We hear much of the sportsmen's Hall of Fame. God has His Hall of Fame too. Chapter 11 of Hebrews. Sometimes it is called the Bible Hall of Fame or Hall of Faith.
The sporting world honors those who have performed outstandingly in their particular field. The Bible Hall-of-Famers are honored not so much for their accomplishments as for their FAITH which permits their God to perform mightily.
Natural skill and ability along with determination and hard work bring honor to men in sports. Divine purpose and power coupled with human faith bring honor to God's men.
"By it (faith) the elders obtained a good report." (2)
God's list of those who "obtained a good report" through faith begins with Abel and ends with Samuel and the prophets. In between are given honorable mention such greats as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Samson, and David, to mention only a few.
These all "through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again . . . " (33-35a).
No wonder their names are in God's Hall of Fame. But the list doesn't end there. God honors others for their faith. These others might be judged by the world as lacking in faith, for they didn't subdue kingdoms, nor obtain promises, nor stop the mouths of lions, nor quench fires, nor did they escape the sword, nor were they out of weakness made strong, they didn't wax valiant in fight and turn to flight the enemy, and they received not their dead raised to life again.
On the contrary, these "others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth" (35b-38).
"And these all -- having obtained a good report through faith." (39)
Have you by faith been miraculously delivered from some affliction or adverse circumstance? Then to God be the glory, great things He has done. Praise God for such God-wrought deliverance and such God-given faith which trusts Him to that end.
Have you by faith not accepted deliverance but borne patiently your affliction, triumphing in and over it? Then to God be the glory, His grace is abundantly sufficient. Praise God for such God-imputed faith which trusts Him although deliverance is not forthcoming. This kind of faith says, with Job, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him;" and with Jesus, "Not my will, but thine, be done."
So it isn't: are you delivered or not, but is your trust in God who is faithful? With this, God is well pleased. God is not looking for those who DO, but for those who trust HIM to DO. He looks not for those who can accomplish great things, but for those who by faith in Him and yieldedness to Him let Him accomplish great and mighty things for and in and through them. Let us be such individuals for God.
God's standard for the Christian is: "The just shall live by faith." The "just" refers to those who by faith in Christ are justified from their sins. Their life is to be daily lived with complete faith in God. "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." "Without faith it is impossible to please Him."
"For by it the elders obtained a good report." So may we. Let's stop TRYING, and begin TRUSTING.
Sincerely yours and HIS,
Art Gordon, Editor
**********
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6
**********
OMNIPRESENCE
By Arthur E. Gordon
Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. Jeremiah 23:24
THIS QUESTION, like so many in the Bible, has the obvious answer implied in the question. It might correctly read: "I fill heaven and earth, do I not? saith the Lord." The obvious answer is: Yes, Lord, Thou dost fill heaven and earth!
Yes, it is true that God, the only living God, does fill heaven and earth. This is too infinitely wonderful for our finite minds to grasp but it is a fact and should cause our hearts to rejoice. That is, if we are in right relationship to God.
This marvelous fact (which in theology is called Omnipresence) has significance in at least two directions. First, it is significant for the SINNER.
God is in every place beholding the sinner and his deeds. Sinful man may think he sins in secret, that no one knows, but God says to all such, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?" No indeed, no one can hide where God cannot see him. The sinner is being observed by Omnipresent eyes and he will pay to the last farthing for his evil deeds.
God's omnipresence has significance also for the SAINT.
By saint we do not mean those who have been canonized after their decease by an earthly organization, but we use this word in the Biblical sense, referring to those who have entered into God's eternal salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, those who have been redeemed by His precious blood. For such, the omnipresence of God has great significance.
The Serving Saint. All Christians should be serving. Jesus Christ commissions us in these words: "Go ye therefore (because 'all power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth'), and teach (disciple) all nations . . . " His promise follows: "And, lo I am WITH you always . . . "
Sometimes in the Lord's service we feel all alone and all-but forsaken. Especially those who are called to serve in some out-of-the-way place. But we are not alone. Maybe indeed we are bereft of all human, or at least all Christian fellowship, but the fact remains, our God is present, for does He not "fill heaven and earth?" There is not one tiny spot in all of heaven or earth where our God is not.
The Suffering Saint. Take heart, afflicted one; thy God is with thee. Jesus promised: "I will pray the Father, and (since 'I go away') He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit . . . " Did you think you were suffering alone in your little room? There is Another there with you. The Comforter has come. "Comforter" here means "One called alongside to help." God is there beside you to help you.
