My beloved is gone down to his garden (Song 6:2)

2

In this issue:

4. ‘Pray Out’ Lies ‘Pray In’ Truth Edwin & Lillian Harvey (USA)

5. The Finality of the Cross Ken Legg (Australia)

6. God a Refuge for His People Mathew Bartlett (UK)

11. The Returning Lord (Part 2) Reinhard Bonnke (CfaN)

11. The Surrendered Will Daniel Kolenda (CfaN)

14. Faith-builders Bible Study Luke 1 Derek Williams (UK)

18. In Depth Study – Zechariah 7 Mathew Bartlett (UK)

21. Barnabas Son of Consolation Haydn O. Williams (UK)

23. How to be Born Again Bible Studies Online

Back: Britain’s’ Cheapest Gospel Tracts Bible Studies Online

www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk

Living Word is published in the UK by Sharon Full Gospel Church, 7 Park View, Freeholdland Road, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, NP4 8LP Editor: Mathew Bartlett

©Photos - above: Marcin Winnicki. Cover: © Maximus Vonet. Left from top: Alex Silvano, Salvador Ceja, Jacob Gregory, Facing: © Amandee Back Cover: © A. J. Cotton

3

Faithbuilders Bible Study Guide – Mark

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The Prophet of Messiah: Zechariah

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The Blessings of God’s Grace

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4

An extract from ”Kneeling We Triumph” by Edwin & Lillian Harvey BUY ON KINDLE! £3.86 Reproduced by kind

permission of Harvey Publishers. Image© Elultimodeseo

This day is a day of trouble, and of

rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the

children are come to the birth, and

there is not strength to bring forth.

. . . Lift up thy prayer (Isa. 37:3, 4).

Thou hast prayed to me against

Sennacherib; . . . This is the word

which the LORD hath spoken

concerning him; . . . I will defend

this city (Isa. 37:21, 22, 35).

Prayer is not merely a closet

exercise of personal communion,

but an acting with God in His battle

against evil.

Are we taking up the challenge of

Satan in our own home, with its

tests and trials?

In our Church, with its measure of

indifference and spiritual deadness?

In the land, with its manifestly

increasing demon possession?

In the world, with its frequent

exhibitions of satanic power and

fury?

Or are we letting things drift?

Are we passively submitting to the

oppression and antagonism of the

powers of darkness, throwing up

our hands in a confession of

impotence and ignorance of how to

act; or are we alert, as Paul and

Epaphras were, “labouring fervently

in prayer,” and setting ourselves

aggressively in union with the Holy

Spirit, to resist the foe? . . .

When we slacken, the powers of

darkness press in. When we fail to

pray, the power-house of the

Church shuts its door. Nothing is

more needed today than companies

of Christian people everywhere,

who can pray, and persist in prayer.

The philosophy of prayer, rightly

understood, will impress upon our

minds the infinite value to God of a

spirit which has learned, in light or

darkness, to “continue steadfastly

in prayer.”

Our responsibility, because of our

privilege, is to hold in alliance with

the Holy Spirit, the fact and power

of the “finished work of Christ,”

without cessation, over him and his

hosts, his methods and his works,

until victory has been gained. It puts

force into prayer to claim, on the

ground of the Blood shed, the

loosening of the devil’s grip, the

beating back of the “rulers of

darkness,” and the success of

righteousness and truth.

Do not pray only for the blessing of

God in Christian work, but with

equal might and faith pray against

the blight of the kingdom of evil.

Pray out lies: pray in truth. Pray out

the forces of deception and

destruction: pray in the life and

light of the Lord.

Prayer can not only bring in revival,

but it can push out Satan from any

ground he has gained in a life or a

church or a work, by wielding

through implicit, bold, triumphant

faith the victory of the Cross against

him and every expression of his evil

power. Standing in the gap,

according to the need of God, it

must constantly be borne in mind

that passivity of spirit and will is

fatal. The activity of all Godgiven

powers is requisite, if the Holy Spirit

is to find the human channels

through which He can bring to a

glorious consummation the longings

of the divine heart.—Gordon B.

Watt.

