All The Counsel of God

AS REVEALED IN JOHN 15

Every metaphor and simile of the Christian life illuminates some trait of the character of a Christian.

1.         A Branch for Fruitfulness – v.5. A branch in a vine is the outcome of the productive quality of the root and stem and is dependent for its fruitfulness from them. Through the branch the vine manifests itself in fruit. It needs to be cleansed, and pruned to bring its fruit to perfection. Being united to Christ, we bring forth fruit, and as we allow the Vine-dresser to develop us, we bring forth the “more fruit” yea, “much fruit,” and the fruit that remains – vs. 2, 8, 16. The fruit is “love” (Galatians 5:22)

2.         A Disciple for Fruitfulness – vs. 8-10. Discipleship is evidenced by fruitfulness. Being a disciple, we “learn” of Christ, we follow Him, and we are obedient to Him – Matthew 11:29; Luke 9:23; John 13:34.

3.         A Friend for Communion – v.15. Three things evidence friendship, namely, confidence, sympathy, and fellowship. We might call these love in exercise, like the love of Jonathan for David.

4.         A Chosen One for Holiness – v.16. When anyone or anything is set apart for a given purpose, and that purpose is achieved, the election is seen. We prove our election by selecting the things that faith adds to itself – 2 Peter 1:10

5.         An Ordained One for Benefit – v. 16. Fruit is produced for another’s benefit, is lasting in its blessing, and is forerunner of answered prayer. See the “that” in verse 16.

6.         A Servant for Employment – v.20. To serve such a Master is a privilege, even though we may have to suffer because of our association with Him. He has saved us to serve, and we save ourselves from many things in serving.

7.         A Witness for Testimony – v. 27. A witness is one who knows, and is able to tell out what he has seen and heard. The thing that gave power and brought conviction in the early days was what was evidenced in the disciples – Acts 1:8, 2:37, 4:13.

1.         “I have glorified thee” v. 4

2.         “I have finished the work” v. 4

3.         “I have manifested Thy Name” v. 6

4.         “I have kept” v. 12

5.         “I have given Thy Word” and “Words” vs. 8, 14

6.         “I have declared Thy Name” v. 26

7.         “I have known Thee” v. 25

8.         “I have sent” v. 18

9.         “I have given them Thy glory” v. 22

The problem with many so-called Christians today is that they only believe the Holy Bible as long as it does not infer with their lifestyle. Yes, they believe that you are saved by grace through faith not of works. They believe Christ died for theirs sins and only a person’s faith in Christ’s shed blood pays for all their sins and keeps them out hell.

When they come to such verses as ^“ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” (2 Corinthians 6:17, many will choose to ignore it because it interferes with some of their ungodly lifestyle activities. How about this one, ”Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

The problem is many Christians have so much of the world and the things of the world in them that they have become comfortable down here. You see believing every word of the Holy Bible would make you feel uncomfortable. Most will attend churches where you are never challenged to examine self and see how you match up with the Words of Almighty God. Most become offended very easily when you mention what the Holy Bible says about some of their lifestyle choices.

The words of God tells us, Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. (Psalm 119:165) So, when someone claims to be a Christian and are easily offended by what the scriptures say about their lifestyle then the problem is they do not love the words of God. However, they love the words of the feel-good preaching they listen to every Sunday. They love the words of their favorite so-called Christian personality they listen to on so-called Christian radio and television.

The words of God say, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Notice the verse says “…all things are become new.” This includes your lifestyle as well. Has your lifestyle previous to your salvation passed away and  are you truly a new creature in Christ or are you someone that claims to be a Christian but your lifestyle reflects the world and the things of world?

” …Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” (Daniel 5:27).

God weighed this man Belshazzar, king of Babylon, and found him wanting. Every man passes over God’s scales on his way to eternity, and God’s final decision is final. There can never be any appeal against that decision. I read, in Daniel 5:30, “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.”

This man had no intention of dying that night. He had planned this night to be the greatest night of his life, “Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand” (Daniel 5:1).

Babylon, the pride of antiquity, never looked gayer than on that night. Babylon never felt more secure. In the midst of it, Belshazzar reigned supreme, but before that night would finish, this blasphemer would beg for a preacher and God would write his sins on the wall of the palace.