Sometimes you may feel as though you suffer alone, that no one sees or cares, that no one sympathizes with your affliction, that no one can bring you solace. This may be very true again on the human level, but know beyond doubt that your God sees and cares and sympathizes with you, and He will bring you solace. He will be to you "a very present help in trouble" You do not suffer alone, for "Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord."
The Supplicating Saint. The rediscovery of this truth of our text has revolutionized my own prayer-life. I don't know whether you are like me, but at times in the past I have looked for "crutches" to lean on when praying. For instance at one time in my prayer-life, before praying I would try to get a mental picture of God seated upon His throne somewhere in the starry heavens and my prayers ascending up before Him like incense. But somehow this made God seem so very far away. Whereas actually, as Paul says, "He be not far from every one of us." In fact He is very near each of us; as near as the air we breathe. We may communicate with Him as with person to person.
This ought to encourage the intercessor, knowing that the omnipresent God is with the one praying and at the same time with the one being prayed for. The answer may thus be as instantaneous as the need and the petition. God who abides with the petitioner and hears his request as soon as it is expressed, also abides with the one on the other end of the prayer and answers at just the right time. This should encourage us to pray for our brethren around the world.
As stated before, this truth is beyond our comprehension. We cannot understand it, nor can we adequately explain it. But, as one man said concerning God's promises, "God said it; I believe it; and that settles it." God does not ask us to understand His omnipresence, but to believe it because He said it, and to live accordingly.
If you are an unsaved Sinner, let this be a warning to repent of your sins and be reconciled to God by receiving Christ as your Saviour. If you are a saved sinner, and thus a Saint, let this be an encouragement to rest in God, relying upon Him to meet your every need.
**********
GOD IS VERY NIGH
"He compassed him about, He watched over him,
He preserved him as the apple of His eye."
Deut. 32:10.
Child of My love, the apple of My eye,
Dost thou not know thy God is very nigh?
Dost thou not know I hold you by the hand?
And precious Child of Mine, I understand.
Child of My heart, lean hard on Me today,
I walk so close beside thee all the way;
I love thee more than you can comprehend;
I'm everything you need, your dearest Friend.
I know each cloud that hides the sun from view,
I know each ache within, the teardrops, too;
You see, My Child, I walked this road one day,
And therefore, Child, I understand your way.
I'm very near thee, Blood-bought One, My own,
I'll never let thee take one breath alone;
The heart-beat of My love will never cease;
Lean hard, dear Child, and breathe My perfect peace.
And now, within the circling of my arms,
Thou art secure and safe from all that harms;
And every moment, Child, I'd have you know --
You're very dear to Me: I love you so!
-- Yvonne Virginia Smith
**********
GOD AT WORK IN TUNISIA
Doing a New Thing
By Don Rickards
"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth, shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert." -- Isaiah 43:19
THERE ARE no doubt many "new" things the Lord has done in our time, but there is no "new" thing more outstanding in Muslim work today than the advent of the Bible Correspondence Courses. I suppose it is equally true that there is nothing so demanding of time, money, and personnel as the correspondence-course ministry!
Yes, God is at work in a new and wonderful way. Over the past year the Word of God has been sown in all corners of Tunisia's 4 1/2 millions of people. At one point, there were 85 young people studying the Bible systematically in one village alone; sometimes we find a few dozen students in one school taking our courses; and it is not uncommon to find several persons in one house enrolled. But it is not enough to find people enrolled -- we are after concrete decisions for Christ. You will understand then why our hearts were thrilled this week when we read the following report from one member of the NAM (North Africa Mission) team at Sfax:
"This week I visited Habiba, the lady student who has completed the course, 'One God, One Way.'
"She is a woman in her thirties, married, and it is her husband who encourages her to study, and helps her with the lessons. For some reason he does not want to do the actual corresponding but there is no doubt that he himself is really interested in the lessons.
"Habiba herself, as you said, had not made any written decision, yet while talking with her I had the feeling that she has real faith.
"She said how much she enjoyed the lessons. She said, 'Before, I did not know there was a Saviour but now I know there is One and that He gave His life for me.' And it seemed to me she meant what she said.
"There are five persons in that one house who follow the courses."
Another student, Halima, wrote several letters with her lessons to say how happy she was since learning about the Lord and expressed a desire to help in the work in some way. Two of our missionaries visited this young lady and found a heart hungry for the Word and alert to God's love. The Gospel is bringing forth fruit in her as it is in all the world.
