March 2006

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“God And His Friends”CHRIST ALONE • GRACE ALONE • FAITH ALONE • SCRIPTURE ALONE

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INSIDE THISISSUE:• God and His Friends

Page 3

• Am I I Am? Am I? I Am!Page 5

• Passion Week &The End of the World (17) Page 7

• Crossword PuzzlePage 8

• The Lord’s PrayerPage 9

• Scripture Search:A Bible Study Guide

Page 10

• To and Fro Page 11

• The Age of GracePage 12

• The Friendliness of GodPage 13

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“Is anything too hard for theLord?” (Genesis 18:14).

This important question was asked by a divine agentvisiting in the home of Abraham and his wife Sarah. Many

years had passed since Abraham had first heard God tell himthat he would become the father of many nations. That promisewas reiterated during the course of this visitation, together withthe additional information that the promised generations wouldspring from the explicit union of Abraham and Sarah (notsome other child bearer).

Sarah laughed to herself when she heard this. Themessenger of the Lord was not amused. Whereas Sarahthought the promise impossible of fulfillment, the angelconsidered her scepticism inappropriate. Hence his incredulousquestion: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Sarah’s cynical laugh is not entirely strange to us. We canrelate. After all, she was beyond the age of pregnancies. Shewas not a fool. She knew what lay beyond the bounds ofreasonable expectancy.

When things unheard of are spoken in the gospel, theinstinctive human reaction is like this: “Except I shall see inhis hands the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into hisside, I will not believe” (John 20:25).

Because the world is part of a coherent system; becausenature is law-abiding, we learn to trust our own reading of it.We observe that there are some things that we just can’tchange. But what if the universe was the product of a wise,omnipotent beneficent being, and what if the rules of existencewere but expressions of his personality? What if the GreatSpirit could bring into play other laws, yet unknown to us, thatcould deliver outcomes beyond our present comprehension?

That such a One exists; that He is and does all of the above,is the consistent testimony of Scripture. Jesus fleshed out forus the character of Him whom we call God. He invites us into

a faith that rests on morethan our own experience ofthe world; on more than ourscience.

Those who learn toavoid laughing at thepreposterous promises inthe gospel—sins forgiven, peace, joy, hope, and victory overdeath—find that things are different and better. Instead ofanxiety born of profound knowledge of the difficulties, theyaddress all of life with this optimistic question: “Is anythingtoo hard for the Lord?”

Pastor Ron Allen

EDITORIAL . . .

March, 2006Vol. 26, No. 3Published by Good News Unlimited

Copyright © 2006

EditorRon Allen

Associate EditorJason Sellards

PrinterAuburn Oaks Printing, Auburn, CA

Graphic DesignerDebbie O’Brien

ProofreaderPhilip Rhodes

Making Religion Real Through Friendship

If religion at its heart is personal, friendship must be nearits center. To reach the inner reality of religion we mustnot only pass through the state of friendship but actuallypossess the land. One way to help religion become real isto study the map of friendship.

Alfred North Whitehead describes the process of thereligious experience as passing from encounter with‘God the void’ through ‘God the enemy’ to ‘God thefriend.’ The fear of God may be the beginning ofwisdom, but friendship with God is its end.

Yet friendship with God pre-supposes humanfriendship. The Bible tells that except we love our fellowmen whom we have seen, we cannot love God whom wehave not seen (1 John 4:20). Divine and humanfriendships are inseparable. Religion becomesincreasingly real as we develop both.-Nels F.S. Fere. MAKING RELIGION REAL P. 102

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A Country HouseI grew up in a big country home with wide verandas all round.An uncle of ours lived there with us, and there was a periodwhen the only place for his bed was on part of the veranda. Itwas not very private for him there; especially because therewere six children, and on rainy days we would amuseourselves by fighting, riding bikes, running and jumping onUncle Albert’s bed.

DisobedienceMom and Dad, as well us Uncle Albert, warned us not to dothis, but sometimes our exuberance got the better of us and weforgot. This happened on one particularly rainy day. We weregleefully pursuing one another around the verandas, andjumping with joyous abandon on uncle’s bed; that is to say,that all the kids except ‘me’ were jumping on the bed.Suddenly, dad appeared, and he was angry. “All of you, get tothe laundry! “ We jostled over one another in our haste to obeybecause we could see how mad he was. I found myselfwanting to explain that I was innocent, but I thought he wouldknow that, so I didn’t say anything.

InjusticeHe locked us in the laundry and told us that he would be backafter deciding what to do. He returned later with a stock whipin hand and proceeded to give us a general thrashing with it.We leapt and squealed; more out of fear than pain. I recallfeeling terribly wronged that day. I had not jumped on the bed,but had still been treated like all the others that had done so!

