished our study of 2 Timothy in this column, I’m taking a month “off” before starting a new study. This piece was published in March 2011 as part of our series on the Psalms.

Psalm 1 begins by stating, “How blessed is the man…” and proceeds to enumerate that man’s characteristics. Psalm 15 opens with a question: “O Lord who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?” (15:1). Rather than prescriptively telling us what a righteous man looks like, the Psalmist (in this case, David) turns his gaze on God and His holiness. He asks rhetorically who can measure up to God’s standard and withstand His presence.

David understood God’s utter holiness better than most. In 2 Samuel 6, we read of the events that many scholars connect with this Psalm and Psalm 24. Here David attempted to move the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem when one of the movers, Uzzah, was struck down by God for coming in contact with the Ark. This greatly distressed him, and it was three months before he resumed the move. This time, we read, “And so it was that when the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. And David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the trumpet” (2 Sam. 6:13-15).

We’re not told anything about Uzzah’s spiritual life; presumably His goal was to prevent shame from coming to the Ark, but He did not grasp God’s holiness,

choosing to place it on a cart (instead of carrying it as the priests were instructed to do in Numbers 4) and daring to touch it. As I’ve heard it put before, God would rather have the Ark fall to the ground and get covered with mud and ox dung than to have it defiled by a sinner’s hand; the dirt has not rebelled against God as we have. David understood his complicity in that defilement of the Ark as the one who directed the improper move, and he consecrated the second attempt (which followed the priestly protocol) with the blood of sacrifices.

Perhaps this experience was on David’s mind as he composed this Psalm. Its whole tenor is that of imparting wisdom (in the vein of the Proverbs). From His “close encounter” with God’s holiness, David asks if any of us can stand before Him and stay before Him in righteous worship. The answer he gives seems simplistic at a glance: “He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart” (15:2).

A closer look reveals the depth and breadth of the requirements, however. A man of scrupulous virtue who goes out of his way to be honorable and upright in all his dealings and never lies or shades the truth in speech or in thought is, in a word, perfect. This is not just an outward life of morality but a soul rooted in God’s ways, resolutely righteous in every respect.

He goes farther in his description: “He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; he swears to his own hurt and does not change; he

Page 8 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent” (15:3-5a).

Just as Psalm 1 showed us that the blessed man shuns all forms of sin and delights in God’s Word, these verses portray the outward fruits of righteousness displayed by the man welcome on God’s mountain. David’s description can be broken down into seven essential virtues. 1) He does not defame, insult, or deride others. 2) He does not hurt others. 3) He is kind, loyal, and encouraging to his friends. 4) He sees sin for what it is (i.e., through God’s eyes) and steers clear of the influence of sinners. 5) He shares companionship and respect with those who trust in the Lord. 6) He keeps his word, no matter what comes about. 7) He does not take advantage of others for his own gain through wealth, power, or influence.

David concludes with a promise that “he who does these things will never be shaken” (15:5b). This or similar phrasing shows up often in the Old Testament. “My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken” (Ps. 62:1-2). “Those who trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved and abides forever” (Ps. 125:1). “Therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed’” (Is. 28:16). In almost every case, it is in reference to the one who puts his trust in God and does what is right. God is unmovable and unchanging, and the only way to be steadfast and secure is in Him.

As with so many other passages about righteousness in Scripture, we see both the expectations of godly behavior and our utter inability to measure up. On our best days, we may entertain thoughts of striving toward these things, but to live a life wholly marked by these traits is impossible in our fallen state. As the Lord taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), to even contemplate transgression of the Law of God is to be held guilty of all.

Which of us then is worthy to stand (and stay) in the presence of God? No one, save God Himself. This is precisely the point—none of us is worthy. From the

beginning, God’s desire was that we would worship Him and follow in His ways, but we cannot approach Him as a result of the fall. Even Abraham the patriarch of the faith knew that he could not measure up, but “he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). He trusted in God to deliver him, on God’s terms, not his. But for God’s mercy, not one of us can stand before Him.

In the New Testament we see revealed a man who was able to do all these things and more, the unshakable One Himself: Jesus Christ. Because He was God in the flesh, He was not only able to walk with integrity, work righteousness, and speak truth, He was and is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). It is through His sacrifice we can “abide in [God’s] tent” and “dwell in [His] holy hill.” Just as Abraham trusted God for His then-future deliverance through the perfect sacrifice of Christ, so we trust His completed work for our salvation. As Paul writes, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

David had to have known from the Law and from his own experiences that it was impossible for anyone to live in righteousness. Only God can save us and fit us to be citizens of Zion; only Christ’s blood is the sufficient sacrifice; only the Spirit can enable us to live out righteousness. It is only in our Lord that we can “never be shaken.” Paradoxically, His name is made greater and His mercy is magnified precisely because none of us can measure up to His standard and yet He made a way for us to dwell with Him forever.

There is only one right response to this truth: “Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods” (1 Chron. 16:23-25).

Justin Lonas is editor of Disciple Magazine for AMG International in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

__________________________________________________________________________________________Following God—by Erik Christensen

Who We Were; Who We AreEphesians 2

In chapter one of Ephesians, Paul expresses the beauty of our salvation due to the love of Christ and the fact that, in Christ, believers have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Paul also shares how our salvation takes place with a list of blessings that have been accomplished by the Father in order that we

might be in Christ. Now in chapter two, he reminds us of our lost state and transitions us into the beauty of the grace and love of our Lord.

As believers, we need to be reminded often of the greatness of our salvation! In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul reminds each believer of what we used to be without Christ—lost!

Page 9 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

We were estranged from God and as Paul puts it, we were “under the prince of the power of the air,” speaking of Satan. We were children of the wrath even as those who are still lost.

Paul soberly reminds believers that we were constantly indulging in the desires of the flesh. We did not just sin, we enjoyed it. We were not in Christ, but rather we were willfully disobedient to Him. Disobedience is the antithesis of faith and obedience. Due to our sin nature, we were not surrendered to the Lord or walking by faith. Instead we were contrary to God, continuously at war with Him in our attitudes and actions. Considering these things is sobering indeed.

However, God’s grace is amazing! Is this not what separates Christianity from all other religions? Despite what we deserve, God saves. Why? Paul proclaims in Ephesians 2:4 that the Father is rich in mercy because of His great love, the love of Christ. Mercy is not simply a feeling of compassion. Mercy is compassion in action. The Lord saw our helpless estate knowing that there was nothing we could do in and of ourselves to become right with Him. Because of His grace and love, He showed mercy—He acted.