The other day at the Bible Shop, a young man dropped his last lesson on the desk and said, "I believe in Jesus Christ may I have a Bible?" I dealt with him in the back room and there was no question about his faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. It is real. He accepted the Lord in a definite way, through prayer, at that time. Since then, he has come in for personal counselling and for the evening Bible study. He is helping the other young men in his boarding house with their lessons.
One young man made the trip to Tunis from Sousse in order to fellowship with us in the services. He professed, and seemed to have, a sound faith in Christ. Another fellow from that area wrote a few weeks ago to say that he was coming to visit us and to fellowship with his "brothers in Christ."
We now have some 370 graduates scattered throughout the country, and we are making plans to visit these and to help them into their place in the Church of God in Tunisia. We consider follow-up a vital phase of this ministry and have laid plans to this end.
I wish all of you could have been present at the Tunis monthly rally for correspondence students this morning. Our brother Mouldi, himself a product of the courses, spoke for forty minutes on the Gospel to a group of twenty-five young men and women. The room was silent. There was no opposition or fanaticism. The Spirit of God was quite obviously at work.
At his invitation, two young men went forward to indicate their desire to accept the Gospel message. Mouldi preached the Word with power and passion. He spoke with understanding and assurance. God literally wooed these listeners through His child. I could only shout Hallelujah!
Yet it is not easy to carry on such a widescale ministry. The cost is incredible, the amount of paper work is enormous, the follow-up is demanding -- and we are so few who can give ourselves to this work. Because of the wide distribution program begun in September to be completed at the end of December, our enrollment doubled in October and will see another significant increase in November. In the first ten days of this month, for example, over 1,000 requests for the courses were received.
It is a tremendous joy to be involved in all this. We here on the spot feel that we are on the verge of seeing a multitude turn to God for the first time in the missionary history of this country. Is this not a "new thing"? Let us not stop on the threshold of blessing, but hold on to our God until He sends us the "rivers in the desert."
Please continue to pray.
(From the November, 1962 Prayer Letter of Donald and Margaret Rickards, Tunisia, North Africa.)
**********
A VISION
Isaiah 6
I saw the Lord, exalted, lifted high,
His glory filled the earth as all grew dim;
Thrice "Holy" sounded round His throne nearby,
Where bowed with folded wings the Seraphim.
I saw the Lord; I trembled at the sight;
He was so pure -- this Holy, Sinless One;
His raiment was a glistening, spotless white; --
I saw myself -- unjust, unclean, undone.
And as I laid me prostrate at His feet,
In tender love His hand with nail-scarred palm
Reached deep into the heart that scarce did beat,
Repaired the wound -- His blood the healing balm.
And when I fixed my eyes on Him alone
Who's WONDERFUL -- so great in majesty;
And then I heard a voice come from the throne:
"Whom shall I send, and who will go for me?"
"Lord, here am I." -- I looked no more within;
I simply yielded -- spirit, body, soul;
I took my place upon the cross with Him;
The Blessed Holy Ghost took full control.
And then I thought of all eternity
Without my Christ, my Saviour, Lord and Friend;
And Hell loomed up as a reality
Where countless souls live on without an end,
And then I saw a land where all is night --
The only light, a burning incense flame,
Where bowed before his god in stupid fright,
A heathen died -- who never heard Christ's Name.
How shall they hear in that land far away?
How can they call on Him Whom they've not heard?
When Jesus beckons me, how can I stay
And keep from them the glories of His Word?
How can they know His tender love, His grace,
If those who know refuse to cross the sea?
But I have seen my Saviour face to face:
"Oh, Here am I, your bondslave, Lord, send me."
--Yvonne Virginia Smith
**********
TWO GOLDEN DAYS
THERE ARE TWO DAYS of the week upon which and about which I never worry. Two carefree days kept sacredly free from care and apprehension.
One of these days is yesterday. Yesterday, with all its cares and frets, its mistakes and blunders, has passed forever beyond the reach of my recall. All that it holds of my life, of wrongs, regret and sorrow, is in the hands of the Mighty Love that can bring honey out of the rock, and sweet waters out of the bitterest desert -- the love that can make the wrong things right, that can turn weeping into laughter, that can give beauty for ashes, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, joy of the morning for the woe of the night. Save for beautiful memories, sweet and tender, that linger like the perfume of roses in the heat of the day that is gone, I have nothing to do with yesterday. It was mine; it is God's.
