TO THOSE GATHERED TO THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Taken from the collection of "Thoughts for Our Time," by B. W.

Thoughts for Our Time - Number 1

God's grace is UNmerited favor, thus it gives us much. However, it will never give us any cause to boast. (Eph. 2:8) If grace made us better in ourselves, it would work itself out of a job; we would merit something.

God would have us know that "BY His grace we are what we are" (1 Cor. 15:10), and would have us "strong IN His grace" (2 Tim. 2:1), so that we don't lose the sense of it and think that our blessings are merited. (Gal. 5:4)

Thoughts for Our Time - Number 2

"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Judas, and Simon? are are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands on a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching." (Mark 6:3-6)

"... they were offended at him." We praise God that He was not offended at them. "... and he marvelled" ! Oh, how great the mystery of His Person: the eternal Son of God, Creator and Sustainer of all–how could He "marvel" about anything? The Creator in love entered His creation as a man, and was a Prophet without honor among His own in His own house, and all the desires of His heart to bless were turned back in His face. But He did what He could, He "laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them."

Yes, this is the Carpenter, this is the son of Mary with brothers and sisters, this is our Friend, this is our God and Saviour!

Thoughts for Our Time - Number 3

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in the Christ, and makes manifest the odour of his knowledge through us in every place" (2 Cor. 2:14, JND)

Our circumstances are God's gift. They serve, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to press us into the "mold" of the truth which gives form and character to the Christian's daily life.

God uses our circumstances in His grace to curb the pride and evil tendencies in us, and lifts us up in them into the practical realization of the eternal life which that same grace gave us.

This was not the case in the earthly path of the Lord Jesus who was that eternal life; every circumstance was but to display it. There are, in a certain sense, two kinds of temptations for us: temptation to do wrong and temptation not to do right. Neither of these could apply to the Lord Jesus, the sinless One who could be nothing less than absolute perfection; as another has said, "every trial was for him but an occasion for obedience."

Thoughts for Our Time - Number 7

A brother not in communion [at the Lord's Table] (for reasons stated herein) wrote in 1840, after a visit amongst the gathered saints – "I have for some months known a little of you; but it was not till yesterday, at your, I would say our Pentecostal festival (for a feast it was to my inmost soul), that I duly appreciated the character of the brethren who did me so much honor, happiness, and service, by inviting me to attend it, that I know not how to express my gratitude to you and them.

My not approving of all things amongst you, does not at all obstruct the current of my Christian love for you and many others whom I need not name. But why do I write to you? It is to say, and that with real affection Alas! That so beautiful a theory cannot long subsist; it is too unworldly and sainted for our polluted atmosphere. It will do - it has done much good; but IT WILL FALL (Acts 20:30) 'Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.' Woe, woe unto them through whom it shall fall! Mine shall not be the hand to detach even a pin from so goodly a tent; rather, like Joseph of Arimathea, I would honor it when others abandon it. May my soul be with yours! Yours in our common Lord," JWN --

As to the above, a brother wrote -- "In this letter Dr. N has truly, though perhaps unconsciously, stated what ought ever to have been the 'theory,' as he calls it, of the brethren's position, a position too heavenly to be maintained by earthly minds; a position based upon heavenly principles, and making its appeal continually to faith; depending for its subsistence every hour upon the exercise of the living power of Christ!

"But another set of principles has been introduced, and another position has been practically taken. Brethren have sought, to a great extent, to make their practice and their principles agree; and the result has been the relinquishment of practical dependence upon God and the substitution of what, in effect, is a system apprehensible and understandable enough, and much more in accordance with the systems around them than perhaps many might admit ... When I speak of the low moral condition of brethren before the Lord, as preparing the way for the evils they are feeling, I would explain:

I mean, that hearty devotedness to Christ had greatly declined, and there were many indications of the returning love of the world; and, as a consequence, a loose holding, almost universally, of those divine truths and principles which at first brought so much blessing, and had in them the power of separation from the world unto God ... "

The above impressed me as a help to understand the Lord's dealings with us in our day to tighten our heart's grip on "those divine truths and principles" the brother mentions.

F R A G M E N T S

"Jesus said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." – John 6:12

"BUT WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST"

In Ephesians 5 we have God's thoughts about Christ and the Church. The beautiful relationship of communion between the husband and wife should be a testimony for His glory! - both speaking together having the MIND OF CHRIST (1 Cor. 2:16).

It is far better for the wife to have the "mind of Christ" than to have the mind of her husband or any other person.