Armor thou hast, oh! haste to use,

Ere thou the skill to use it lose;

Powerless thou art if thou refuse To

arm thee with this panoply. Though

called to wrestle here below Against

a mighty three-fold foe, Perpetual

conquests thou shall know,

Equipp’d, thou art invincible. Great,

great shall thy rejoicing be,

Ceaseless thy boast of victory, Till

thou thy King in glory see, Through

Whom thou art omnipotent. —

Phoebe Palmer.

‘Pray Out’ Lies ‘Pray In’ Truth

If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD . . . then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause

(1 Kings 8:44, 45).

5

The Finality of the Cross By Ken Legg

Image © Bernard Dunne

When I first began teaching

about the grace of God, I could

see that some people had

difficulty accepting it. At first, I

couldn’t understand this

because grace is such a

beautiful, liberating and

empowering truth. It is the heart

of the gospel. Then I felt God say

to me, ‘You are not teaching

grace as Paul taught it.’ So how

did Paul teach grace? I went to

the book of Romans, which is

Paul’s manifesto for the gospel

and the Christian life, and it

didn’t take long to discover how

he taught grace. He began with

the sin problem, which is the

cause of our spiritual death and

disconnectedness from God.

Then he revealed God’s solution

to this and His way of

righteousness through faith in

Christ’s substitutionary death on

the cross. Only then did he move

on to teach about

empowerment for living through

grace. There is an order: first

righteousness, then grace.

We will never experience the

power of the resurrection in our

lives until we understand and

believe in the finality of the

cross.

This is what was missing in my

ministry. It is why Paul taught

the righteousness of God before

he went on to share about living

in the energy of His grace. Many

believe that the secret to seeing

God’s power at work in their

lives is to fast, pray, give,

sacrifice, etc. However, in the

first chapter of Romans, Paul

taught that the gospel itself is

the power of God unto salvation

(see Rom.1:16). If we believe the

true gospel, God’s power will

work in us. If the power of God

is not at work in a person’s life,

their understanding of the

gospel is probably faulty in

relation to the finality of the

cross. This seems to be the case

with much of modern

Christianity. Many Christians are:

• More sin-conscious than Son-

conscious. • Confessing their

sins instead of confessing their

righteousness. • Trying to die to

self, when we have already been

crucified with Christ (Gal.2:20). •

Trying to break curses, when our

position under the new

covenant is that we are not

cursed but blessed (Gal.3:9, 13-

14; Eph.1:3). These are just

some of the dead works

Christians do because they are

ignorant of the finality of the

cross. A dead work is anything

we attempt to do which Jesus

has already done for us. It is a

‘dead’ work because it is not

necessary and has no purpose or

profit. In fact, dead works

undermine the finished work of

Christ.

Order ‘Grace: The Power to

Reign’ PDF AUS $9 Print AUS $19

6

GOD A REFUGE FOR HIS PEOPLE: Romans 3

A Sermon Outline by Mathew Bartlett Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Image © Alex Silvano

7

The Refuge of God’s

Faithfulness

3:1-2 What advantage then has the

Jew, or what is the profit of

circumcision? Much in every way!

Chiefly because to them were

committed the oracles of God.

After all that Paul has said in the

previous chapter, we might think

that he is denying the special

relationship which Israel had with

God, but this is not so. His aim has

been to show that even these

special privileges are not sufficient

to make Jewish people personally

righteous before God. In chapter 9

Paul lists the privileges that God

gave to Israel; for now he is content

only to name the one which he

considers of first importance - that

God entrusted the Jews with his

own inspired word.

The scriptures; the Old Testament;

was entrusted by God to the Jewish

people that they might preserve

them. That was a great

responsibility, for these scriptures

tell us how we may receive eternal

life through faith in God’s son Jesus

Christ. Their chief responsibility was

also their chief privilege, for the

scriptures were intended to benefit

the whole world by making God’s

way of salvation known.

2 Tim 3:15 ..the Holy Scriptures.. are

able to make you wise for salvation

through faith in Christ Jesus.

Matthew Henry says “ The Jews had

the means of salvation, but they did

not have the monopoly of

salvation.”

3:3 For what if some did not

believe? Will their unbelief make the

faithfulness of God without effect?

So precious and important are the

promises contained in the scripture

that Paul is eager to stress their

immutability. The oracles were

committed to the Jews, but if some

did not believe, that did not

invalidate the promise. The promise

stands sure even though all men fail

to profit from it through unbelief.