There in the middle of the Babylonian Square, stood the palace of Belshazzar. At the palace, this night was to be a night of revelry, unprecedented in the history of Babylon! The music, the food, the laughter was great, but it was during this night that Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, stands to blaspheme the God of Heaven. This is what the Bible says, “Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote” (Daniel 5:2-5).

I want to repeat that last line, “… and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.” God was uninvited to that supper-party, but He came anyway. A thousand lords and their ladies had attended a feast of death that night! God had an account to settle with Babylon.

Hebrews 10:31 says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Galatians 6:7 says, “… God is not mocked …”  Herod will blaspheme and throw the apostles, James and Peter, in prison, and “… upon a set day … arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration …” (Acts 12:21). The crowd will shout and say, “… It is the voice of a god, and not of a man” (Acts 12:22), but God will enter that picture! Here is the record as the Bible writes it, “And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms … But the word of God grew and multiplied” (Acts 12:23-24).

Pharaoh will blaspheme and taunt the God of Israel and snear at Moses, and say, “… and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh … there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land…” (Exodus 14:27-29).

Jezebel will blaspheme and swear to destroy God’s prophet, Elijah, and say, “And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window … And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot … And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite …” (2 Kings 9:30-36).

Time after time man, in his daring, raw confidence, will take his chances and oppose the living God, and always the record is the same, “… Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” (Daniel 5:27). Men will keep trying. The Hitlers and the Stalins will climb over the shambles of the Pharaohs and Belshazzars, and always history will record the same verdict, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

Friend, let me speak to you! What celebration have you arranged? What security do you boast? With what company are you? How much have you left God out of the picture of your life?

I’m not so sure that a lot of professing Christians aren’t as guilty as Belshazzar when it comes to using the holy vessels of God for other than intended purposes. Take, for instance, that sacred vessel, your own body. That body is made after God’s likeness. The Bible says that it ” … is the temple of the Holy Ghost … “ (1 Corinthians 6:19). What are you doing with it? 1 Thessalonians 4:4 says, “That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.” The Apostle Paul says that the body is ” … for the Lord … “ (1 Corinthians 6: 13). What about it friend? There’s a “pay-day” coming, and I’m going to have to give an account.

Now, my unsaved friend, let me speak to you personally! Do you know what this chapter tells me? Here is what it says. It says that when the mysterious writing appeared on the wall of the palace that night, ” … the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another” (Daniel 5:6).

Did you get that? ” … his thoughts troubled him … ” His conscience went to work, and when he got the preacher there that night to read the Word of God to him, Daniel didn’t mince any words. He said, ” … thou knewest…But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven … and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified” (Daniel 5:22-23).

You see, this man knew better! He knew about the deliverance of the three young men from the fiery furnace. He knew about God’s dealing with his father, Nebuchadnezzar, and how he had been driven into the field to eat and live like an animal for seven insane years. He knew! No wonder his knees knocked together that night. “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things” (1 John 3:20).

In that night, now stark sober, with the handwriting on the wall, he had no one to blame but himself.

Neighbour, if that was true back there in the long ago, then how much more true will it be in this enlightened Gospel age? What excuse will you have?

I want to read you God’s offer, ” … He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5 :24). God is willing to settle this thing with you now.

God will settle for only one thing: He will accept your public confession that what His Son, Jesus Christ, did on the cross was done for you. When you make that confession it means that you are saying, “I am a sinner and worthy of God’s judgment against my sins as much as Belshazzar had it coming to him on that night of his drunken party, but I believe Jesus died for my sins and paid my penalty. My trust is in Him and His Presence to help me live as I ought to live.” Get down on your knees and mean it with all your heart and God will accept it, and judgment day will be over for you!

Friend, it’s up to you! I don’t know what may be the scale by which you may have been measuring yourself? You may be in the upper bracket in the social register of your community, but remember this, the day will come when God will do the measuring. You may feel secure in some little “Babylon” you have built- some bank account, reserves for a “rainy day” or “stormy weather.” But take the advice of a preacher, don’t count God out of the picture. Pay-day is ahead. A settlement must be made.

” … prepare to meet thy God … “ (Amos 4:12).