Most people assume that the universe should be fair. Theyexpect it to exonerate the innocent and condemn the wicked.My objection to being whipped together with my brothers andsisters was a manifestation of this insistence: that the innocentand the guilty not be treated alike. This idea saturates our lives.

God Shares Himself With His FriendIn Genesis 18, there is a conversation between God andAbraham. There is no other conversation like it. For a littlewhile, the two speak to one another as if they are equals.Abraham even goes to the point of interrogating God to seewhether God’s justice resembles his own intuitive sense ofright and wrong.

The chapter begins when Abraham and Sarah are visited bythree men, one of whom is the Angel of the Lord. The Lord sitsin their tent, eating a meal while His hosts wait on him. Thescene reveals a God who looks for and enjoys intimacy withhuman beings; a God who ‘stands at the door and knocks,’hoping to be invited in for fellowship.

The three guests finish their meal and get ready to leave. Asthey go, they “looked down toward Sodom, and Abrahamwalked along with them” (Genesis 18:16). It is at this timethat the Lord says to Himself:

“Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I am about to do?

Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation andall nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I havechosen him, so that he will direct his children and hishousehold after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing whatis right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abrahamwhat he has promised him” (Genesis 18:17-19).

A Friendship Defined By GraceGod is about to share His intentions with Abraham as a manwould share with a friend. To this end, He initiates aconversation; taking him into His confidence. In keeping withthe rest of Genesis, the emphasis here is on what God does. Heacts in a unilateral and beneficial manner toward Abraham.This is what theologians call ‘grace.’

Grace is made even more prominent by the Lord’sreiteration of His original promise to Abraham (Genesis 18:18)as well as an explicit reference to the divine election—“I havechosen him” (Genesis 18:19) or “I have known him.” It is asif God is saying: “I have made Abraham my familiar friend.”

Now note that God’s grace has a direction. “I have knownhim so that he will direct his children to keep the way of the

God and His FriendsBy Ron Allen

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Lord by doing what is right and just” (Genesis 18:19). Gracehas a goal. The kindly intervention of God in Abraham’s lifecannot be explained in terms of Abraham alone. The promisehas a built-in momentum that goes far beyond him. It goes tohis children, his family, and his household.

God intercepts Abraham; promising to bless him, becausethrough him He intends to bless others; in fact, all the familiesof the earth. That is the outlook of God’s grace, its range, andwhere it is headed.

The Range and Momentum of God’s GraceWhen Nelson Mandela became leader of the Republic of SouthAfrica in 1994, it ended the cruel and oppressive reign of awhite minority in that country. The abuses of Apartheid werewell known through torture, imprisonment, and summaryexecutions. Great were the sufferings of Mandela’s people.Yet, as his nation’s president, he was gracious to his formertormentors. Why? He had a vision for his homeland! It was his

intention that his people, now liberated, be gracious too, inorder that white folk find liberation from their prejudices. Itwas his desire that the whole of South Africa, black and white,be ruled by the virtues of tolerance and equity, doing what isright and just.

Similarly, Martin Luther King knew that only grace, and itsfruits, would be strong enough to make the “sons of formerslave owners and the sons of former slaves, sit down at thetable of brotherhood.” He urged his people: “let us not satisfyour thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitternessand hatred.” His was a vision with a wide reach. MartinLuther King was an instrument of grace! In him, grace had adream: it embraced all God’s children!

So God chooses Abraham. He knows him, and shares a mealin his house. He walks and talks with him as his familiarfriend. To what end? In order that the supreme blessing of thedivine friendship might be received, learned, treasured andcelebrated by family, household and the whole world.

-To be continued.

Continued from previous page

M.A.N.N.A. Outreach UpdateOne of the aspects of growing ministries is the appointing of leaders and able-bodied people to carry the gospel message

forward. We are pleased to announce the appointing of leaders for M.A.N.N.A. Outreach. The following directors areresponsible every week for carrying the banner of hope to the hurting, and for taking the gospel message, through the GNUmagazine, to those in need of the Father’s Word:

Allen Walker, Assistant Director Ted Oakley, Director Ben Smith, Assistant Director

Nazmyth Sellards gets ready to go and handout the GNU magazine with M.A.N.N.A

GNU and M.A.N.N.A. head out into the darkness to minister to the hurting

www.goodnewsunlimited.org5

The sun has risen another day, and little Cain and Abel arebouncing around their dwelling like little boys do. Later in

the day, Eve stands upright and arches her torso backwardswhile her hands are on her hips. Stretching is a continualnecessity when you work the ground all day. She closes hereyes, lifts her head, and looks toward the sun as beads of sweattrickle down her forehead. She sighs as her head lowers, andlooks over to Cain who is working right next to her. Shereaches over and pats his head, then smiles as she looks off intothe distance and sees little Abel with his sheep (Genesis 4:2).

The position of the older brother is now ordained. The olderbrother is placed in a position of authority.His place is next to his parents, while theyounger is farther away. The responsibilityof the younger is given to the elder.