And the other day that I do not worry about is tomorrow. Tomorrow, with all its possible adversities, its burdens, its perils, its large promise and poor performance, is as far beyond the reach of my mastery as its dead sister, yesterday. Tomorrow -- it is God's day. It will be mine.
There is left for myself, then, but one day of the week -- today. Any man can fight the battles of today. Any woman can carry the burden of just one day. Oh friend, it is only when, to the burdens and cares of today carefully measured out to us by the Infinite Wisdom and Might, we willfully add the burden of yesterday and tomorrow that we break down. It isn't the experience of today that drives men mad. It is the remorse for something that happened yesterday, the dread of what tomorrow may disclose.
These are God's days, Leave them with Him.
Therefore, I think, and I do, and I journey but one day at a time. That is the Man's day. Nay, Rather, that is OUR day -- God's and mine. And, while faithfully and dutifully I run my course, and work my appointed task on that day of ours, God the Almighty and the all-loving takes care of yesterday and tomorrow.
(Condensed from The Elim Evangel for Life of Faith.)
**********
SERMON SERIES
Romans 8
No. 10
THE SPIRIT PRAYS FOR YOU
"And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26, 27
IN THE VERSE preceding our text we are told, "if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." That which we see not, but hope for, is our bodily redemption. Our soul is redeemed, our spirit quickened, but our bodily frame is as yet subjected to vanity and corruption. It awaits its redemption, when Christ shall appear the second time to receive as unto Himself, at which time our body shall be resurrected and changed like unto His glorious body. In the mean time we abide here below in confident hope of this very thing.
The verse continues: "then do we with patience wait for it." We are told elsewhere that "tribulation worketh patience." And so it does. How could we learn patience were it not for difficult circumstances which demand and teach patience? We need no patience in happy, carefree circumstances; patience is bred and begotten in the womb of travail, and matures in tribulation.
But the fact is that even with the perfect situation to produce patience or steadfastness, too often we manifest anything but this virtue. God knowing this and knowing our weakness, supplies us the wherewithal to actually bear up as we should under trial. And this brings us to the text.
THE SPIRIT HELPS
"And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity . . . (26a). The Holy Spirit is God's more-than adequate provision for our weakness. Without Him, tribulation, far from working patience, would work our undoing. With Him, the desired result is wrought.
Before Jesus departed this earth, He told of the Spirit's coming. Said He, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." "Comforter" means "one who is summoned or called to one's side for the purpose of aiding or helping." Jesus summoned -- the Holy Spirit came -- and we have Divine help.
We need help. We are weak, helplessly weak in ourselves. We are weak in our entire person. We need not here speak of physical weakness, most of us know all-too-well this type of infirmity. The weakness referred to in our text is spiritual weakness. It is the weakness of the soul, the inner man, with relationship to trials and troubles. "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." If we lean for our strength on the "arm of flesh" we shall undoubtedly fall; if we lean on the Holy Spirit we shall remain steadfast until the end. "Not by might, nor by power (in yourself), but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."
The first step to steadfastness or patience in our weakness, is to recognize our weakness, yes, even the weakness of our redeemed soul. The second step is to lean hard upon God's wholly-adequate Provision -- the Holy Spirit. He has been summoned to our side to help us. He abides with us and in us to help us lay hold of that sanctified composure in the midst of tribulation which befits the children of God. "The Spirit . . . helpeth our infirmity."
The word "helpeth" is used one other time in the New Testament (in its Greek form). Jesus had been invited to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Mary sat enraptured at His feet listening to His words, while Martha busied herself with serving. "But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she HELP (the same word as in text) me." Martha had indeed invited Jesus into her home and was faithfully serving Him, which was commendable, but, as the Lord said, she was "anxious and troubled about many things."
Is not this where we find ourselves so often? We have invited Jesus into our life, we are lovingly serving Him, but the demands and pressures of life somehow have a way of crowding in upon us until we are driven to distraction and our heart gives way to anxiety. "Lord, send someone to help me!" is our cry. And be assured He does provide help; something far better than human help. The help of the Holy Spirit Himself. So whoever you are and wherever you are and whatever is your need, rest your case with Him, rely upon Him, lean hard upon Him, trust Him -- God the Holy Spirit.
THE SPIRIT INTERCEDES
" . . . for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered . . . (26b). Our spiritual weakness is manifested in our prayer life. "We know not how to pray as we ought." This is the understatement of the century. "Lord, teach us to pray," is our constant petition.