“Popularity has slain more prophets of God than persecution ever did.” -Vance Havner

“…let God be true, but every man a liar …” (Romans 3:4) is the language of true faith.” -A. W. Tozer

“Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.” -George Mueller

“An active faith can give thanks for a promise, though it be not as yet performed; knowing that God’s bonds are as good as ready money.” -Matthew Henry

“If we cannot believe God when circumstances seem to be against us, we do not believe Him at all.” -C. H. Spurgeon

“I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.” -Hudson Taylor

“Leave the broken, irreversible past in God’s hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.” -Oswald Chambers

“Nothing is too great and nothing is too small to commit into the hands of the Lord.” -A. W. Pink

“To learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.” – George Mueller

“All thought, cleverness, knowledge, talent and gift- which the world superstitiously worships -must be set aside in order to enable one to trust the Lord wholly. The Lord’s people should persistently acknowledge their own unworthiness and incompetency.” -Watchman Nee

“God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.” -Elisabeth Elliot

A strange subject! Yet if this subject were rightly understood, it would be well. As long as men think they are “something” when they are “nothing” (Galatians 6:3), they are in peril. But he who realizes that “All nations … ” before God “… are as nothing …” (Isaiah 40: 17), and that he personally is “nothing” and has “nothing,” a true hope begins.

The Lord Jesus strikingly said, “… the flesh profiteth nothing …” (John 6:63); whatever a man does or says, he cannot make himself fit for God and Heaven. Deep down in the heart there is pride that will not confess the facts of the case. How few have seen themselves in God’s sight. Stripped of all tinsel, the soul has “nothing” in God’s sight. He who has this experience may well be alarmed.

It is important to remember something else. Ecclesiastes 5: 15 reminds us that a man can “… take nothing of his labour …” when he dies. He must leave everything! It is strange indeed that men are willing to go on in a world of uncertainty, a world of “nothing” – nothing real, nothing permanent, nothing to satisfy the heart – when all the time there is a certainty, there is a security, there is a blessedness in Christ Jesus.

Let a sinner take his right place and own himself a sinner, let him cry out under the burden of sin, let him feel his need of a Saviour what will happen then? Scripture is not indefinite as to the answer, and the Holy Spirit is not slow to apply it to the heart of one awakened. When the load of sin seems too heavy, the Saviour’s “Come unto me …” (Matthew 11 :28) is music to the heart. When the debtor realizes he has “… nothing to pay …” (Luke 7:42), the Lord speaks of frank and full forgiveness. Yes, it is for such that the Gospel has been graciously provided. It is an impressive fact that the Bible has not a single word to encourage the self-confident; all the invitations are worded to show grace to the unworthy.

Think of a few Gospel declarations: ” … he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1); ” … bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind” (Luke 14:21). Could anything be more repulsive and distressing to the one who vainly thinks he has “something”? But could anything be more refreshing to the one who knows he has “nothing”? Truly, in this sense, “He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away” (Luke 1 :53).

Reader, if you are rich in your own self-righteousness, you too will be sent empty away. Read Psalm 107, and you will find each part speaks of God’s wonderful works to those who are in dire need and none others. First we have the hungry and the thirsty, then those that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, next those that draw near to the gates of death, and lastly those who are at their wit’s end. The great peril today is that sinners do not see their utter need and, thus, do not see the precious necessity of the death of Christ if they are to be saved. When we own and feel we are nothing and can do nothing, Christ is the only hope- everything is a blank without Him!

The devil’s hatred of Scripture is revealed the first time his name is mentioned in the Bible. Moreover, those who associate with him manifest the same hatred. Let us notice Genesis 3: 1-3:

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

“…Yea, hath God said… ” This is Satan’s first utterance in Scripture. It is a challenge to the authority of the Word of God. Eve, in listening to the devil, altered God’s Word:

1. She omitted the words every and freely (Genesis 2: 16).

2. She added the words neither shall ye touch it(Genesis 3:3), to God’s command in Genesis 2:17.

3. She altered the certainty of “… thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2: 17), to the uncertainty of “… lest ye die” (Genesis 3:3). Satan’s temptation succeeded because the Word of God was omitted, added to, and altered. It was undermined to the extent that the devil was believed when he denied the Word of God, saying, “… Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4).

In sharp contrast, Satan’s temptation of the last Adam failed because the Lord Jesus Christ three times repeated, honoured, and established what God had said. He refuted the devil’s suggestions with the affirmation, “… It is written … “ (Matthew4:4,7,10).