Paul highlights this tremendous love seen in the activity of mercy by again affirming that what the Lord has done is not based on us, but rather in spite of us being actively at war with Him. His grace, which is what He shows by His own will in showing favor regardless of merit, provided the opportunity for each one to believe upon Him in order to be saved. His mercy (compassion in action) sent His Son to the cross so that we might be forgiven. His love conquers in spite of what is deserved. Paul reminds believers that our salvation is not of our works but rather His works. Our salvation is provided due to the greatness of God’s grace, mercy, and, most profoundly, His love. Salvation is a gift of God. Only through believing in Him, not attempting to pay Him back, is this gift received.

So what does the Lord do? He seats us in the heavenly places in Christ. He takes each one of us who, at one point, were at war with Him (enemies of God) and

brings us into His very presence by His grace, mercy, and great love. We are in Christ, He in us, and we are seated with Him. What is the purpose? Clearly the purpose is our salvation. Yet this purpose is not fully completed without us being raised and seated with Him. We are His workmanship, and the Lord has a further purpose for us—good works.

Interestingly, Paul places the phrase “in order that” in the subjunctive mood. This mood expresses that which is a very real, tangible possibility. Unfortunately, not all believers participate with the Lord in walking in the good works that He has planned for them. Not only can every believer have the assurance that their salvation is a finished work of the Lord and cannot be undone, but he also has the opportunity of walking with the Lord, experiencing Him in the midst of his life. Paul expresses that we are saved for the purpose of good works that He prepared before the foundation of the earth. We will never walk in them apart from God’s grace and enabling power in our lives as we yield to Him by faith.

Do you need to remember who you used to be apart from Christ? Paul reminds the Ephesian believers of who they were and who they now are as a result of God’s grace and love. He also reveals what they have the potential to experience as he encourages them to follow the Lord.

Are we following Christ wholeheartedly? Are we seeking Him with all of our hearts not simply to “do” but rather to “enjoy” Him in the doing? Have the activities of life, although they may be good and perhaps even biblical in nature, become our focus rather than the Christ Himself? Take a look back and be reminded of how great God’s love is for you. By His love, being rich in mercy, and because of His great grace, we can enter into a relationship with Him, experiencing Him for the rest of our lives. Follow the Lord! Seek Him and find the purpose that He has planned for you.

Erik Christensen is senior pastor of Hoffmantown Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

__________________________________________________________________________________________Points to Ponder—by David L. Olford

Suffering According to the Will of God—Part 1 of 3

Text: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you…” (1 Peter 4:12).

Thought: The Apostle Peter is writing to scattered followers of Christ who were facing persecution at that time. In this section of his encouraging and challenging epistle, there are key truths that will help us to be faithful in times of suffering, and they will help us pray for and stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are experiencing

persecution right now across the world. We see in our text, first of all, that:

I. The Follower of Christ Should Expect Suffering (4:12-13)

Persecution and suffering for Christ should not be viewed as an abnormal experience, rather this has been the norm for Christians down through the centuries and it is the norm for Christians in many countries today. After all, it

Page 10 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

was the experience of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself! Assuming that such persecution is not surprising to God nor should it be to us, how are we to respond to it? Peter says that we should “rejoice.” What truths about suffering can help us to rejoice honestly when we face such “fiery trials?”

II. Suffering Purifies Our Faith in Christ (4:12, 1:6-9)There is a truth in our text that has been

emphasized already in 1 Peter. It is the truth that suffering is used to test believers (1:6-9), to purify believers (4:1-2), even as stated later in our passage to purge the church in the light of eternity (4:17-18). At the start of this Epistle, Peter writes of the living hope that we have in Christ. But, while the Christian rejoices in the hope of salvation, right now, sufferings are used to prove the genuine nature of the Christian’s faith, which will result in “praise and glory and honor” (1:7).

We fail to realize how important our faith is to God. And rather than seeing that we are being abandoned by God in suffering, we need to discern that God uses such suffering to rid us of impurities in our faith and in our lives. Hand-in-hand with this truth is another fact.

III. Suffering Affirms Our Fellowship with Christ (4:13)We may wrongly have the impression that Christ

suffered so we don’t have to. There is a sense in which this is true—Christ is the unique Savior and bearer of our sins. The atoning work of Christ is finished! But as believers in Christ, we fellowship with Him in persecution and in the glory that is to come. Part of our relationship with Christ

and our fellowship with Him is sharing in the sufferings associated with the outworking of His redemptive plan.

Peter wants us to view suffering for Christ as a necessary prelude to glory. Just as there is travail before birth, there is present suffering before future glory. This isn’t an easy truth, but it is a Biblical truth (2:21). This should cause us to rejoice in the privilege of suffering for Christ, knowing that there will be an even greater joy when we share in His glory. Praise God that he is the God of all grace and that knows all about our sufferings (5:10). Christ Himself has experienced sufferings have that paved the way for the glory that is to be revealed.

How do we understand this rejoicing in the midst of sufferings? We recognize that it is part of God’s will for us as we anticipate the eternal glory to follow. I think also, on a devotional note, such suffering helps us understand the sufferings of Christ our Savior and grow in our fellowship with Him.

Thrust: Can we really rejoice in suffering for Christ? The answer to that question is connected to the answer to this question: do we really want such “fellowship” with Christ? Can we can say with the Apostle Paul that we want to know Christ…including the “fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). By God’s grace, even as we expect suffering, may we be able to rejoice in it due to our trust in a sovereign God and our fellowship with Christ.

David L. Olford teaches expository preaching at Union University’s Stephen Olford Center in Memphis,

Tennessee.__________________________________________________________________________________________Jewels from Past Giants

The Criteria of Truth—Part 1 of 3By Archibald Boyd

A portion of a lecture given by Boyd before the Young Men’s Christian Association in Exeter Hall, London. Published in Exeter Hall Lectures, 1861-2. Edited slightly for length and modern spellings.

There never was a time, in all probability, in the history of human opinions, in which men have not labored more or less intelligently, more or less successfully, to reduce surmise to certainty, and to elevate theory to the dignity of demonstration. Philosophy, or the love of wisdom, is but another name for a search after truth; and truth is but the emergence of certainty out of the chaos and conflicts of doubt and conjecture. The different schools of thought, and the various systems which thought has produced, are but so many evidences of the anxiety of man to reach finality, and to establish something which might be generally accepted, not only as a solution of difficulties, but as a test or criterion of opinions.

In succession, Persia, Egypt, Greece, the philosophers of France, Germany, and England, have labored to penetrate into the mysteries of truth, and to lead the human mind into the adoption of those principles which their respective advocates believed to be her fixed laws and undeniable revelations. And all the speculations which mark these several schools—if they prove nothing else—appear distinctly to prove this, that truth, in reference to her grandest and most important subjects, is not to be reached, so much by a process of investigation, as by means of a process of disclosure. She may rend the veil of her temple, and manifest her mysteries, but it is beyond the power of mortal hand to draw it aside, or the strength of mortal vision to penetrate its folds. Over her shrine we may read the words, “Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be,” but over it we may also trace the inscription, “The world by wisdom knows not God.”