Throughout the history of Israel,

God’s people failed to listen to and

believe His words. Recall how, after

God brought Israel out of Egypt, a

whole generation of men aged

twenty or over died in the

wilderness - only Caleb and Joshua

who believed the words of God

were allowed to enter the promised

land.

Jude 1:5 But I want to remind you,

though you once knew this, that the

Lord, having saved the people out of

the land of Egypt, afterward

destroyed those who did not

believe.

Heb 3:16-4:3 For who, having heard,

rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who

came out of Egypt, led by Moses?

Now with whom was He angry forty

years? Was it not with those who

sinned, whose corpses fell in the

wilderness? And to whom did He

swear that they would not enter His

rest, but to those who did not obey?

So we see that they could not enter

in because of unbelief.

Therefore, since a promise remains

of entering His rest, let us fear lest

any of you seem to have come short

of it. For indeed the gospel was

preached to us as well as to them;

but the word which they heard did

not profit them, not being mixed

with faith in those who heard it…For

we who have believed do enter that

rest...

Although some did not believe,

God’s promise was not annulled.

God had promised to bring the

nation into the land of Canaan and

that is exactly what He did - he kept

his word. There were many

individuals who did not enter

because of their unbelief, but as a

nation, Israel did inherit the land.

In the same way, God promises

eternal life to all who believe in His

Son Jesus Christ. Many individuals

may refuse to believe and so enter

that rest, but we who do believe

find that God keeps his promises. In

fact, whether they are promises

made for all believers or for the

nation of Israel, God will keep them

all.

Josh 21:45 Not a word failed of any

good thing which the LORD had

spoken to the house of Israel. All

came to pass.

3:4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be

true but every man a liar. As it is

written: "That You may be justified

in Your words, And may overcome

when You are judged."

One of God’s attributes is that he

cannot lie

Titus 1:2 in hope of eternal life

which God, who cannot lie,

promised before time began,

All men may be liars but God will

not be. All who oppose his truth will

be found false. God maintains his

own honour and will emphatically

clear Himself whenever man judges

him.

This gives us tremendous

confidence to those who put their

faith in Jesus. God has promised

that all who believe on his Son shall

have eternal life. How reassuring to

know that God cannot lie. That is

why the writer to the Hebrews says:

Heb 6:17-18 Thus God, determining

to show more abundantly to the

8

heirs of promise the immutability of

His counsel, confirmed it by an oath,

that by two immutable things, in

which it is impossible for God to lie,

we might have strong consolation,

who have fled for refuge to lay hold

of the hope set before us.

At no time could Israel claim that

God had broken his promises to

them – but even God’s faithfulness

could not bring salvation to an

unbelieving people. So whilst there

is a refuge in God’s faithfulness, it is

only for the believing. As God is

sovereign in making a promise, man

is responsible to believe the

promise and appropriate it to

himself.

If there are Jews or Gentiles today

unsaved, it is not that God’s word

has failed, but that individuals have

failed in their responsibility to

believe and accept His Word.

The Refuge of Lies

There is no refuge in denying our

responsibility

As an evangelist Paul’s concern was

not only to demonstrate that

mankind is universally sinful and

condemned, but that man has no

answer to this situation.

Some have tried to argue their way

out of it. This is the oldest lie in the

book.

3:5-7 But if our unrighteousness

demonstrates the righteousness of

God, what shall we say? Is God

unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak

as a man.) Certainly not! For then

how will God judge the world? For if

the truth of God has increased

through my lie to His glory, why am

I also still judged as a sinner?

There is no plea bargaining with

God. We cannot say “God, you’ve

got what you want - you’re

glorified. So in a sense you have

shared in my sin. Let me off.”

Men who condone their sin and try

to pass the blame to God are using

the first excuse of fallen man. When

Adam sinned he blamed God for

giving him a wife who led him into

sin. He was saying, “How can you

point the finger at me, it was you

who gave her to me. It was at least

in part your fault.”

Far from accepting blame for man’s

sin, God neither condones nor

tolerates it. Certainly not!, (v6)

cries Paul. What kind of God would

he be to overlook sin? How would

he be able to pass judgment of the

world?

