TRIUMPH -- March 1958
"Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And it came to pass, that when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed: but when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side: and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek . . ." (Exodus 17:8,11-13).
The Devil's hosts are warring against the Lord and His people; they have always done so. There is, however, no question as to the ultimate outcome of this war. But in this present age, any assault against the Evil One brings his forces to bear against that assault. The Lord has definitely led us to publish our devotional paper, TRIUMPH, but--as expected--our enemy is fighting against it.
As with Moses, our hands grow weary in the battle for truth. We need the help of some Aarons and Hurs. Your prayer, faithfully offered, can be that which will strengthen our hands for the war with the forces of evil. It means more than you can ever know.
Our common enemy will be discomfited before us if you stand by us in prayer. Together we shall remain steady until the going down of the sun. Then, on the other side, we shall hear that welcome word: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant(s)."
Your servant for Jesus' sake,
Art Gordon
Dear Shut-In
Think of the many who are confined to beds of sickness and suffering in our homes and hospitals. The cry arises to God from multitudes because of this afflicted state. In body and in mind there are those who agonize. Man cannot bring the remedy or the healing touch in every case. Only God knows why some are healed and others must continue to suffer. That is a mystery. The skill of medicine and science, the love of loved ones who pray, and beyond that the touch of the divine power which operates--by these God works His will in sovereign love. Not alone is there escape from suffering; but there is grace and strength given to endure suffering. Out of it have come some of the richest experiences known to man. Take the hymnbook and meditate on those hymns which speak of the Cross or tell of suffering. Then we begin to see that in the tapestry of life there is a weaving of dark as well as light colors permitted by God for our good.
George Matheson in his loss of sight wrote, "O Love that will not let me go." Toplady, dying at thirty-eight years, a victim of tuberculosis, wasted in body, gave us "Rock of Ages cleft for me." Francis Ridley Havergal in weakness composed "Take my life and let it be, Consecrated Lord to Thee." Who can estimate the power and influence of these hymns as well as countless others. Their healing ministry continues to bless the lives of multitudes.
If God does not heal in every case of suffering there is the opportunity to look at the Cross and hear this Sufferer's (Jesus) cry, "I thirst." In it God is suffering for us and with us. God did not exempt His only begotten Son from that experience. He endured the bloody sweat and the agony of the tree.
(Used by permission of the Baker Book House. Quoted from "The Seven Words From The Cross," by Ralph G. Turnbull; page 38).
THE MYSTERY IN PARKESBURG
There is a "mystery" unfolding in the town of Parkesburg, Pennsylvania (pop. 2500). It is not the type of mystery you find in a novel, however.
It is the type referred to in the Bible as a "revealed" mystery. The Bible mystery has been solved. Strictly speaking, it is no longer a mystery at all--except to the non-believer. In a few words this divine mystery is that all men-regardless of nationality, color or creed--can have a vital relationship with the Father in heaven through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. The grace of God has been unveiled for the Gentile as well as the Jew, for the Greek as well as the barbarian, for the rich and the poor, for the educated and the uneducated.
The great Revealer or Detective (I speak reverently) Who unfolds this mystery is the Holy Spirit. He has been working secretly but mightily since His advent following the ascension of Christ. Sometimes we are not aware of His working in our midst and pray earnestly that He might give us some evidence of His presence. Then, at times, He reveals Himself very definitely. I am convinced that one of these times is now, in Parkesburg.
Without any apparent special effort on the part of the churches, men and women, boys and girls are coming under conviction of sin, confessing the same and experiencing transformation of life. The peace and joy of salvation is bubbling up in many hearts and a restless burden for the souls of loved ones and friends has gripped many.
Young and old are getting right with God through Jesus Christ, right in their homes. No one deals with them--at least outwardly--no special meetings are held to stir them, no visitation campaign is on. There is just a quiet but definite work of the Spirit going on.
As God leads I hope to include in TRIUMPH from time to time an account of these happenings in this small Pennsylvania town. It is my desire that the Spirit of God will use my paper to spread this divine mystery to other areas in these last days. How we need a fresh touch with God! How we need a new outpouring of His Spirit! Won't you pray for such a work in your area?
Sermon Series - VIII
The First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians - (Continued)
Chapter 2, verses 1-2
"For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention."
WE WERE BOLD
In the outline that I gave at the beginning of our study in IThessalonians I said that chapter one presented the character of the Thessalonian converts while chapter two presented the character of the preachers. Having considered the first chapter we now come to the second. In it the writer enumerates several characteristics of the preachers as they labored among these people in the city of Thessalonica. The first to be considered is expressed in the words: "We were bold" (verses 1 & 2).
OUR ENTRANCE
Verse one might be thought of as the introduction to the remainder of the chapter. Paul declares that the entrance of the evangelists at that time was among other things "bold," "not of deceit," "gentle," "with intense labouring," etc. Our immediate interest, however, is the first characteristic which he mentions--boldness.