Page 11 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

It would be strange if this long-sustained search after the principles and criteria of Truth was not found existing in these times, in which we ourselves live; for this age is pre-eminently one of critical thought and bold reconsideration. Almost every system and every institution have been subjected to the ordeal of inquiry, cast into the crucible, melted, refined, recast, reformed. Principles in politics, in law, in medicine, physical and social science, in war and agriculture, in art and literature, which had obtained the respect and confidence of centuries, have all been thrown again into the balances, and tested by the scrupulous application of new weights and closer analysis.

It were marvelous if the spirit of criticism, which has dealt so unsparingly with systems long venerated and universally accepted, should forbear to direct itself to the more vital subject of religion. The most solemn and sacred of all topics which the human mind could submit to investigation; interesting, beyond all others, to every man solicitous for his eternal destinies; important beyond all to every man who covets peace, or seeks for guidance, or yearns after a solution of doubts; valuable even as an instrument of social order and national stability—It were strange if religion, as to the doctrines she enunciates, and the documents she endorses, should be passed by unnoticed and unchallenged, when everything else was brought to the touchstone of examination, and put to the proof of its worth.

And therefore we complain not—we were false to our declared trust in our own belief, if we did complain—that such questions as these are again before public thought, “What is a test of religious truth,” and “ On what grounds are we to conclude that the Scriptures are, what they profess to be, the ‘oracles of God’?”

Now, for the dignity of determining what is truth, there appear to be, in our time, three principal competitors: the internal consciousness of man, the deductions of mere reason and the disclosures of Revelation.

It is well known that, in our own days, a bold attempt has been made to set aside the inconvenience of fixed limits to the excursions of reason, and to refer all questions connected with sacred truth, to the impressions or convictions of the individual. According to this theory, each man is a law to himself. There is implanted in men, by the God of nature, an innate power of determining what is true and what is false—what is culpable and what is allowable. It is true that in this theory there is nothing which can be called original or novel, for it is, after all, but the reproduction of the opinions of the deistical writers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

There appears to be no essential difference between “the verifying faculty” of some modern writers, and the theory of “internal consciousness” of the doubters of by-gone times. When Lord Herbert of Cherbury maintained the “existence of innate principles of religion and morality, which made revelation superfluous;” and Bolingbroke declared that “the religion of nature was clear and obvious

to all mankind;” and Rousseau asserted, “I have only to consult myself respecting what I do: all I feel to be right is right; whatever I feel to be wrong is wrong; all the morality of our actions lies in the judgment we ourselves form of them”—they but expressed the doctrine of “personal, inward consciousness.” They but referred everything—be it of morals or be it of dogma—to the standard, not of revelation or of reasonable and admitted principles, but to the varying and capricious standard of a man’s personal sensations. And, in all probability, the “colossal man” of the essayists is but this internal consciousness and this “intuitive knowledge” developing itself into a higher condition of intelligence and improvement.

To set aside this claim, it might be enough to say, that surely that can hardly be taken to be a standard of truth, which has not yet declared or defined itself—that that can be no criterion, which, not in the comparison of man with man, but in the comparison of a man with himself, is found to be fluctuating and uncertain. If this “internal consciousness” is to be taken for the test and arbiter of truth, we might expect that its disciples would exhibit, at least, a concurrence and harmony of impression; that, at least on leading points, they should be found to have reached the same conclusions. But, so far is this from being the case, that no creeds have been found so many and so discordant as those to which this theory has led.

How can it be otherwise, when each man is “a law to himself,” speaks out of his own impressions, no matter how produced, and out of his own tastes and propensities, no matter how debased and impure? Truth with one is falsehood with another; morality with one is a “resistance to the dictates of nature” with another; attempts at purity are the ambition of some; self-denial and humility are pronounced by others to be but “hardeners of the heart, and sourers of the temper.” The doctrine of future punishments and rewards is affirmed by one, “one of the truths of the highest concern to man;” by another, “nothing can be more fatal to virtue than their belief.” By one it is asserted that “piety and virtue are the principal parts of God’s worship;” by another, that “the chief end of man is to gratify the appetites and inclinations of the flesh.” If all the dogmatic opinions, and all the moral or immoral principles of the disciples of the theory of internal consciousness were but collected and displayed, they would forever settle the question of a test for truth being gained in that direction, for they would demonstrate that there was no such thing as truth at all. They would stall; from Plato, and end with Pilate.

It may, however, be pronounced unjust, because contrary to the very spirit of the theory in question, to compare individual with individual. If each man be his own law, he has nought to do with another. Truth is, with him, subjective, and must commence and terminate with himself, But, in reply to that, are we not justified in demanding whether the man who relies on this internal consciousness

Page 12 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

is, in fact, consistent with himself? What if it could be shown, that the opinions of the disciples of this school were in serious collision, not only with each other, but that the individual advocate of it was in collision with himself? And this were easy to do; for nothing is more incoherent and inconsistent than the views espoused by the self-same philosopher. Was he right at one time, and wrong at another; or was he equally right at each time, though propounding a distinctly opposite opinion?

We need not to go further than Saul of Tarsus for an illustration of this position. The same man is found, acting on the laws of internal consciousness, to be at one time an adherent, at another an opponent, of Christianity, and yet in both conditions he “thought that he was doing God’s service.” That he thought he was right while persecuting the truth, is undoubted; but that he was wrong, is equally undoubted. That he believed himself acting for the interests of truth while opposing it, is undeniable; but that he mistook truth, is equally undeniable. What conclusion can we draw from this consideration, but this—that intuitive knowledge, or internal consciousness, can never be trusted or accepted as a criterion of truth?

If we allowed ourselves to speculate on the causes which produce this inconsistency, it could easily be shown that in his corrupt and fallen condition, the mind, the judgment, the inclination of man, are so deeply affected by his depravity, that they are not free to bring in a pure and correct verdict. When men “like not to retain God in their knowledge,” they are the victims of a “reprobate mind,” positively disqualified by the bias and distortion of their natures, for conceiving or even apprehending truth. How can that defiled spring throw out clear and salubrious streams? How can that thick, vapor-loaded medium transmit rays of pure light? How can that shattered mirror return a truthful, undistorted image? Never can we confide in internal consciousness till we are like the angels, or “the spirits of just men made perfect.”