In Christ’s great high priestly prayer (John 17), the Word of God is referred to three times (verses 8,14,17). The disciples received the Word, and they conformed to it. That fellowship with the Father sanctified them and determined their relationship to the world. God’s commandments are only kept when they are obeyed.

Three times God has warned us of the seriousness of altering His Word:

1. “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2).

2. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:5-6).

3. “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:18-21).

God has entrusted us with His Word; therefore, it is time for believers to uphold His Word.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” ( 1 Thessalonians 5: 18).

God intends that our Christian life should be one of constant prayer, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5: 17); constant joy, “Rejoice evermore” (1 Thessalonians 5: 16); and constant thanksgiving, “In every thing give thanks …” (1 Thessalonians 5: 18). The Apostle Paul certainly lived out his own injunctions, for he was unceasing in prayer, full of thanksgiving, and rejoiced greatly in all circumstances. He lived continually in the spirit of thanksgiving. Praise was as natural to him as breathing. He could truly say with the Psalmist, “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34: 1 ). He was ever on the lookout to find some cause for gratitude, and every prayer had its note of praise. He was never without some theme for thanksgiving. He perpetually thanked God for His marvelous grace in saving his soul, in calling him to be His apostle to the Gentiles (1 Timothy 1: 12-16). He thanked God for the faith, love, fellowship, and witness of his beloved converts. What heartfelt gratitude he showed to the believers in Philippi for their thoughtfulness to him in his hour of need! (Read Philippians 4:10-19.)

The apostle exhorted and encouraged his fellow Christians to cultivate the beautiful flower of thanksgiving in the garden of the soul. “… be ye thankful” (Colossians 3:15), he said to his converts in Colosse. To emphasize this injunction, he adds, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3: 17). In his epistle to the Ephesians, he exhorts, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20). No time of prayer should be without its season of thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).

The Apostle Paul exhorted believers not merely to give thanks in some things, but “In every thing …”; nothing is to be excluded. It is very easy to give thanks for some things because they give such pleasure to body, mind, and soul. We thank God for the springtime, and for the annual miracle of the harvest. We find cause for deep gratitude in the love of parents, wife, husband, brothers, sisters, lover, and friend; in God’s bountiful provision for our daily needs, for the gift of sound body and sound mind. We thank God for the great men of the past who toiled, prayed, and suffered that we might enjoy our national independence, our freedom to worship God according to the dictates of conscience. We do not find it difficult to give thanks to God for the wonderful way He has brought us through the dark days of the past, for the glorious victory He is granting to us and our allies over a cruel and relentless foe. Above all these material blessings, the believer thanks God for the gift of His beloved Son, through whose atoning blood we have been “ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,” and for the great gift of eternal life. For ten thousand precious gifts from the giver of “Every good gift and every perfect gift …” (James 1: 17), we should lift up our hearts in thankfulness and praise. It is sad to reflect on the fact that there are multitudes who are thankless, full of murmurings and complaints; they never lift up the heart in praise to God. There are times when the ingratitude of man burdens the heart of Christian workers, and the soul cries out in sorrow. “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:8).

But to give thanks in “… every thing …”, how hard and seemingly impossible! How can we give thanks at the coffin that contains the mortal remains of our nearest and dearest; in failure in business; in the loss of sight, hearing, or speech; when that man or woman tries us so sorely and continuously; in these and a hundred other heavy trials, how can we give thanks? The heart is tempted to rebel and to murmur rather than to give thanks. Yea, there are times when even the choicest of God’s saints find themselves struggling hard with giant despair; the burden of life gets on top of them for a while and crushes the spirit.

Let it be admitted that it is hard to give thanks always in all things, but through divine grace it is gloriously possible. When we have learned to live out the apostolic injunction, we shall find that life will become completely transformed. There are thousands of Christians who have maintained the spirit of thanksgiving and praise under the hardest possible circumstances. Did not the Apostle Paul practice his own precept? With his back bleeding and smarting with pain, and his feet fixed fast in the stocks, he “… sang praises unto God…” (Acts 16:25). One of his brightest epistles was written when a prisoner, and uncertain whether the morrow would bring life or death. It is full of thanksgiving and joy, and he called on his converts to “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). The early Christians faced the lions and the stake with a song and a smile, thanking God that they were counted worthy to suffer and to die for the sake of the Name of Jesus.