A little older now, Cain will sin in aspiritual world (Genesis 4:3) causing ashift in the physical world (Genesis 4:8).Cain goes to “church” and then murdershis younger brother, Abel. Cain then asksa question that will plague humanity, anddrives into the heart of man the first achetoward the redemptive ability of a need fora Savior of identity.

And the Lord said unto Cain, Where isAbel thy brother? And he said, I know not:Am I my brother’s keeper (Genesis 4:9)?

Did you see that? Did you see those twolittle words “Am I”? When sin enteredCain, it caused a 180 degree shift on hisaxis of polarity within his already ordainedposition of older brother. Cain had lost his identity! He is nowconfused. Mankind was never given an “am I” identity by theFather. Man was given an “I Am” identity, and he wasordained to rule as “I Am” (Genesis 1:27). Mankind will nowspiral downward with the “am I” question. Mankind will makeevery quest, a mission of establishing his identity; he willbecome pompous and arrogant, continually stepping on thehead of the “lesser” in an attempt to raise himself back up tothe position of “elder.” Unfortunately, the position of the olderbrother is now cast down and broken on the spiritual floor ofmarble. Reuben will fail Joseph (Genesis 37:29), Esau will failJacob (Genesis 27:41) and the list goes on and on. All religionsin the world, from this day forward, will ask one majorquestion: “Why am I here?” A running theme throughout thepsychology of man is the search for a wise man, sitting on amountaintop, bearded, meditating, while pilgrims climb up tohim to ask that “one” question.

Probably the greatest Psalm of identity was written byDavid: Psalm 139. The Father knew that man needed Hisidentity back. Psalm 139 is not just a Psalm of encouragement,

it is a Psalm of prophecy. The psalmist has a revelation ofidentity (Psalm 139:1-18, Matthew 16:16), then hates thegarment that is polluted (Psalm 139:19-22, Jude 23) and seekscontinual cleansing to maintain his identity (Psalm 139:23-24,1 John 1:9). The ink of Psalm 139 bleeds into the ink of theNew Testament. Psalm 139 has 24 verses, and it just happensto be that the 24th chapter of the book of Matthew, the firstbook of the New Testament, pertains to prophecy.

On a busy night, right under everybody’s nose, a little baby“older brother” will be born in the house of bread, Beth-Lehem. Rachel, Jacob’s lover, sleeps here, you know.

She will now awake (Matthew 2:18) andcry because Herod still plays the part ofthe wicked older brother (Matthew 2:16)who tries to earn back the position ofauthority priorly surrendered. She looks to the confused state of her childrenand their loss of control. Rachel’s childrenand the promises of old will be fulfilled,just as the prophecy of Benjamin’s olderbrother, Joseph, when he redeemedBenjamin from his position of theyoungest into the position of the mostfavored (Genesis 43:33-34). Sheanxiously looks at this baby in a manger,and the desire for the redemption of herchildrens’ identity comes to a climax! This baby will not only redeem men fromdeath, hell and the grave, He will alsofinally redeem the position of the olderbrother. This baby will enter a physical

world, and redeem the spiritual (Matthew 4:16) and thephysical (John 11). This same baby will enter the spiritualrealm, and redeem the physical (Matthew 27:52) and spiritual(Luke 24:45). This baby will even redeem His youngerbrother, and put the words of the Almighty in his mouth (thebook of James).

The pain and sorrows of life: a home is broken; virginity isunwillingly surrendered; an innocent woman is punished bythe man she loves; words of fire come from a father’s mouth,setting on fire the course of his children’s life, and ordainingthem for hell (James 3). The earth trembles with the pain of thesons of men and hears the cry, “Am I!?” Am I worthy to beloved? Am I beautiful? Am I worth it? Am I smart enough?Am I pretty enough? Am I ever going to get over it? Am I mybrother’s keeper?

Now the question is posed: “Who are you?” I ask again:“Who are you?” It is a fact that the trials and experiences we go through form us. It is also a fact that the Older Brotherhas come with a message of love for you; a wonderful

Am I I Am? Am I? I Am!By Associate Pastor Jason Sellards

Do you see yourself from the color of theWord, or from the black and white of theworld?

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redemptivemessage that Hisposition has beenredeemed. Theformer olderbrother, Cain, isforced to handover his “Am I”to Christ, the “IAm” (John 8:58).

The power oflife and death isin the tongue(Proverbs 18:22).It is the words oftruth that bringhealing (Proverbs12:25). Youreceive joy bywhat comes outof your mouth,and we need thetruth spoken in

season (Proverbs 15:23). Here are just a few of your “I Am”identities to read out loud:

I Am not condemned (Romans 8:1).I Am alive in Christ (Galatians 2:20).I Am a son/daughter of the Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:18).I Am a son of God (Matthew 5:9).I Am full of peace. I Am not afraid (John 14:27).I Am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).I Am beautiful, like the sun (Matthew 14:33).I Am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139).I Am strong and of a good courage (Joshua 1:9).I Am the head and not the tail. I Am above and not below(Deuteronomy 28:13)I Am blessed in the city, and in the field (Deuteronomy 28:3).