We have a second candidate for this dignity, in the shape of reason—reason not exercising herself on the interpretation of the oracles, but elevating herself to a position of independence of the oracles. For the doctrine has been, and is maintained, that nothing ought to be accepted as truth which is beyond the powers of reason; and that nothing is truth which is not approved by reason.

But here we are again met by the difficulty, that the Rationalists, speaking not out of the intuition of their own minds, but out of thought, investigation, and discovery, arrive at the most conflicting conclusions. With the same evidences before them, and with high mental powers for extracting inferences out of those evidences, they are found

to be “a house divided against itself.” The arguments, for example, that satisfied the Pharisee of the existence of unseen spiritual intelligences, and of a second bodily life, fell with no force at all on the mind of the Sadducee. The reasons which induced Plato to believe in the immortality of the soul were of no weight with the man who pronounced “death to be an eternal sleep.”

In fact, the entire history of philosophic thought may be pointed to as the most convincing proof that mere reason can never be accepted as a criterion of truth. The instrument it may be, by which we discover and determine on the test and by which we apply that test, but the test itself it cannot be. If the disciples of Aristotle held that the world was eternal, the followers of Democritus were equally persuaded that it sprang from the chance concurrence of atoms. But neither of them apprehended the grand truth of the Creative Power, confessed by Bolingbroke, who had but to “speak and it was made—to command, and it stood fast.” If the school of the Persian Zoroaster believed in the existence of two separate spirits—the one, the Lord of light and love, the other, the prince of sin and darkness—the mythology of Greece crowded Olympus with deities of various orders; and the philosophic orator of Rome lost himself in endless conjectures respecting the nature of the Divinity at all.

If Bolingbroke taught that Christianity was but a “republication of the religion of nature, its morals pure, and its systems of rewards equitable,” it was the conviction of Hume that “no reward or punishment could be expected, except that already known to experience.” If the same writer discovered that there was no solid argument to prove the existence of a God, it was maintained by Shaftesbury, that “the man who denied the existence of a God erred against the well-being of society.” And yet those men, holding views opposed and irreconcilable (some of which modern philosophers would repudiate with abhorrence), are all disciples of reason. Surely that cannot be held as a safe or satisfactory criterion of truth, which, out of the same facts and considerations, leads to conclusions evidently antagonistic. With that fact before us, wheresoever the test of truth is to be found, it seems clear that it is not to be found in reason.

Archibald Boyd (1803-1883), was an Irish Anglican clergyman who served many parishes in Ireland

and England throughout his ministry, most notably as Dean of Exeter. He was known in his day as a firm but gracious

evangelical who preached well and wrote widely on pressing issues of his time.

_____________________________________________________________________________Counselor’s Corner—by James Rudy Gray

Page 13 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

Thanksgiving: The Holiday and the Practice

I really enjoy the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The commercialism overshadows the spiritual substance in both, but I still enjoy them. The fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving Day, is a legal holiday in our country. Thanksgiving has been an activity practiced by people of different religions for centuries, usually in response to a productive or successful harvest.

In the early years of America, celebrations focusing on the giving of thanks were observed at different times by different groups of people. We popularly trace our Thanksgiving holiday to a three-day celebration in 1621 at Plymouth, Mass., where 53 settlers and 90 Native Americans feasted together.

Presidents made numerous Thanksgiving Day proclamations until 1941, when Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the fourth Thursday in November as a national holiday.

Today the Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel times of the year. Thanksgiving Eve is one of the busiest nights for bars and clubs, and the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Recreation, particularly football, has been associated with Thanksgiving for many years. Thanksgiving meals throughout the years included turkey with various side dishes. But at the heart of a national Thanksgiving Day has been the reminder to give thanks to God.

We have much to be thankful for in our nation. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t always agree with my government. Sometimes the actions of our elected officials disturb me. However, I am thankful for my country, and I

appreciate the fact that we still have a Thanksgiving holiday.

Giving thanks is a way of life for disciples of Jesus Christ. Prayer has historically been a part of our national day of Thanksgiving. While giving thanks one day a year is better than never giving thanks, consistently giving thanks throughout the year is best. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Prayer and the giving of thanks go together.

It shows good manners to give thanks to others. It is good theology to give thanks to God. Life is not always fair. Bad things happen to good people, but regardless of what is happening, God remains a loving, holy, sovereign, merciful God. He is worthy of thanksgiving even in our deepest valleys.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We cannot give thanks for everything that happens, but we can always give thanks to God—even through our pain, tragedies, and disappointments.

May God empower all of us to celebrate with joy the Thanksgiving holiday and genuinely give thanks to the One whose name is above every name. “Blessings and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever” (Rev. 7:12).

James Rudy Gray is certified as a professional counselor by the National Board for Certified Counselors, and is a

member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He serves as the editor of The Baptist Courier,

the official newspaper of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

__________________________________________________________________________________________The Story behind the Song—by Lindsay Terry

Some Good Lyrics Just in TimeSong: “Mighty Is Our God”

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created” (Rev. 4:11).

Three of the most talented and dedicated pioneers of the contemporary worship music genre put their hearts and hands together, and with the Lord leading them, gave to the world one of our most widely known worship songs. The men were Eugene Greco, Gerrit Gustafson, and Don Moen.

The writing of this song was begun by Greco, who was born in Rome, New York, in 1960. His dad, Eugene,

and his mother, Nancy, recognized that Greco had a real bent toward music when he was five. He would try to duplicate on the piano what he heard his older sister play. He began taking piano lessons at age seven. His music study was a prelude to receiving a degree in piano from the Crane School of Music, a branch of State University of New York.

I asked Eugene to tell me of his songwriting and particularly the writing of his famous song “Mighty Is Our God.” He said, “In 1987, I was offered a position at Christ for the Nations Institute in Stony Brook, New York, on Long Island. My wife, Joy, and I moved there, and I

Page 14 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

became head of the music department in a school of about 150 students. I followed Marty Nystrom in that position—the person who wrote ‘As the Deer.’

“Every morning I met with the students and led them in worship. They had a tremendous desire for the presence of God. We sang the songs we knew again and again, and started looking for new expressions—worship songs that we might sing. That is when I focused in on writing songs suitable for congregational singing.

“As I continued to meet with the students, a sense of the need for new worship songs became even greater with me. I wanted something that those young people could catch on to very easily and enjoy singing.

“One morning, directly after one of our chapel services, the Lord gave me an idea for a song. I went to my office and began thinking of the greatness and might of the God we serve. I then wrote a simple, short chorus that I called ‘Mighty Is Our God.’ The students caught on to it quickly and sang it heartily.