We must face up to the facts. There

is no refuge in lies. We are all

ultimately responsible before God

for our own actions.

3:8 And why not say, "Let us do evil

that good may come"?--as we are

slanderously reported and as some

affirm that we say. Their

condemnation is just.

Sin is not a matter to be taken

lightly. The opponents of the gospel

mock its message - “Let us do evil so

that good may come. It doesn’t

matter how you live if God will

forgive and save you. So lets all do

all the evil we can, so we can

experience God’s forgiveness even

more.”

The charge that the apostles

preached such lawlessness is

refuted strongly as Paul insists that

“to condemn such men as these

there is surely no injustice”

No Refuge in Works of Law

3:9 What then? Are we better than

they? Not at all. For we have

previously charged both Jews and

Greeks that they are all under sin.

So, although Paul ascribes many

advantages to being a Jew, when it

comes to the judgment of God, the

Jew is not at an advantage. Both

Jews and Gentiles are condemned

as sinners, and in final confirmation

of this point he appeals to the law.

3:10-18 As it is written: "There is

none righteous, no, not one; There is

none who understands; There is

none who seeks after God. They

have all turned aside; They have

together become unprofitable;

There is none who does good, no,

not one." "Their throat is an open

tomb; With their tongues they have

practiced deceit"; "The poison of

asps is under their lips"; "Whose

mouth is full of cursing and

bitterness." "Their feet are swift to

shed blood; Destruction and misery

are in their ways; And the way of

peace they have not known." "There

is no fear of God before their eyes."

In striking terms Paul sets out from

scripture his previously stated

charge that all have sinned and

stand guilty before a holy God. The

point is summed up in verse 23 “for

all have sinned and come short of

the glory of God.”

3:19 Now we know that whatever

the law says, it says to those who

are under the law, that every mouth

may be stopped, and all the world

may become guilty before God.

It is clear that the law applies to the

Jews who are under the law. If so

then Jews must face up to the fact

that the law of God condemns

them. Gentiles are not excused

from this condemnation, for the

9

scripture makes liberal use of the

words “all” and “none”. All the

world is guilty before God.

3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the

law no flesh will be justified in His

sight, for by the law is the

knowledge of sin.

It is because the law condemns us,

that we can never be justified by

the works of the law. Why does the

law condemn us? There is nothing

wrong with the law. It is our sin that

brings us into condemnation, and it

is the law that was given to make us

aware of our sin and its

consequences. It reveals to us a

tremendous problem without giving

us the solution. Man has no solution

to this problem.

So far in Romans we have seen that

all men are condemned. Now Paul

emphasizes that there is no way

that man by himself can save

himself from this condemnation.

To sum up the points raised in this

and previous chapters, Paul has

swept away any refuge that man

may claim in his own works or

privileges. We cannot rely on our

nationality or religious background;

we cannot plead ignorance; Jews

cannot plead a special relationship

with God; unbelief will not excuse

us but rather condemn us; any

argument we invent will never get

us off the hook. Good works won’t

do and religious rites such as

circumcision are insufficient. There

is nothing that man can do by

himself to save himself from his

condition of condemnation. Man

has a problem which he himself is

absolutely unable to solve.

The Roman poet Horace, laying

down guidance for tragedy writers

in his day, who were far too keen to

involve a deity whenever they had

tied themselves in problems in the

course of their plot, said “Do not

bring a god onto the stage unless

the problem is one that deserves a

god to solve it.” With regard to the

forgiveness of sins, here is a

problem which needs God to solve

it. This is true for sinful man cannot

solve it; it is his (own) problem; he

needs to be forgiven. The problem

has been solved by the grace of

God, who has given us Christ as the

solution, the means of forgiveness

and the guarantor of our

acceptance. BRUCE

The Refuge of Faith in Christ

3:24 But now the righteousness of

God apart from the law is revealed,

being witnessed by the Law and the

Prophets,

Through Christ a way of salvation

has been revealed to all men. This

way of righteousness is attested to

by the same prophetic writings

which brought condemnation on

our sin. So that whilst righteousness

is not attained by keeping the law,

the law itself tells us of God’s way

of righteousness through faith.