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,

talented and fabulous?”Actually, who are you “not to be?” You are a child of God!Your playing small does not serve the world.There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other

people will not feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.It is not just in “some” of us, it is in “everyone” of us!As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other

people permission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own mistaken identity, our

presence automatically liberates others.Author unknown.

Today, a choice is placed in front of you. A gift is in yourmouth. If you feel hurt and damaged, it is alright for you tofeel such. You are a person of beautiful emotions, and it isokay for you to “feel.” The world of Cain’s “am I” is a painfulplace that you were never formed to live in, and the injuriesthat you experience there are real. It is alright, now, that Cainkilled Abel also. Just know that today a road of healing isopened for you. Above all of that, it is most important that youlearn the truth about yourself. Believe the Word! Your OlderBrother has come, and He has given you “I Am.” You havebeen redeemed.

Are you worthy enough to be fed by your Heavenly Father?No, you are not. You are worthy to be fed, and filled, and haveleftovers (Matthew 15:32-39). Are you ordained to watch theMaster from afar? No, you are not. You are worthy to haveHim come to your house (Luke 19). Are you worthy enough tojust be loved? No, you are not. You are worthy to be loved,sang to, rejoiced over, and worshiped by your Heavenly Father(Zepheniah 3:17). Your worth is beyond comprehension.

So today, the question no longer remains, “Am I?” Thequestion is, “Will you believe what Christ did for you? Willyou? You will?” Then raise your hands and say, “Am I I Am?Am I? I Am!”

When we look into the spiritual water ofthe Word, we are transformed into thelikeness of Christ. I Corinthians 3:18 KJV

The War in IraqHere are the following statistics on the Iraq war as ofJanuary 10th, 2006:

Coalition deaths: 2,408Americans: 2,209Australian: 1Britons: 98Bulgarians: 13Danes: 2Dutch: 2Estonians: 2Hungarian: 1Italians: 26Kazakh: 1Latvian: 1Polish: 17Salvadoran: 1Slovaks: 3Spaniards: 11Thai: 2Ukrainians: 18

Please remember to pray for thetroops. Don’t pray for just ours, butfor all the families touched by wararound the world. Pray for thewisdom of leaders and long forMessiah to return quickly. Statisticswere taken from www.cnn.com.

GNU in IraqThis month, the GNU magazine isgoing into Baghdad, Iraq for thefirst time. Pray that the gospelmessage would not only touch thelives of our troops, but also those ofthe Iraqi people.

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Light and DarknessIs it not a sad thing to see the Jewish representatives allyingthemselves with pagan Rome? What union has light withdarkness, or Christ with Belial? The condition of the Jewishchurch, at the time of Christ’s first advent, points forward to asimilar apostasy on a world-wide scale just prior to Christ’sSecond Advent. Revelation 17, by its symbolism of a scarletwhore riding a fierce beast, predicts the ultimate apostasy ofmost professing the Christian faith.

A Momentous MeetingThe gospel account that follows, and tells of Christ’s encounterwith the priestly leaders of Israel, amplifies this theme.Christ’s meeting with Caiaphas was the most momentousmeeting between two people that has ever occurred in thisworld. The haughty prelate, leader of 20,000 priests,represented an institution that God Himself had called intobeing fifteen centuries before. Christ accuses it of shuttingheaven against men and women, of binding heavy burdens toogrievous to be borne, of legalism, of covetousness and of love-lessness toward God and man.

Hurting the PocketbookChrist attacked their finances as He reminded them that theyillegally took widows houses. He attacked their missionaryprogram when He affirmed that they compassed land and seato make one proselyte, and then made him twofold more thechild of hell than before. He accused them of the certain markof false religion: turning mountains into molehills andmolehills into mountains. They strained out the gnats andswallowed camels.

The Judas, the Peter in YouNow we must contemplate an unthinkable fall, a dreadful sin,by the first of the apostles. It is not by chance that the fourgospels make Judas and Peter central figures in the passionrecord. There is a Judas and Peter in every one of us. Whichone of us has not betrayed Christ time and again for less thanthirty pieces of silver? Which of us has not denied Him, byword and deed, before others because of our fears? Peter’sname always heads the list of the twelve. He himself wasdeclared blessed by Christ, because he confessed Christ’sMessiahship. The Master has washed Peter’s feet and declaredhim clean. A few hours previously he had heard the mosttouching sermon ever uttered. He had been warned of his

coming fall. How then could this tragedy occur? Only thosewho know the weakness of humanity understand. The powerof the flesh is never broken until we know how strong the fleshis. Read Mark 14:66-72! It may save you untold sorrow.

