H. P. Barker
“Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in
our hearts” (2 Cor. 1:22). “Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing
is God, Who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit” (2 Cor. 5:5).
“….ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His
glory” (Eph. 1:13,14).
Ingimar DeRidder
A Lesson from James to the Churches
Watch out when tongues get loose. They can do a lot of damage. Nothing
saddens the heart more than to hear of local churches divided, broken and destroyed by the
Devil. It is especially sad when good churches are needed to be winning souls for Christ.
The Devil has many devices which he uses to split a church and to divide one brother from
another. Let there be no mistake about it, the Devil hates the church. Today, a church is
more likely to be destroyed from within than from without.
Carl Knott
The name “Christian” does not mean much in the world anymore,
except maybe “not Buddhist” or “not Muslim,” or something like that.
But taking its original and long forgotten meaning, “Christ-one,” a follower of
Jesus Christ, we ask, “What makes a family a Christian family?” How can we tell
one when we see it? Are there distinctive features that will help us pick out of a group
of families those that are Christian? How about our homes, how can we discern if they are
really Christian?
Recently, a friend asked me when the 7 Feasts occured in the Jewish
Calendar. The question came up because we were taking a look at the Day
of Pentecost and how long Christ was on Earth. We’ve both been in
enough meetings where we knew that 50 days after the Passover was the
Day of Pentacost….but what did that mean?
It meant we had assimilated information without verifying the facts.
F. B. Meyer
What glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall
take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this
is acceptable with God.”? (1?Peter 2:20)
The servants here addressed were the household servants and
slaves, so largely employed in the great establishments of that age. Wealth and position
made special boast of the vast number of dependents that were maintained. Life was held
cheaply enough; and when a slave was once purchased, he cost little to keep. The Roman
empire swarmed with bondmen; and they became her ruin.