“We decided to make a low-budget recording of several songs and put them on a tape for distribution. Little did I know that the other branch of Christ for the Nations in Dallas, Texas, was also making a tape for distribution. They put my song on their tape also. I really don’t know where they obtained it. They sent the tape out across the United States, and soon ‘Mighty Is Our God’ was being sung in many churches and Christian concerts.

“The people at Integrity Music in Mobile, Alabama, somehow heard my song and wanted to put it on an album they were planning, although they thought it needed ‘something else,’ perhaps some verses.”

Gerrit Gustafson, author, teacher, and songwriter with fifty recorded songs to his credit, was at that time part of the original creative team at Integrity Music. He and Don Moen, who also worked at Integrity, were gathering songs for the planned album. They went to Gerrit’s home and down into his basement, where the piano was kept, to try to write a melody for “part B” of Eugene’s song. They wrote a melody that they thought would be a nice addition to the song, but they had no lyrics. They needed the song by the next day in order to record it. Gerrit told me, “I was to drive

from Mobile, Alabama, to Pensacola, Florida, that day, so I took a note pad along, and as I drove I thought of some of the reasons for the greatness and the might of God. By the time I returned, the B part of the song was finished.”

This song lifts the Savior as we sing it, reminding us once again of His might and power, even in the things He has created. It truly helps us in our worship of the King of kings.

© 2008 by Lindsay Terry. Used by permission.

Lindsay Terry has been a song historian for more than 40 years, and has written widely on the background of great

hymns and worship songs including the books I Could Sing of Your Love Forever (2008), from which this piece is

excerpted, and The Sacrifice of Praise (2002).

__________________________________________________________________________________________Church Builders—by Bernard R. DeRemer

Ed Ockert: Premier Personal Worker

Edward H. Ockert (1874-1964), a native of Chicago, early came to know the Lord. For 12 years he

served in YMCA work, and then was director of a boys’ club.

Page 15 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

Ockert became a special instructor and coach at Moody Bible Institute, where he taught manual training to young men headed for the mission field. In those days many served in primitive areas where they even had to build their own housing and furniture. Ockert “drifted into this work because I was always handy with tool and liked to tinker around the house.”

“Our keyword in this course is resourcefulness. We try to teach the art of making something out of nothing. That is almost what these boys will be forced to do in the future when they reach their mission posts. Some of them will have to carry on in the midst of very primitive conditions.” So future missionaries learned tinwork, pipe cutting and threading, bricklaying, as well as carpentry. Other subjects even included shoe cobbling.

Several types of mud huts were built in different parts of the world but Ockert specialized in the “mud and wattle huts of central Africa.” He explained that “cedar posts are better because the ants won’t bother them. Next the poles are tied on horizontally and the wall daubed with mud…. A four room house, 32x12 feet, with two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen should cost about $100.”

Ockert also served as a counselor at Pacific Garden Mission, where during World War II he dealt with thousands of young men headed for distant battlefields; some never returned. He played table tennis and shuffleboard with visiting servicemen. Once he confided to

a close friend that “he had been used by God to lead 16,620 young men to Christ.” That figure increased during his remaining fruitful years.

This writer was privileged to have him for classes and what a blessing that quiet, unassuming servant of the Lord was. In recounting a personal work victory he called himself “just a lump of clay talking.” As is so often the case, it is the humble, unsung soldiers of the faith who become its greatest heroes, not because of their unique skills or talents, but because of their quiet faithfulness over decades.

At about 80 a fracture hospitalized him. Doctors found him the equivalent of 60—no smoking or drinking, plenty of exercise. But finally in 1964, at 90, the infirmities of age claimed the valiant warrior. What an abundant entrance he must have had. “He that winneth souls is wise” (Prov. 11:30).

Bernard R. DeRemer chronicled the lives of dozens of heroes of the faith in more than a decade of writing for

Pulpit Helps Magazine. He continues to serve in this capacity as a volunteer contributor to Disciple. He lives in

West Liberty, Ohio.

Reference: This article is based on information from the Moody Bible Institute Library.

__________________________________________________________________________________________Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel

Scholarships: Teaching the Next GenerationBy AMG International Staff

“Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:9-10).

Wherever the Gospel has been spread, it has been closely followed by an emphasis on education. Part of Christ’s commission to you and me as disciples is to “make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). God has revealed Himself to us through His Word, and throughout Scripture we are exhorted to “meditate” on the Word.

Here at AMG we want those we reach with the Gospel to be equipped for a lifetime of study and spiritual growth. Of course, such education is also tremendously important in terms of future employment, financial stability, and health. Each of our childcare ministries involves education in some way. Many childcare centers provide extensive tutoring services. Several even offer full-service schools.

The generous support of loving sponsors make it possible to provide these services, and give children a relationship and family connection above and beyond their financial blessings. In some countries, however, school fees are more than most families can afford, and AMG cannot stretch sponsorship dollars far enough to cover the cost of continuing the education of children under our care.

In Guatemala, education beyond sixth grade is neither required by law nor provided freely to citizens. Children are generally expected to begin work to help support their families rather than going on to high school. This short-term solution to meet their financial needs ends up crippling their long-term economic prospects, condemning generation after generation to poverty.

AMG's scholarship program provides a solution to this dilemma. By assisting families with school fees, we are breaking the cycle of poverty, allowing children to finish school and find productive employment. We want to see the children we serve raised up into a new generation of disciples of Jesus Christ who are equipped to provide for

Page 16 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

their families and powerfully impact their culture. The cost of these scholarships is small—just $10 per month for junior high school and just $40 per month for high school—but that investment can make a huge difference for a child that lasts a lifetime.

In Uganda, more and more AMG sponsored children are graduating from high school and are ready to take their places as future leaders with integrity and courage. For these students, the opportunity to pursue a university education can unlock their leadership talents, helping them prepare for careers and mature as Christian leaders. The AMG Uganda Scholarship Fund seeks to make the hopes of many young people a reality, helping provide tuition for those who desire to return to serve with AMG.

In Greece, the situation is somewhat different. Secular education is readily available, but high-quality Christian education is in very short supply. The Greek Bible College, operated by our partners with Greater Europe Mission, is the only accredited evangelical Bible College in the country. It is a critical resource for training the next generation of pastors and church leaders in a spiritually dry land. But, due to the current economic crisis in Greece, many who want to study at the Bible College cannot afford the tuition. For this reason, AMG is partnering with the Greek Bible College to invite supporters to “Adopt-A-Student” for $125 per month, so that lack of money does not prevent qualified students from studying the Word of God. This scholarship represents one-fifth of the cost of tuition.

This testimony from Sylvia, one of the first sponsored children through AMG Uganda to graduate from

college, gives a small taste of what these programs are accomplishing for God’s kingdom.

