“And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
“And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
“And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
It is a sorry state of things when people [who are] supposed to be Christians and moderately intelligent need to be reminded once a year that this world needs our Christ and that we have this “obligation” to offer the Gospel message and preach it to every creature. Why do we need to be reminded of such a simple fact?
We are encouraged to find that in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ here on Earth He Himself sensed this need to have sort of an annual missionary conference with His disciples, and at regular intervals He spoke often …
Message given by Rev. C.W. Slemming, from Bible Testimony Fellowship, London, England.
PART I
(Taken from The Moody Church News, Volume 35, Number 2)
Let us journey with a shepherd of Bethlehem and his flock and see what we can glean from their experiences that will help us to understand the Bible as well as comprehend a little more of the Great Shepherd of the sheep. We will divide our thoughts into three main divisions to help us harness the many experiences and the numerous references. They will be Sunrise, Noonday, Eventide.
“And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. For whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, …
“So they strengthened their hands for this great work.”—Nehemiah 2:18
While I am taking this text, it is my thought to emphasize some of the practical truths that lie on the surface in the first five chapters of this wonderful book. Nehemiah was a man whose life was a perpetual testimony to the faithfulness of his God. He lived a long way from what we term “means of grace,” but as someone remarked years ago, when we are farthest from the “means” we may be nearest to the thing itself. It isn’t the means, but grace that is sufficient.
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whosoever confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy” Proverbs 28:13. I like the “shalls” of the Bible, for they mean just what they say. Oh! That we might learn to take God at His word and know that when He says “shall” He means just that thing; nothing more and nothing less. A man says, “I shall do so and so,” but a hundred things may happen to prevent him carrying out his word, but not so with God, who says, “All power in heaven and in earth is given unto …
In our Apostles’ Creed we say “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Virgin Mary…”
On what grounds do we believe this? First, we believe, because it is plainly and directly stated in the New Testament. It is there declared so positively that it cannot be explained away by any sort of ingenuity. The two Gospels which begin the life of Jesus at His birth both affirm it. It is quite universally agreed that the early part of the Gospel of Matthew is the story of …
“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while …
What was the mental and spiritual effect of the Christmas message upon those who first heard it? With simple, unquestioning faith, the shepherds go to find the Babe in Bethlehem. There, “they made known concerning the saying which was told them about this Child. And all they that heard it wondered…But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God…”
Here are four reactions of the human mind and spirit to the wondrous message of Christmastide. Here are faith, wonder, meditation, praise. It is true that one or two of …
The Incredible Gift Of The Music Of Christmas: How Messiah Can Unite a Fragmented Church
To a divided church, we pray that the music of Christmas might bring some much-needed healing.
The other day a friend of mine said he believed the church—the evangelical church—did not know “where it was at,” to use his terminology. The reason? Many people have not returned to church since the pandemic. Some have become accustomed to staying at home and watching online; some are angry because their church shut down during the pandemic; others are angry because they think their church was negligent for …