Oh, indeed we can readily recognize the outward, superficial needs of those about us, and also our own, and pray for these. But the real needs of our brethren and even our own, are much deeper that what we can observe. The needs of the heart are the real and urgent needs. But we humans are reluctant to talk of the needs which lurk in the dark recesses of the heart. So we cannot know, we cannot pray intelligently. Surely the Holy Spirit, through Paul, spoke truly when He said, "we know not how to pray as we ought." We know not how to pray as we ought because we know not the true and vital needs of one another as we ought.
So we pray superficially. Our prayers are so shallow most of the time. "Lord, touch Brother So-and-So's body and take away the pain in his big toe;" "Lord, help Sister So-and-So find work so she can get her mink coat." Maybe we don't pray on quite that level, but is not this the main thrust of most of our praying? We spend our prayer-time asking for physical and material blessings, when the greatest needs are spiritual, if we only knew it. But that's just the point we don't know these spiritual needs of our brethren. We have no way of knowing, they keep them locked within their breast. I guess that's why we concentrate so much on the knowable, visible needs.
But just because we don't know one another's hidden needs is no reason to concentrate merely on externals. Indeed it is pathetically true "we know not how to pray as we ought" for each other, but we have a blessed recourse in our ignorance, "the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
Christ intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father in the heavenlies. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us right here. This completes the Divine prayer-circle. Our cause is well represented before the Father.
We are weak; the Spirit helps our weakness. We are ignorant; He prays for us. Our prayers are limited; His unlimited, powerful. Ours are often superficial, mundane, unworthy; His always vital, spiritual, worthy.
He "maketh intercession for us with groanings." It is said of Jesus, the day He stood before the tomb of Lazarus, that He "groaned in the spirit." Why did He groan? It may have been induced by three things -- His heartfelt sympathy for the sisters, His intense desire to alleviate their misery, and no doubt His grief at their very evident unbelief. Had He not just told them He was "the resurrection and the life," and "he that believeth . . . though he were dead, yet shall he live?" Yes, Christ was there to help them; He prayed for them; He met their deepest needs.
But Jesus no longer dwells on earth among us. However, that we be not orphaned, and as sheep without a shepherd, He prayed the Father, and the Father sent another Comforter. The Holy Spirit dwells with us and intercedes for us. He intercedes with unutterable groanings. He, like Christ, has a heartfelt sympathy for us in our groanings here below. His desire, too, is to alleviate our distress. And no doubt His great heart of love is grieved as He beholds our very obvious unbelief and lack of trust in His Person and work.
These groanings of the Spirit on our behalf are not understood by us, but you may be sure they are perfectly intelligible to the Father.
THE SPIRIT GETS RESULTS
" . . . and he (the Father) that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he (the Spirit) maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (27).
The Father is the searcher of hearts. "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." He needs "not that any should testify of man: for He knows what is in man." So, you see, though we know not how to pray as we ought, because our knowledge is limited to the physical, God knows the heart. He knows what man needs most. He knows the deepest heart-needs of our brethren, our friends, our neighbors, ourselves. No desire, longing, heartache, doubt, fear, escapes His notice. He understands the Spirit's groanings for His people. He knows what is the mind of the Spirit, the Spirit's desire. And He delights to answer. Why?
"Because he (the Spirit) maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."
Here again we must admit our ignorance. If we are hard put to know the real needs of one another, how much more so to know the perfect will of God. Thus the Holy Spirit was given to help our infirmity, to intercede for the most urgent needs of the saints, and to intercede according to the will of God.
This is how the Spirit prays for us, but how shall we pray for one another? Someone says, "Pray in the Spirit." And so we should. But specifically, how do we do it? I believe the best place to begin is with the Bible prayers. There are many prayers in the Bible which were prayed by Spirit-filled, godly men, and which were recorded I believe for our edification and learning. These may be found and traced through a reference Bible. It would serve our prayer-life well to look them up, study then, even memorize them, and use them as patterns for our prayers as the Spirit might lead.
You will notice in these Bible prayers how scarce are references to the physical. The spiritual stature is kept pretty much in the fore. This should be the first lesson we learn from them. "Go thou and do likewise."
These prayers were given by the Holy Spirit through the Bible writers. Thus they strike at the very root of all of our needs and they are certainly according to the will of God. We may expect answers when we pattern our prayers after them.
Two such prayers are recorded in Ephesians and Colossians in the New Testament. There is not room to quote them here, but look them up at your leisure and study them. We should be praying them for one another.
You will find them in Ephesians 1:16-23, and Colossians 1:9-14.
And remember, you do not pray alone, the Spirit prays for you.
**********