Always a TearSee the subtlety of sin. Had a Jewish judge asked Peter abouthis faith he would not have denied it. But, a servant girl? Hehad not expected that. Our worst falls come out of the blue,unpremeditated and fatal. “Let him that thinks he stands takeheed lest he fall.”

Different SinsThere is a difference between the sin of Judas and the sin ofPeter. The first was premeditated, not so the second. WhenPeter was reassured of Christ’s love for him by the Savior’smomentary glance, he immediately repented, but not so Judas.

It will give us peace of mind to distinguish between the sinsof infirmity and those of presumption. In both Testaments it ismade clear that there is forgiveness for the first. Sin is notreckoned against those trusting in Jesus (see Romans 4:8). Thismust not make us careless, for though sins are forgiven, theystill have a woeful fruitage in this life.

Studying Our StoryWe thought we were studying the passion of Christ, but thenwe stumbled across our own sorry drama in the account of thefalls of the two men who represent us all. How marvelouslyencouraging it is to find that Christ’s attitude to both Judas andPeter is that of invincible, persistent love. We may hide fromthe sunshine, but it is forever shining. We may flee from theSavior, but he pursues us. Yes, sin is mighty, but not as mightyas the love of Him who suffered for us.

Passion Week &The End of the World (17)

By Desmond Ford

HIS BETRAYAL AND OURS

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“Give us today our daily bread.”In an expansion of this verse Jesus says, “Don’t worryabout your life, what you will eat or drink; or about yourbody, what you will wear. Is not life more important thanfood, and the body more important than clothes? Look atthe birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or storeaway in barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them.Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew6:25-26).While the word ‘bread’ refers primarily to our basic dietary

needs (cf. Proverbs 30:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:12), it alsoincludes other essentials of life such as clothing andcompanionship, etc. Jesus did not ask us to pray, “Give ustoday our daily cake.” Do you get my point? If you have theincome to buy or make cake for yourself, well and good, butGod promises that no matter what your circumstances, youwill never have less than you need to sustain life. Rememberthe prayer is for our needs, not our greeds.

I recall a situation when our family was caught in a freezing wind, on a high mountain slope. Hypothermia wasbeginning to set in and we had only eaten one light meal in 19 hours. When my elder daughter, Ruth, began to fall downand her speech became garbled, I recognized the signs andcried out to God for help. I knew I had to get the family

down to a lower and warmer level as fast as possible.A minute or two later I found some rubbish that someone

had carelessly discarded. I picked it up intending to put it in abin at the base of the mountain. It was a brown paper bag, allscrunched up, and it still had something inside it. I opened it tofind four squares of chocolate, one Honey Log and one RationPack. That providential supply, divided equally, was sufficientto give us the energy we needed for the two hour journey downand out of danger. We have never forgotten God’s goodness tous that day.

Just as the disciples had to shift the stone from Lazarus’tomb before he could come forth, so in normal circumstancesGod expects us to do what we can in order to receive what hesupplies. The person, who lies on his bed with his mouth open,waiting for God to fill it, is doomed to starve. But to all whodo what they can, God promises they will never lack theirbasic needs—physical or spiritual.

The prayer is also for one day at a time. It is for “daily”bread, not “weekly” bread. In the wilderness the Israelitesreceived their bread on a daily basis. When Elijah was at thebrook Kerith, and with the widow of Zarephath, he receivedhis bread on a daily basis. God promises no more. He wants usto trust him in this. He is our father.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (7)By Ritchie Way

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Scripture Search...“These are the Scriptures that testify about me…”

God and His FriendsIntroduction:The incident related in Genesis 18:1-15 is beautiful andinstructive. Three visitors suddenly and mysteriously appearoutside Abraham’s tent. The text makes it clear that Abrahamrecognized them as “men.” Yet, according to 18:1, the story ismeant to tell what happened when “the Lord” appeared toAbraham while he was sitting in his tent.

The appearance of three human beings was—at the sametime—the appearance of the Lord. The reader has already beentold that Abraham is the subject of a divine visitation. WillAbraham himself recognize it as such? Will he perceive that heand Sarah have been visited by God, who deigns to fellowshipwith them and be waited on by them at their table?

The God Who Enjoys Fellowship

Read: Exodus 25:8; Revelation 3:20; Revelation 21:3

Abraham knew what it was like to be a stranger in Egypt.What importance is placed on hospitality to strangers in theMosaic law? Exodus 23:9.

What lesson does the New Testament writer draw fromAbraham’s encounter with the three men? Hebrews 13:2;Matthew 25:35.

What God Shared with His Two HostsThe visitors converse with Abraham over lunch. Sarah is in thebackground listening. The Lord expressly leads theconversation in a way that includes Sarah, and ministers to her needs.