“I thank God for AMG because they have seen me through until I finished my high school. I thought that that was the end of my education because I knew very well the inability of my parents to sponsor me there but the Lord had the best plans for me. Today I stand firmly to say that I am a living testimony of AMG for their efforts were put to good use. I graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Child Development and children’s ministry. I will forever be grateful for what AMG has done in my life.”

Will you join AMG in support of the next generation of Gospel witnesses? The children and students we serve have already been given so much because faithful partners just like you have generously reached out to them as sponsors and supporters of our childcare ministries. With your help, we will be able to provide for their continuing education and equipping them as faithful leaders for their families, churches, communities and nations.

To learn more about AMG’s scholarship programs around the world, and how you can partner with us, please visit www.amginternational.org or call 1-800-251-7206.

Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel (AMG) International is a non-denominational, international

missions agency based in Chattanooga, Tenn. AMG’s distinctive has always been its reliance on national workers

to carry the Gospel in their own cultures. Today, they operate ministries in over 40 countries around the world

through partnership with national believers.

__________________________________________________________________________________________Marks of the Master—by the Old Scot

Spiders’ Miraculous Webs

Originally published in Pulpit Helps, January 2009.

All over the world, in plains and forests, in gardens and pastures, even in homes and alleys, an oft-repeated miracle takes place every summer day as spiders spin their webs.

What’s miraculous about that? Please don’t reject the label without examination. Let us scrutinize some of these lacy filigrees of silk, and let us watch a typical spider build her web. But first, we should examine her spinning mechanism.

Spiders possess from two to six, or even more, spinnerets on their abdomens, with each spinneret capable of producing a different type of filament. The web, for example, will contain both sticky and dry filaments. The spider-engineer will use dry filaments for the “scaffolding” of her web, and sticky filaments to entangle her prey. Under

a microscope, the sticky filament reveals its ingenious secrets: first, it is stranded, to give it tremendous stretching capacity without breaking; yet this elasticity allows it to resume its original shape, when freed from tension. Second, the filament is found to be actually a hollow tube, which is filled with the sticky material. Thus, as the web dries out, fresh glue exudes from the core and renews the effectiveness of the coating.

Let us watch now as a large spider, the European banded epeira, creates its web: First, she climbs to a branch or twig of the proper height. Once the starting point is reached, and the breeze is right, she lets go of the twig and falls toward the ground. But as she falls, she leaves a strand of silk trailing behind her. Just short of the ground her spinnerets shut off the flow and the spider stops abruptly. Then she climbs back to the starting point, again leaving a

Page 17 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

silky filament behind. Thus, when she regains her first perch, there is a large loop of silk billowing in the breeze.

If our spider has chosen her location wisely, the loop—wafted by the wind—will soon make contact at some point with another twig, and when it does, her baseline is established. She will traverse this baseline repeatedly, laying down more strands, which will be come as one in a stout—though still barely visible—cable. Only at its ends will it be seen to divide, as she makes the strands fast to a variety of anchor points.

Next she constructs her “scaffolding,” by dropping numerous vertical lines, and then horizontal and oblique cross-lines from them, until at last she can walk to any desired point on the web understructure. All of this silk is dry.

The radials are drawn out next, like spokes on a wheel, and finally comes the spiral webbing which gives the web both its beauty and its deadliness—for it is the spider’s adhesive coil to trap its prey.

She can expect to rebuild her web after only a day or two, for both bad weather and large insects can wreak havoc with it. And when she does rebuild, she herself will do away with all except the original anchor cable. The old webbing is valuable protein—too valuable to waste—so it is consumed and recycled.

Does the spider spin only to put food on the table? Not at all. Spiders also use their web-making capability at other critical junctures of life. For instance, the mother spider builds an elaborate silk nest for her eggs, which will keep them safe until hatching time. In some species, the male spider wraps the female with silk before mating with her—perhaps to save himself from her voracious appetite! And the newly-emerged young of many species use their web-spinning ability to literally launch themselves on their careers: they climb as high as they are able, on a day when

the sun is warm and the heated air is rising. They then spin out a long strand of silk, and when the tug of the line is sufficient they let go of their security and allow themselves to be wafted to their new home. Ballooning spiders have been encountered as high as 2,000 feet in the air!

How do the young spiders know to do this? And how do spiders learn how to spin their webs? The answer is: they don’t learn it. They already know it, from birth. We label this knowledge “instinct”—and thereby manage to overlook what a wondrous miracle it is. The same Creator who gave spiders the ability to spin also gave them the in-born knowledge of how to use it.

This Creator gives to each of His creatures all that it needs to fulfill its purpose in life. And this is true also of man—of you and me. We are endowed by our Creator with the strength, intelligence, capabilities, and the potential we need to fulfill our purpose.

But unlike unreasoning Nature, man cannot find his purpose in life apart from God—for so He made us. “In the image of God, created He him; male and female created He them” (Gen. 1:27). And we will find, if we seek within ourselves, that we also have an instinctive drive within us to seek out our God and find our fulfillment and our rest in Him.

The Old Scot (Ted Kyle) served as managing editor for Pulpit Helps magazine (Disciple’s predecessor publication)

from 1993-2008. He was always fascinated by the natural world, and readily saw God’s hand in every detail. Ted went to be with His Creator and Savior in April 2013.

 Sources: The Wonders of Instinct, Jean Henri Fabre, Century Company, NY, 1918, pp. 174-175. Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Edition, Vol. 1, pp. 1069-1071.

__________________________________________________________________________________________Book Review—11/18/13

Delighting in the Law of the Lord: God’s Alternative to Legalism and Moralism, Jerram Barrs, 2013, Crossway, Wheaton, Ill., ISBN 9781433537134, 330 pages, $25.00, softcover.

For many Christians, the idea that we are called to obey God’s Law smacks of the man-centered religion the Gospel message shatters. What if, however, we’ve allowed unbiblical ideas of freedom and comfort to shape how we interpret the Law? What if we are ignoring and undercutting a critical aspect of our understanding of God?

Reasoning faithfully from the Scriptures, however, Jerram Barrs, a professor of Christianity and contemporary culture at Covenant Theological Seminary, calls believers to return again to study God’s Law through his new book, Delighting in the Law of the Lord. Over 24 chapters, Barrs clearly shows that the Law reflects the character and holiness of God and draws out the role that it plays in the Christian’s life.

Barrs begins by asking readers whether “the good life,” that is, the best way for mankind to experience fulfillment, is to be found in following the path of the Lord or in the various ideologies on tap in the world. The

Page 18 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

conclusion he reaches (obviously) and hopes readers will come to is that God’s Law, far from being a joy-killing restraint on human flourishing, is the perfect order for all things because it represents the Creator’s plan for the creation He called “good”.