Verse one presents the negative, "our entrance . . . was not in vain." It could be said, "our entrance . . . was not empty." This does not so much refer to the fruitfulness of their ministry as it does to the manner or mode in which they preached the gospel.
Their message was not "empty." Their presentation of the message was not "empty." And, as we saw in chapter one, their fruit was not so much emptiness. I fear that too often today the opposite is true.
In Jeremiah's day, during a drought, the children were sent to the wells to fetch some water. But, as they returned home, it was found they had nothing but empty vessels. Just so today, many soul-thirsty people frequent the churches only to be sent home with still parched and shriveled souls. They have gone to the "wells without water" and returned thirsty yet. They have been fed upon the husks of man-made philosophy. They have been bidden to drink the vinegar of the gospel of self-exaltation. Shame to the men who call themselves servants of the Most High God and all the while are only empty cisterns, yielding up an empty philosophy, which satisfies no one's thirst and bears no eternal fruit.
BOLD IN OUR GOD
"Our entrance was not in vain . . . But . . . we were bold in our God." The preachers had confidence and trust in their God. As was declared to the Ephesians concerning Christ Jesus, "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him," so these men recognized their favored position. The writer to the Hebrews exhorts us to ". . . come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." The only basis for such a plea is found just two verses earlier, "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God . . ." (Hebrews 4:14 & 16). Jesus, the only begotten Son of Sod, through His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, has made the way open unto God's throne of grace.
We too have access and may come boldly for any and all our needs. This does not mean we come arrogantly but with reverence and confidence.
But, remember, this access is only through Christ the Mediator, for He says, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).
TO SPEAK UNTO YOU
The apostle goes on to say that they were not only bold or confident toward God but also toward the people in that city. Says he, "we were bold . . . to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention." This merely means that they spoke frankly unto the people. They preached against sin and held up Christ as the only means of salvation from sin. They spoke the truth regardless of the consequences.
For the preachers the consequences were bad. The first preaching they did in Europe was in Philippi. Their second stop was Thessalonica. In both these places they were called upon to suffer, and were "shamefully entreated." They were beaten, put in prison and finally chased out of town. The rabble rousers were not content with that, but followed them to other towns, stirring up malice as they went.
As for the people, some believed and received the message; others rejected it and, as we have seen, opposed it.
In any case the preachers were faithful to their commission. The response was both positive and negative; and it is today. According to II Corinthians we must expect this, "For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life . . ." (II Corinthians 2:15,16).
Our lives are to be as a sweet perfume before our God, continually exalting and showing forth the Lord Jesus Christ. This must be so whether the response is favorable or not. By our consistent Christian testimony, people will either be brought to salvation or, if they reject, will be condemned. Our responsibility is to live and speak the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. Theirs, is to receive or reject it.
(continued next month)
From The Pastor's Pen
by Rev. Earl G. Osborn, Pastor of Beulah Baptist Church, Russellville, PA.
The disciples had just repeated their pledge of allegiance to confess Christ unto death. The day has been long and loaded with events ending with the last passover supper. Darkness had long since shrouded the land. This group of men, called from many walks of life, now trod heavily up the Mount of Olives. The path was familiar for they had walked there before; so had Judas.
And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane . . . ." (Mark 14:32). Without excusing the lethargy of the disciples we must recognize one essential thing concerning every last individual in this group. They all were human. Immediately the mind of the Christian goes on the offensive and says, "Yes, but wasn't Jesus also Devine?" With this we readily agree, but one of the basic reasons Christians think so lightly on the life and passion of Jesus Christ is that they confuse the human and the divine natures of the Savior.
The name Gethsemane means "oil press." Here our Savior was crushed under the amassed sin of the world--past, present and future. In the garden of Gethsemane the flow of His blood began with sweat-drops of blood, and was finished upon another hill nearby.
But let us consider the pressing of our Lord in this pace. He placed at the entrance to the garden the majority of disciples. The three of the inner circle went a bit farther. Now we see a scene which sin glazed eyes cannot behold.
Our Savior was "struck with terror" or "sore amazed" and began to be uncomfortable. This experience was so severe that He said to the three, "My soul is so encompassed with grief that I am about to die." Yet He struggled forward a bit before He began to fall repeatedly upon the ground. All the while He was pleading for the possibility that the hour of the cross might be by-passed. Why did He call as a man in distress? Because He was the Man Christ Jesus. This does not in any way belittle the Deity of Jesus. He had a perfect, sinless, human nature and this is exactly what God demanded. He required a spotless lamb for the sacrifice.
Christ as the sinless Son of God shrank from the hour ahead because of the separation from the Father. He had never experienced this before. Man born in sin knows nothing of this fellowship except through the new birth, and thus unregenerate man casts aside the thought of eternal damnation and separation. Jesus cringed at the realization that He would be made sin for sinful man.