3:22-25 even the righteousness of

God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to

all and on all who believe. For there

is no difference; for all have sinned

and fall short of the glory of God,

being justified freely by His grace

through the redemption that is in

Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as

a propitiation by His blood, through

faith, to demonstrate His

righteousness, because in His

forbearance God had passed over

the sins that were previously

committed,

Those who believe in the Lord Jesus

Christ are justified, made right in

the sight of God. This is true

regardless of race: for there is no

difference. Jew and Gentile - all the

people of the world have sinned;

and all can be justified by faith in

the Lord Jesus Christ.

This justification is bestowed

without any merit or worthiness on

our part - it is by God’s grace or his

good will toward men and so is

unmerited.

Having shown that God cannot

overlook sin, Paul expounds how

God has in one act punished sin and

made a way of salvation for the

sinner.

God gave his only Son, the Lord

Jesus Christ, as a propitiation for

our sin. This unusual word means “a

sacrifice that appeases wrath”. By

shedding his own life’s blood on the

cross Jesus has appeased the wrath

of God. It is on the cross of Christ

that God’s wrath and anger against

sin is most clearly seen.

There, Jesus became sin for us,

suffering its terrible consequences

that he might save us from a lost

eternity. God’s wrath against sin

was poured out on his Son. Having

satisfied every demand of the law

by living a perfect sinless life, he

then became our substitute. The

sinless one died for the sinner,

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered

once for sins, the just for the unjust,

that He might bring us to God,

2 Cor 5:21 He made Him who knew

no sin to be sin for us, that we might

become the righteousness of God in

Him.

Christ took the punishment which

our sins deserved, so that those

who believe have no future

punishment to fear - Jesus has

taken it for them. Yet this only

10

applies to those who believe. Christ

died for everyone, but those who

do not believe on God’s Son Jesus

have not had God’s wrath turned

away from them

John 3.18 He who believes in Him is

not condemned; but he who does

not believe is already condemned,

because he has not believed in the

name of the only begotten Son of

God

What about those who sinned

before Jesus died? We see now why

God did not always punish them

immediately, for Jesus died once for

the sin of all men for all time. Men

who sinned before Christ came

were not without hope. God was

waiting patiently for the day when

his Son to satisfy divine Justice.

At the time of Christ’s death these

faithful Old Testament saints were

given the opportunity to accept

Christ and so to rise to eternal life.

How could God forgive David’s sin

of adultery? How could God cleanse

the iniquity of Isaiah? How could

God forgive the rebellious prophet

Jonah? The answer is the cross of

Calvary, which one day would settle

the sin question once and for all.

3:26 to demonstrate at the present

time His righteousness, that He

might be just and the justifier of the

one who has faith in Jesus.

Since God has condemned sin by

the death of Christ, he is able to

acquit guilty sinners whilst

remaining just in himself. There is

nothing underhand about God

forgiving the sin of those who

believe in Christ or about Him giving

them a right standing before him.

Since his law and justice have been

satisfied by Christ’s death God is

able to offer free pardon to all. God

now deals with the believer as if all

his sins are gone -which they are -

and as if he were credited with the

righteousness of his Son - because

he is.

3:27-30 Where is boasting then? It

is excluded. By what law? Of works?

No, but by the law of faith.

Therefore we conclude that a man is

justified by faith apart from the

deeds of the law. Or is He the God of

the Jews only? Is He not also the

God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the

Gentiles also, since there is one God

who will justify the circumcised by

faith and the uncircumcised through

faith.

What is there to boast about? Is it

our own achievement? No. It is

Christ’s achievement. We owe all to

Christ, for we have not earned

salvation, but received it as a free

gift from him. This is the central

theme of the Christian gospel - man

is justified by faith in Christ alone

and not by observing the law. This

justification is available to both Jew

& Gentile on the same ground of

faith in Christ.

3:31 Do we then make void the law

through faith? Certainly not! On the

contrary, we establish the law.

Yet far from nullifying the law by

this faith, as some Jews feared, Paul

insists that we establish the correct

use of the law. The law first shows

us our sin and reveals our

condemnation. The same law then

reveals God’s way of salvation

through faith in Jesus Christ. Finally,

our acceptance of Christ produces

in the life of a believer the fruit

which shows that God’s law is

written in our hearts, and that we

no longer serve according to the

written code, but by the principle of

the Spirit of Christ who is alive in

our hearts.