Read: Genesis 18:9-15Though there are three visitors in the room, verse 10 uses asingular verb to show that the birth will be the Lord’sprovision, and His return the following year will be Hisintervention to bring blessing.

Sarah’s incredulity is met with divine incredulity. The Lordappears amazed at Sarah’s skepticism. He replies with asentence which will be repeated twice by other Bible writers.Jeremiah 32:17-27; Zechariah 8:6.

Do I understand Sarah’s outlook? Compare the divinemessenger’s gentle remonstrance with Jesus’ words. Matthew6:30; Matthew 16:8.

Note: Fellowship, in the age to come, is pictured in theimagery of a banquet with the marriage supper of the lamb inRevelation 19:7. Eating together is a sign of a peaceful union.The Lord’s visit to Abraham’s tent signifies God’s graciousand peaceful intention to Abraham—an intention shownexplicitly by the text—that includes Sarah, and therefore, byimplication, the whole of humanity. The friendship that Goddisplayed to this family is for us.

A Bible Books Brain TeaserHere are the answers to last month’s Bible Books Brain Teaser. How many did you find?

I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu, kept peoplelooking so hard for facts, and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names were not capitalized, but the truth finally struckhome to numbers of readers. To others it was a real job. We want it to be a mostfascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot.Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit, it usually takes aminister to find one of them, and there will be a loud lamentations when it is found.A little lady says she brews a cup of tea, so she can concentrate better. See howwell you can compete. Relax now, for there are really 16 names of books of theBible in this story.

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TO and FRO with the Editor

Question:When Christ went to heaven and sat at the right hand of HisFather, where was that throne positioned? How many thronesare there in heaven?V.G.

Answer:The Bible writers did not intend to give us a detailed accountof heaven’s geography. The ‘right hand of the throne’, the‘right hand of the majesty’—these are simply metaphors forthe highest possible honor that a king can give to any of hissubjects. Scripture uses this language to express the idea ofGod’s exalted estimate of His Son.

Just as there is only one God, so we must think of only onethrone (seat of government). And the place of ultimate honor isthat which Jesus occupies—the right hand of the throne.

The sanctuary and its services are not replicas of heaven. Itcommunicates theological truth through physical drama. Thesacrifice of a lamb without blemish or defect is not meant totell us that there are slain animals in heaven. The altar and itssacrifices teach the truth of God’s costly love and the gift oflife.

In heaven, there is a God who rules. His love for us is costly,and painful. He gives Himself to us through His Son in whomHe is well pleased. Through the priestly activity of the Son,God bears the weight of human transgression. He is a just God,who refuses to abandon His children, and who finds a way tobring them back to Himself. All the themes and teachings ofthe sanctuary tell us something about the God who inhabits theholiest place of all, who sits enthroned above the mercy seat.

Question:What is your opinion of the Adventist “prophetess” Ellen G.White? What do you think about her plagiarisms? Do youthink she was a prophetess of God?

Answer:It’s possible that Ellen White was a prophet in the same senseof many prophets in the New Testament, where theirs was nomore than a sober gift of wisdom and insight which wasdeemed to be among a range of spiritual gifts made availableto the church by Christ’s bestowal of his Spirit. See forexample Acts 21:9; 1 Corinthians 14:29.

These were not seen as being in the same league as men likeMoses and Elijah. They were listened to, but their words wereweighed by the church, and it was possible to disagree withthem. Their speech did not carry the weight of a “thus saith theLord” as with the prophets of old.

In my opinion, the Adventists have made a mistake inattributing to Ellen White an authority which God had notgiven her. It is possible, even likely, that she, like many othercharismatics, overestimated her gift as well. She seems to havebelieved that things she read in books had been communicateddirectly to her by God. This may account for her wholesaleusage of material by other writers for which she gives nocredit.

My advice to those who are troubled by Ellen White, andclaims made for and against her, is to ignore her. Stop readingher books, and start digging into the vast body of literatureproduced by other Christian authors—equally or surpassinglygifted.

Did You Know?When Abraham went to sacrifice his promised sonIsaac, art usually portrays Isaac as a young boy in a loincloth carrying a load of sticks on his back.Actually,Isaac was approximately 36 years old when he wasbound by Abraham. Some commentaries write that itwas Isaac’s binding that drove his mother Sarah mad,that is why she died apart from Abraham.

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The time that we live in is often referred to as “the age ofgrace,” with the understanding that in Old Testament days

they were under the law, but today we are under grace. Whilewe certainly are under Gods grace, I would submit to you that grace did not begin at Calvary. Let us search the scripturesand see what we find.