Through the lens of Psalm 19, he expounds the ways the Law reflects the splendor of God. Barrs then recounts the giving of the Law, delving into the context to show that it was God’s gift of love to His people whom He had just redeemed from slavery in Egypt—that the Law was given as a guide to people who already enjoyed His unmerited favor, not as a path to salvation. This idea becomes Barrs’ key thesis, driving the rest of the book as he builds a compelling case that God’s Law and God’s grace go hand-in-hand.

He looks at the way Christ explains, applies, and fulfills the Law, asking readers implicitly why we who are so quick to ask “What would Jesus do?” are so seldom ready look to God’s Law to ask (as Jesus did), “What does the Father say?” Barrs eloquently recounts the aspects of the curse of sin (which God’s holiness demands), how Christ overcomes that curse by His sacrifice, and how healing from the curse will come in eternity, but slowly and incompletely breaks into our lives on earth to encourage us in hope.

Barrs examines and critiques the ways that various Christian traditions have understood and applied the Law through the centuries, and spends several chapters parsing

the difference between loving and living God’s way (using the Law as our guide) and adding and enforcing our own extrabiblical rules (legalism). He closes by discussing how we should teach the Law from the Old and New Testaments, considering its role in our families, in the Church, and in secular society.

Delighting in the Law of the Lord is a breath of fresh air, bringing conviction and clarity to the Church’s ongoing discussion about Law and grace. He argues winsomely that a hard distinction between God’s Law and God’s grace is a misreading of Scripture and leads us to reject any restraint on our behavior, to generate our own “law” to provide order, or to flounder in our trust in all of God’s Word. He shows over and over that the Law is not negative, but beautiful and perfect, that even in its harsh role of convicting us of our sin, it overflows with God’s love by pointing us to the Savior. He shows that this same Law that condemns without Christ becomes the path by which we follow His commands once we have been redeemed. He leaves readers with a steadfast exhortation to study the whole of God’s revelation and apply it faithfully to His great glory.

Justin Lonas

Target: AllType: Practical TheologyTake: Highly Recommended

__________________________________________________________________________________________News Update—11/18/13

Iran: Pastor Saeed’s Life in Jeopardy after Prison Transfer

According to the American Center for Law and Justice, Saeed Abedini, an American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his faith, is facing life-threatening conditions after a recent prison transfer, CBN News reports. Pastor Saeed’s family says he has been moved from the brutal Evin Prison to Rajai Shahr Prison, known to be an even more dangerous jail.

“Going to Karaj is a severe punishment,” Loes Bijnen, a Dutch diplomat from the embassy in Tehran, described the jail in a 2005 report. “Once in there one stops to be a human being. One is put out of sight, even of human rights activists and the press. Murders or unexplained deaths are a regular occurrence.”

According to the ACLJ, Saeed is in a ward with those convicted for crimes such as rape and murder. Family members tried to visit the pastor Monday but were told he isn’t allowed to have visitors in the new prison. “The transfer to this prison is a deeply disturbing development and can only be viewed as a move that puts Pastor Saeed’s

life directly at risk,” said Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the ACLJ.

Christian Headlines Daily

Rise in IVF Popularity Leaves Thousands of Babies in Limbo

More women are using donated eggs for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and more healthy babies are being born through the process, according to a study released last week, WORLD reports. The process also creates more embryos than can be implanted, leaving hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos in fertility clinics.

For women with viable eggs who cannot become pregnant, IVF involves extracting their own eggs, fertilizing them and then re-implanting them in the uterus. Women who do not have viable eggs go through a similar IVF process using eggs from other women. The number of women who attempted IVF from another woman’s eggs increased from 10,801 in 2000 to 18,306 in 2010. The percentage of healthy outcomes from donated eggs, defined as a baby born after 37 weeks weighing 5.5 pounds or more,

Page 19 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

increased from 18.5 percent in 2000 to 24.4 percent in 2010.

The study, conducted by researchers at Emory University and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined data from 443 fertility clinics in the United States. Researchers looked for trends in donor egg pregnancies and prenatal outcomes in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance System (NASS), which includes data from 95 percent of all IVF cycles in the nation.

Christian Headlines Daily

North Korean Christians Pray for ‘Free’ Christians to ‘Realize God is All You Need’

One of the first things Eric Foley, the co-founder of Seoul USA, learned about the North Korean underground church is that it is not a group to be pitied. About 10 years ago Foley asked a member of the underground church how he could pray for them. He recalls the North Korean’s response, “You, pray for us? We pray for you…because South Korean and American churches believe challenges in the Christian faith are solved by money, freedom, and politics. It’s only when all you have is God do you realize God is all you need.”

Foley estimates about 100,000 Christians live in North Korea, with about a third of them in concentration camps. Unlike the Chinese underground church, North Korean Christians can’t risk gathering together because spies are everywhere. Instead, they worship in their own household or in the common areas, like while walking down the road out of earshot.

As North Korea fell under Communist rule after World War II, Christians realized they would soon face intense persecution. Some escaped to South Korea, where they could worship freely, but those who stayed chose four foundational pillars of Christianity they could pass on to future generations: theology through the Apostle’s Creed, prayer through the Lord’s Prayer, ethics through the Ten Commandments, and worship through the Lord’s supper. At least one of these elements is present in each of the North Korean underground churches. To learn more about the Bible, Christians who are able to leave the country on work trips meet with missionaries and memorize Scripture to share with others.

Christian Headlines Daily

Eritrean Christian Dies in Prison A Christian woman perished from pneumonia in an

Eritrean prison after facing harsh conditions and denial of medical treatment—all because she would not renounce her faith, Baptist Press reports.

Wehazit Berhane Debesai is the 25th known Christian to have died in prison in Eritrea. According to a

report from Open Doors USA, the exact date of death of the woman in her 30s is unknown. Eritrean authorities arrested her a year ago and held her near the Ethiopian border for being involved in Christian activities outside the Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran church groups.

Debesai’s death came as government forces arrested 70 Christians who met for prayer in the capital of Asmara. This latest development brings the total number of Christians arrested this year in Eritrea to nearly 300. Local Christians call it the government’s most serious campaign against the church so far.

Christian Headlines Daily

Kazakh Police Intimidate and Harass Parishioners of Imprisoned Pastor

International Christian Concern has recently learned that police in Astana, Kazakhstan, have been aggressively intimidating and harassing members of the beleaguered Grace Protestant Church. The church’s 67-year-old pastor, Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev, was detained by Kazakh authorities in May as part of a nationwide crackdown on religious minorities.