1 Cor. 2:16 "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." [Submitted]

"WE THROUGH PATIENCE AND COMFORT OF THE SCRIPTURES MIGHT HAVE HOPE"

(Romans 15:4).

"Perfect peace, and at such a time" (Ezra 7:12). "The pillars of heaven tremble and are [amazed] at his reproof. He [stirs up] the sea with His power, and by His understanding He [breaks up the storm]" (Job 26:12).

"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings" (Psalm 17:8).

"Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy" (Psalm 64:1).

"By His strength [He] setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power: which stilleth the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people" (Psalm 65:6-7).

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust" (Psalm 91:1-11).

"If it had not been the LORD who was on our side...then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: then the proud waters had gone over our soul" (Psalm 124:1,4,5).

"He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints" (Prov. 2:8).

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee" (Isaiah 26:3).

"He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet" (Isaiah 41:3).

"Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD : for the day of the LORD is at hand (Zephaniah 1:7).

"Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6,7).

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8).

ALL THAT OUR SAVIOUR HATH SPOKEN

The Holy Spirit in the Scriptures

The occurrence of the person and work of the Spirit of God is a large and varied part of the divinely inspired Word of God. The following are preliminary meditations on the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures.

The expressions in the Word of God (KJV) concerning the Spirit of God are as follows: Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Spirit of God, and Spirit.

A footnote to Romans 1:5 from the JND translation: In many cases it is impossible to put a small or a large S rightly to the word Spirit, as the presence and power of the Holy Spirit characterizes the state, and that and the state are both included.

The book of Acts has been rightly called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Fifty three references to the Spirit are given in Acts - with about 10 being special in the sense of the Spirit distinctly expressing Himself as one of the persons of the Godhead by such expressions as the following: said, spoke, gave, caught, sent forth, did not allow, testifies, forbidden, and separate . . . and others.

A single reference to the Spirit of God is quoted to show the intended connection between the Holy Spirit of God and the written Word of God.: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). Therefore, wherever and by whomever the Word of God is read - privately or out loud - the function of the Spirit of God is to bring conviction and/or blessing because the Word(s) of God "is spirit, and they are life."

PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS

"Ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children" (1 Thess. 2:11).

"Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph.6:4).

"Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers" (Prov. 17:6).

NOTE: Starting with this issue of Notes of Interest a few books and/or pamphlets on the general subject of the family are to be extracted, Lord willing.

The first reference in the series is "To the Parents of My Grandchildren - Meditations on Some Parents of the Bible - FOR CHRISTIAN PARENTS - By A GRANDFATHER" by GC Willis.

PREFACE

To Christian Parents.
Beloved in the Lord:-

I think I may address you thus, as these pages are only meant for those who belong to HIM, and that bond makes us all one family: all dear to each other. So bear with an old man who would like to pass on to some of the younger members of that great family a few of the lessons he has tried to learn from the merry children who once were in his home, but now are far away.

Perhaps I should have said they were lessons which our Divine Teacher (Matthew 23:8, New Translation) had sought to teach through His Holy Word: and that also would be true. It may be that our Lord uses both His Word, and the children, to teach these lessons truly; so that we do not know them in theory only.

You have seen a child that finds some lesson terribly hard: perhaps the teacher has turned it back more than once: and all the page is blotted with tears before it is learned. Some of these pages have been blotted with tears; and I am not at all sure that all the lessons have been learned that the writer is trying to pass on to you.

Do not think that he writes because of any imagined superiority. He does not: and some of these lessons caused so much pain that he finally in anguish of heart put the whole thing away, and determined to have nothing more to do with it. And there it lay for several years, like a discouraged child, that hides his exercise book because it shows so plainly the blots and mistakes and failures.

But it would not be hidden like that, so finally he had to get it out and try and finish it up. You will not read far before you will guess that these pages were written only for certain special eyes to see: eyes that many a time have "looked love to eyes that met again;" And so you must pardon the freedom and intimacy of the style; for nothing has been changed. This little book would not be offered to you now, but for the fact that, as "our beloved brother Paul" puts it; - "I am a debtor..."

We are in the "perilous times" foretold in the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:1); and it is not easy to bring up children. The Lord Himself says: "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me." (Is. 1:2). Alas, there is that in the hearts of our children, (and in us also), that causes them naturally to turn in the wrong direction; and only the Grace of God is sufficient for the Parents' need. Thank God, He reckons our children "holy" (1 Cor 7:14); and He says: "My grace is sufficient." If these pages should prove an encouragement, or a signpost of warning to some young parent, how thankful I would be! May the "God of hope" be with you, dear Fellow-Parent.

"A Grandfather" (GC Willis)