We don’t have to read far into the scriptures to find whatmay be the first case of God’s mercy and grace. In Genesis 4,Cain, jealous of his brother, lures him out into a field andcommits an act of premeditated murder. In today’s vernacular:“Murder 1!” Certainly a crime worthy of death, but God ismerciful and does not bring retribution on Cain. Instead, He banishes him, and in fact, when Cain is worried that he may be killed, God actually swears an oath to avenge Cain if anyone should harm him. Then God puts a mark of protection on him so that nobody will touch him.

When we get to Genesis 18, we find the story of Sodom andGomorrah. Certainly not an example of God’s grace, but itcould have been. We see that for the sake of 10 righteous souls,God would have spared Sodom.

What about the story of Moses? God, sending a savior to his people, miraculously delivers them from Egypt. Certainlythis story is full of many examples of Gods protection,provision, mercy and grace. The part that stands out to me isfound in Genesis 32. After all that God had done, the Israelitesmade a golden calf; then began to worship it and offersacrifices to it. The Lord’s wrath was kindled toward thepeople, and He was about to destroy them all! But, whenMoses interceded on the people’s behalf, the Lord turned

away His wrath. That, my friends, is grace! Then we come to the story of David and Bathsheba. There’s

no need to go into details, but certainly this was a grave sinthat even in today’s world would make front page headlines.As usual, we see that there are consequences for sin, but wealso see God’s abundant grace. Praise the Lord for that,because I dare say that our Bibles, churches, and even ourworld would be a much darker place without David’s Psalms,and the centuries of music that have come from them.

Finally, our journey takes us to Ninevah. We are told it wasa 3 day journey to get across this massive city. This could verywell be one of the greatest examples of God’s grace containedin the Old Testament, as it’s not toward an individual or group,but a huge “city of pagans!” As we know, the inhabitants heedJonahs warning, and God does not bring judgment on Nineveh.We also find in this book an excellent description of our Lord.Jonah says God is “gracious, merciful, slow to anger andabounding in steadfast love.” I agree with Jonah.

So what is grace, and when did it begin? Those are thequestions that brought us here. Webster’s dictionary definesgrace as “unmerited divine favor.” That’s pretty good: givingus what we “don’t” deserve, and also not giving us what we“do” deserve.

When did grace begin? I’ll leave that for you to decide.Perhaps it was with Daniel in the lion’s den, or maybe Joshuaat Jericho? Was it with Noah at the flood? Perhaps it wasJoseph in Egypt… or was it Adam at the tree… or maybe, justmaybe grace began…. IN THE BEGINNING.

The Age of GraceBy Arron Brown

www.goodnewsunlimited.org13

This great truth, which no longer startles us when it isexpressed in language, was revolutionary enough to

require a long preparation. The friendliness of God! That wasone of those priceless truths that those religious geniuses, theJews, discovered and gave to the world. Enoch ‘walked withGod.’Abraham was known as the ‘friend of God.’ God spoketo Moses, we are told, ‘as a man to his friend.’ David feels thevalley of the shadow less dark because his friend is with him.‘You are with me.’ Intermingled with the inspiring thoughts inthe Old Testament about the majesty of God, high and liftedup, and the insignificance of man, very far below as agrasshopper, whole nations being but a drop in a bucket or thedust of a balance, is this new idea, like a friendly little riverflowing through a frightening wood—the companionship andfriendliness of God.

Jesus Demonstrates the Friendship of GodNow look at Jesus, who always revealed His Father, whoalways lived to show men what God was like, consummatesthis idea. He did not go and live in a cave in the desert or insome mountain fastness, to be consulted as an oracle by toilingpilgrims, who then went back without Him. He came right intothe midst of man’s toil. He was a toiler himself. He was alwaysavailable. He would spend all night with a sincere seeker aftertruth, while an unheeding city slept. He forgot His noontideweariness if He could talk to a woman by a village well. Hewas never too busy or rushed or worried. He got throughtremendous masses of work, and yet there was a poise of spirit,a quiet heart, an inward peace.

When you spoke to Him, you never had the impression youwere intruding on the time of a very busy man. He went toeach task freshly and quietly. And what could not be done, Hewas quite happy to leave undone, for there were only twenty-four hours even in His day. To all folk He was the samekindly, sympathetic friend. He was never servile to the rich, orcondescending to the poor. Poverty nor riches, nor socialposition, nor education, made any difference to this friend. Hewas ‘a refuge for every hunted life.’ He was the personificationof the friendliness of God.

Friendship is Stronger than DeathWhat happened when He died? Was this fellowship broken?Matthew represents Him as making this promise: “I am withyou all the days, even unto the consummation of the ages”(Matthew 28:20). Why does He say that? He say’s that in orderthat He carry the friendship across the gulf of death, and plantit firmly on the other side.

There is nothing more beautiful in the world than the way inwhich Jesus established this friendship in the days between theResurrection and the Ascension. Jesus will not let Mary touchhim. Why? He wants to take her beyond the evidence of sight

and touch. She must learn the next lesson, and realize Hispresence without the need of eyes and hands. He is plantingthe friendship in the unseen.