It is only as we recognize that it is “… the will of God in Christ Jesus …” that we should give thanks for all things that we will be ready and able to live out the apostolic injunction. The trustful and obedient believer who lives to do the will of God will give thanks in all things, knowing that whatever lies within His will must have some good behind it. That trying experience you are passing through just now is meant for your good. God has a plan for your life and mine, and it is His great purpose that we should grow in the likeness of His dear Son, and glorify Him in all things.

Life’s trials are sent to develop in us the Christian virtues and graces of love, trust, patience, humility, fortitude, and courage. When these things are seen in us, the thoughts of men tum Christward and heavenward. Men will then see their own selfishness, unbelief, impatience, pride, and cowardice. Often their hostility to us is but a cloak to hide their own deep sense of sin, defeat, and dissatisfaction. When we believe beyond all doubt that “… all things work together for good to them that love God…” (Romans 8:28), we shall not find it difficult in everything to give thanks. When we live this life of continuous thanksgiving, we shall find its effect on body, mind, and soul will be most beneficial, for “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD…” (Psalm 92:1). “… O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever” (Psalm 30: 12).

“He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap” (Ecclesiastes 11:4). The wise man in these writings still speaks to us today. It will be well for us to exercise a proper and salutary care in the use and disposition of precious seed entrusted to our hand. We should know that, under certain conditions, we

must withhold action, lest there be useless and futile waste. But the diligent and determined man, the fearless and faithful, will not be deterred or turned aside by the threat of difficulty or trial; rather, these will be regarded as challenges to be faced and overcome. Faint-heartedness is no qualification for the Christian warrior.

In the preparation and selection of a Gideon’s band (Judges 7), there must first be eliminated those who are craven and fearful. Such are utterly useless when it comes to the business of being called upon to stand alone “… every man in his place …” (Judges 7:21). The quality of God given courage, when confronted by the seeming might of an outnumbering enemy host, is of great value! But in this realm, human bluster and pretentious bravado break away- they are not enough!

Conquering courage, when facing Satan’s massed multitudes, must depend on that kind of knowledge of God Himself, that is blessed with an experience that is personal and intimate, being wholly independent of outside and extraneous resources. Witness Paul’s words concerning his own experience when facing the devilish cruelty of Nero, “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me …and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion” (2 Timothy 4:16-17).

We are moving through days of immense difficulty in Gospel witness. The chicken-hearted, the hesitant, and the fearful will certainly be likely to counsel that we hold our hand, and wait for more propitious times! No time, this, for either sowing or reaping, they would protest! Unwise counsellors all! We are moving into the teeth of a gale; conditions will probably deteriorate! “…evil men and seducers shall wax worse

and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). Then how dare we wait? There is a great work to be done! “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). So runs the tremendous declaration of our triumphant Lord and Master.

William Carey’s missionary journey was launched from England in days when the whole continent of Europe was alerted and alarmed by the threat and fear of Napoleonic wars, by the way! “The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the

streets” (Proverbs 22:13). The only satisfying reason why Carey displayed such seeming nonchalance, in such a “do-and-dare” spirit, is that he had listened to the voice of the Lord, and nothing else mattered he must obey!

We believe that, despite all the threats of the enemy, and the hesitancy and fear of the faint-hearted and disobedient, these are the very days in which to call for the advance! God’s divine program must be fulfilled and finalized. He has already issued His call in terms crystal clear. He expects His obedient and faithful servants to fall into line, and

with the resources adequate to the need, which He tells us are available in their abundance, to finish the job. Forward, then, in Christ’s Name!

1) Put on the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:11-18).

2) Know Satan’s devices (II Corinthians 2:11).

3) Resist the devil (James 4:7; I Peter 5:8,9).

4) Be sober, be vigilant lest he devour us (I Peter 5:8,9).

5) Give him no place (beach head). (Ephesians 4:7).

6) Quote Scripture to refute his lies (Matthew 4:1-11; I John 2:14).

7) Overcome him by the blood of Christ and a good testimony (Revelation 12:11).

8) Be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18) & yielded to the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-13; 3:13)