According to ICC sources, the church’s membership has radically decreased since Kashkumbayev was arrested on trumped-up charges of “harming the health” of a church member. “They are scared to go to church,” said ICC’s contact, who wishes to remain unnamed for security reasons. “His church keeps getting smaller and smaller.”

After collecting information on all of church’s regular attendants, police reportedly began calling and harassing past and present parishioners. Police also demanded that congregants give statements alleging Kashkumbayev forcibly coerced church attendance and monetary gifts from members, reports ICC’s contact. When one congregant asked the police why they have been calling and harassing the members of the church, an officer reportedly responded, “You are worse than spies. You bring Kazakhs to Christ.”

Christian Headlines Daily

New Jersey School District Bans Religious Songs at Winter Concerts

Students won’t be allowed to sing religious holiday songs at winter concerts in a south-central New Jersey school district. Bordentown Superintendent Constance J. Bauer issued a statement on Oct. 18 saying that some of the selections were questioned and that “religious music should not be part of the elementary program.”

The statement added that the district solicitor is reviewing the decision, mentioning how the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010 declined to hear an appeal of a similar situation involving another New Jersey family.

Page 20 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

Michael Stratechuk, whose children attended Columbia High School and Maplewood Middle School, sued in 2004, saying the South Orange-Maplewood school district’s ban violated the First Amendment’s freedom of worship provision. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in

Philadelphia upheld the ban, however. The judges said public school administrations can determine which songs are appropriate according to constitutional guidelines to create a secular “inclusive environment.”

Christian Headlines Daily__________________________________________________________________________________________Sermon Helps—from www.sermonhall.com

Sermon OutlinesReceiving Blessings from GodMark 7:24-30

Intro.: God is not a “glorified Santa,” nor a “genie in a bottle,” but He is the meeter of His children’s needs.I. Intercession: The Syrophoenician’s Cry of Need:

A. She cried for mercy.B. She cried for the Son of David.C. She cried not for herself but for another.D. Are you seeking? (Matt. 7:7).

II. Worship: Address the Right PersonA. Not idols nor the “unknown god” (Acts 17:22-28).B. Only Jesus saves (Acts 4:12).C. Are you Asking the right Person?

III. In Accordance to the Will of GodA. Search the Scriptures (2 Pet. 3:9).B. Often we only want the symptoms removed, instead of the cure.C. Balaam was willing to do wrong if the price was right! (Num. 22; 2 Pet. 2:12-19).D. Are you praying the will of God?

IV. In Accordance to Your Responsibility A. The Syrophoenecian’s daughter was her responsibility.B. Are you acting responsibly for those under your care?

V. In Persistence A. The woman faced three major obstacles

1. The silence of Jesus.2. Opposition from the Lord’s disciples.3. Rebuke by Jesus to test her.

B. Are you persistent?VI. In Humility (James 4:6-10)VII. In Faith (Heb. 11:6)Conc.: When you ask God for help, you can learn much by this woman’s example.

Dan Hill

Lessons Learned From the LeperLuke 17:15-19I. Why We Should Be Thankful (cf. Ps. 100:1-5)

A. God the Father Devised Salvation’s Plan (Eph. 1, 2).B. God the Son Enacted Salvation.

C. God the Spirit Applies Salvation.II. Love Behind Thanksgiving

A. God’s creation (James 1:17-18).B. God’s creatures (1 Tim. 4:4).C. Our confusion (Rom. 8:22).D. Our call to faith (Rom. 8:28ff).

1. Paul’s thorn in the flesh.2. Paul’s “light afflictions” (2 Cor. 4:7-18).3. Paul’s summary of sufferings (2 Cor.

11:22-33).III. Labor of Thanksgiving

A. Immediate expression (v. 15).B. Extemporaneous expression.C. Humility.D. Heartfelt sincerity.E. Obedience.F. Focus on God, not on our expression.

IV. Lesson of ThanksgivingV. Liberality of ThanksgivingVI. Lyrics of ThanksgivingVII. Lasting ThanksgivingApp.: Do you praise God, or just tell Him what you want?

Dan Hill

IllustrationsThe Thanksgiving Cure

Thanksgiving season ought to be a great time for curing people of a certain disease of which I have read. The disease is called amnesia. Its main feature is forgetfulness. There are cases on record in which people have forgotten their own names, the date of their births, their family relations; in a word, cases in which memory had become a complete blank and the past was utterly blotted out.

Physically it is, fortunately, a rare disease, but spiritually it is not rare. Not in vain does the psalmist call upon his soul, “And forget not all His benefits.” Kipling has, as the refrain of his immortal “Recessional,” the words, “Lest we forget, lest we forget.”

Ingratitude is nothing but a form of spiritual amnesia. It stands for a voluntary or involuntary blotting out of the memory of the past. The mind is no longer sensitive to past benefits bestowed. It is as if these things had never been. And thus ingratitude becomes a spiritual menace. God’s own people are very apt to suffer from this

Page 21 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

disease and we forget past mercies in the face of present emergencies, as if they had never been.

Anonymous

Layers of SelfMan is like an onion, layer after layer, and each a

layer of self in some form. Strip off self-righteousness and you will come to self-trust. Get beneath this and you will come to self-seeking and self-pleasing. Even when we think these are abandoned, self-will betrays its presence. When this is stripped off, we come to self-defense, just as the Corinthians did—the word of the puffed up—and last of all, self-glory. When this seems to be abandoned, the heart of the human onion discloses pride that boasts of being truly humble.

A. T. Pierson

Bulletin InsertsOn ThankfulnessThe greatest possession for which to be thankful is a thankful heart.

No one really gives thanks unless he is willing to give more thanks.

If you will learn to appreciate the good things you have, you won’t miss the good things you don’t have.

A thankful heart doubles our blessings, causing us to enjoy them twice—when we receive them and when we remember them.

Giving thanks means little unless you are living thanks.

If we pause to think, we’ll have cause to thank.

Gratitude takes three forms: a feeling in the heart, an expression in words, and giving in return.

These seven via the Old Union Reminder

True thanksgiving is a cultivated habit rather than an occasional emphasis.

We can be thankful in a topsy-turvy world if our lives are right side up.

These two anonymousCritical words that come from the mouth originate in an unthankful heart.

Those that blame God for the bad times are likely to be those who do not thank Him for the good times.

These two from Wayne Nix

__________________________________________________________________________________________Puzzles and ‘Toons

Church ‘Toons by Joe McKeever

Page 22 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version

Answers to last issue’s puzzles:

Father Abraham and Hidden WisdomBy Mark Oshman

Originally published in Pulpit Helps, November 1997

Hidden Wisdom on next page

Page 23 Disciple Magazine, Vol. 5, #11, 11/18/2013—Printer-Friendly Version