In the strange post-resurrection appearances, two men are ontheir way to Emmaus. Suddenly, without hearing anything,they find a companion by their side. He walks with them andtalks with them, sits with them at a table. They recognize Himby the way He breaks a loaf, and then He is gone.

The Twelve are gathered in an upper room, and suddenly theyare aware of a presence. He is there! There is a word of peace,and He is gone. It happened again on a seashore, on a mountainin Galilee, and near Bethany. What do these strange appearancesand disappearances mean? They are His perfect way of makingthe disciples feel that He is never far away. He does not seem tobe there, and then He breaks in upon them. He always knowswhat has happened, and always takes charge of the situation. Asthe experience grows richer, they begin to feel that He is neverabsent. He has carried the friendship beyond death, and theAscension does not mean that He passed to some distant heavenbeyond the possibilities of friendship, but that He widened thepossibilities so that for all men He is ever available.

A Constant FriendUnless the disciples had been certain of Jesus’ living presence,and His undying friendship, they could never have done whatthey did. It was the friendship that made them what theybecame.

The friendship of Jesus will make us like the friend weadmire. Merely to enter the presence of some people is to intoan atmosphere in which we become our best selves, in whichnothing unworthy could be done. To live in that presencewould make us new beings. Christianity is meaningless unlessit can do as much for us. What Jesus once was, He is eternally.He comes to us, not only in His Temple, or in a room when thedoor is shut, but as He came to Mary and Martha in the midstof household tasks, and as He came to Peter mending his netsand doing his daily work.

There are no conditions, save the imaginative faith tobelieve, that He is and that fellowship with Him is possible. Itmeans that no single experience of life ever has to be facedalone. What would it mean to us if, in the temptation to hastytemper, meanness, contempt, jealousy, impurity, we could pullourselves up with the thought that this patient, kind, butinexorable friend was near? What would it mean in sorrow, inpain, in loneliness, in joy, laughter, pleasure and fun? It wouldmean the sanctifying of every part of life. It is the experienceour fathers called ‘being saved,’ for to be received into thisfriendship is to be at the end, not of our journey, but of allfruitless wanderings.

Leslie Weatherhead. THE TRANSFORMING FRIENDSHIP,PP 42-46.

THE FRIENDLINESS OF GODLeslie Weatherhead

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PRAYERNews Board

Please keep CherylWeston in yourprayers as she battlesnon-Hodgkins Lymphona.

Jason and Molly are goingto have a little girl. Pleasepray for the continuedhealth of the baby.Jason and Molly

Do you have a prayer request? Would you like others to join you in the subject of your prayer? Has Godanswered your prayer, and would you like to share the fact? You can do all of these on this page. Simplywrite a paragraph about your prayer and send it to Good News Unlimited, P.O. Box 6687 Auburn CA95604-6687, or email: ron@goodnewsunlimited.org

God in heaven, let me really feel my nothingness. Not in order to despair over it, but in order tofeel more powerfully the greatness of thy goodness. -Kierkegaard

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decisions affecting them.

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Please pray for GNUas it continues togrow. Keep your eyeon future magazinesto learn more aboutthis growingministry.

Please pray for Garyand Cindy Hogan asGary is serving inIraq. Please pray forCindy as she isbattling cervicalcancer.

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Even though life in the 21stcentury is fast-paced and intense,there are frequently small pocketsof time during every day whenyou can listen to a radio or someother ‘player’ while you are doingsomething else—such as driving,taking a lunch-break, or waitingfor an appointment.

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March 2006

SPRING 2006 BIBLE SEMINAR

EXODUS — LET MY PEOPLE GO!With Pastors Ron Allen and Jason Sellards

Exodus seems to have been written for people in trouble; people who felt helpless to alter hard conditions underwhich they were forced to exist. Though we must not conclude that this betrays a lack of interest on God’s part inthose more powerful and successful, we observe that it is more difficult for them to hear the message of Scripture inthe same way as the oppressed and discouraged. Was Jesus alluding to this phenomenon when he said: “How hardlyshall they that have riches enter the kingdom.”

The New Testament records and expresses the work of Christ in language that identifies Jesus with the God of theExodus. He who led in the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night is the One who was baptized in Jordan, andwho later fed the hungry in the Judean wilderness.

For all who struggle for a dignified life; who are kept back or controlled by forces too strong for them; who areweary and heavy-laden; who wallow in despair, the book of Exodus reverberates with hope.

Four Topics:Ten god’s Ten Plagues: One Victor. Jason SellardsThe Dragon Slayer: Creation, Exodus and Freedom. Ron AllenMoses: Leader and Savior. Ron AllenThe Thirteen Attributes. Jason Sellards

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