Christ also desired to avoid the hideous pain of physical death through Roman crucifixion. Many people glean from the teaching of others that since Jesus was God, the cross didn't hurt Him very much. However, in Hebrews, God reminds us that His suffering was not only in soul and spirit but also of body, "We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all . . . This man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:10,12). This Man suffered horribly in His body.
The cross of Calvary was endured by Jesus the Son of man that you might have forgiveness of sin and access to the Father.
Life On The Mission Field
by Paul W. Roberts, M.D.
Dr. Roberts is a medical missionary in the Rimmer Memorial Hospital which is under the Medical Department of the World Radio Missionary Fellowship, Inc. He told the following story on the Morning Cheer Program, over WVCH, Chester, PA.
The title has been supplied by the editor.
LOVE FOUND A WAY
Well over a year ago, a middle-aged woman by the name of Mrs. Espinosa came to the emergency department of the Rimmer Memorial Hospital in Quito, Ecuador. I saw her shortly afterward, and she was most uncomfortable with pain in her chest and considerable difficulty in breathing. After checking her over, it was quite evident that her heart was causing her trouble, and that the basic reason was high blood pressure. The order was given to admit her to the hospital and then she was taken up to the second floor which is the women's ward.
Mrs. Espinosa was put into a nice clean bed. Next to her was another woman from Quito, but in the same ward was an Indian from Otavalo, a hundred miles north of Quito, and still another woman from the Sucua area, over two hundred miles from Quito, in the south-eastern jungles. The background of each of these patients would make interesting stories if there were (space) to tell each one. As you probably know, the treatment of heart disease and high blood pressure is mainly medical, and so Mrs. Espinosa was kept in bed, with a special diet, and given the various medicine she needed. Little by little she got better. Each day we would take her bed out on the beautiful terrace at the back of the hospital, and there she enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine and the beautiful high mountains that are all around us. One day she met us with a specially happy face, and then she told us that the day before she had taken Christ as her Savior.
Mrs. Espinosa had never known much about the Bible and the way of salvation before, but while she was with us, she had been impressed with the care and kindness she had received. Then the evangelist had read the Bible to her each day, and finally she understood. With bowed head she asked God to forgive her sin for Christ's sake, and she asked Him to come into her heart and life. We were so happy that she had taken this step, and we all prayed God's blessing upon her. No one would have wished that she become ill, but nevertheless this time of trial and pain and suffering had meant that she had realized her need and found the Savior.
After being with us a couple of weeks, Mrs. Espinosa left the hospital. We had done all we could for her, but with the chronic high blood pressure she would have to get plenty of rest and spend a good deal of time in bed. Nevertheless, as often as possible with her physical condition she would attend the little church that was not too far from her home. We didn't hear much about her for many months. We had been on furlough and so had lost touch with her. However, last August the husband came rushing up to me one day in the hospital. With a trembling voice he told me that he had brought his wife back again, and that she was desperately ill. I promised to do all we could for her, but, I told him, above all we would pray that the will of the Lord be done. Then I went to see her, and found that she had suffered a severe stroke and was unconscious. We did all we could for her, but frankly there isn't much that can be done for cases like this. Her husband was at her side most of the time and was deeply appreciative for all we did to try and make her comfortable. After just a few hours in the hospital this lady passed away.
I had a chance to talk quite a long time with her husband afterward, and did my best to console him. He was grief-stricken and I offered to do anything in my power to help him. Incidentally, although his wife was a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, none of the others in her family had ever shown too much interest although they had tolerated her faith.
In Ecuador it is customary to take the body back to the home and for all the family to sit beside the coffin for a period of some 24 hours, even all through the night, until time for the funeral. As for the funeral service, the various relatives brought tremendous pressure upon the husband, but he wanted to respect the wishes of his wife, and therefore there would be an evangelical burial. Late that afternoon the same day, I went over to the home with the missionary who works in the church Mrs. Espinosa attended, and together we held a little service around the coffin there in the home. Mr. Espinosa and his two sons (12 and 16) were there and were deeply interested in all that we said as we read from the Word of God and prayed.
Later that evening, as so often happens in Quito, all the lights went off. There is such a tremendous shortage of electric power, that each section of the city is without electricity for one or two nights a week to try and conserve power. Since the family and relatives would be sitting up all night with the body, they didn't know what they would do without lights. Mr. Espinosa came right out to us at HCJB (operated by The World Radio Missionary Fellowship, Inc.) and asked if we could possibly help him in some way. As we thought about it for a few minutes we realized we could, and so we took a small, portable, gasoline generator down to his house and connected it up so that there were lights all night in the home. My, how grateful he was. He said he would never forget our kindness.
The next Sunday, who should come into the morning church service at the little church beside the Rimmer Memorial Hospital but this father and his two sons. They were all dressed in black as is their custom for several months after a death in the family. They attended regularly each Sunday. As the weeks went by, first one and then the other made a public stand for Christ there in the church, and finally all three were definitely and wonderfully saved. At this time they all attend church regularly and are living true to the Lord.