Conclusion

Having established that justification

by faith is the answer to man’s

need, Paul continues in the next

chapter to explain clearly how it is

received. The stage has been set for

a full discussion of justification by

faith. It is to Christ alone that we

owe all. It is Christ alone who can

save.

Have you placed you trust alone in

Christ to save you? You can be

saved today, if you will put your

trust in Jesus to do that for you.

There will be nothing to boast in. All

God asks of us is to trust, believe

with simple faith, in his crucified

and risen son. Will you do that

today. Then you will be justified by

faith.

Sola Gratia, sola fide,

soli Deo gloria

By grace alone, by faith

alone, to God alone be glory.

Image © Salvador Ceja

11

How do we know that Christ is

returning? By the fact that

Christians everywhere are

praying “Even so, come Lord

Jesus!” That prayer will be

answered any day now. We are

sure for the following reasons:

1. Jesus came the first time

exactly as the Bible predicted, so

He will come the second time

just as the Bible says. The Bible

is the only book that has ever

predicted the future and proved

accurate. The Lord said I am

ready to perform My word

(Jeremiah 1:12).

Bible prophecy was accurately

fulfilled by Christ’s first advent.

The Magi (the ‘wise men’ of

Christmas fame) came 1,000

miles and found Jesus at

Bethlehem, exactly where the

Bible said He would be. The

Bible prophets had spoken how

He would be born and live, and

how He would die, His hands

pierced, His clothes made a

lottery, His grave being with the

wicked and the rich (Isa. 53:9).

One man, John the Baptist, knew

about Him from Scripture, and

that He was about to appear on

the scene. Before Jesus stepped

into public life John identified

Him as He who is coming.

2. Christ’s coming is the climax

of all time. Historians say that

they can find no pattern in the

events of the past—but there is.

The true way to see history is

through the Bible. It points to a

unifying plan, which will bring

everything together and make

sense of it all. Christ is returning!

The very moment that Jesus left

the earth, God sent angels to re-

assure and impress upon His

followers that He had not gone

for ever. This same Jesus, who

was taken up from you into

heaven, will so come in like

manner as you saw Him go into

heaven (Acts 1:11). That promise

rings like a peal of bells

throughout Scripture and has

rung in the Christian church for

twenty centuries. The apostle

Paul described what being a

Christian meant, by saying that it

meant to wait for His Son from

heaven, whom He raised from

the dead (1 Thess. 1:10).

The nine men who wrote the

New Testament all spoke of

Christ’s return, and to them it

was clear that that hope gave

meaning to their faith, and an

objective for their work.

John was closer to Christ than

anybody and he rested his hope

on Christ’s return. He wrote:

Beloved, now we are children of

God; and it has not yet been

revealed what we shall be, but

we know that when He is

revealed, we shall be like Him,

for we shall see Him as He is (1

John 3:2).

Furthermore, John wrote the

Revelation, with 22 chapters of

prophecy about Christ’s return

as Lord of lords. It ends with the

words of Jesus: He who testifies

to these things says, “Surely I am

coming quickly.”

3.We know that He is coming

back because He was raised

from the dead. He rose—so He

will come again. When Paul was

preaching to the intellectuals in

Athens, he said that God has

appointed a day on which He will

judge the world in righteousness

by the Man whom He has

ordained. He has given

assurance of this to all by raising

Him from the dead. It was the

kind of absolute logic they liked.

4.We know He is coming back

because He belongs here. He is

the man Christ Jesus. He was

born here, ate here, and grew

up here. He breathed, lived and

shed His blood here. He rose

again in the same body in which

The Returning Lord (Part 2) By Reinhard Bonnke

Image © Grace21

12

He died on the Cross, now

renewed and immortal. The Son

of Man is tied to this world

forever, incorruptible, the

resurrection and the life. He has

two homes, earth and heaven -

with us and with the Father. He

went to God because He came

from God. He will come back

because He came from here. He

belongs to God and belongs to

us and as He loved the Father

and went to Him, so He will

come back because he loves us.

When the new heaven and earth

come He will belong to both.

5.We know that He is coming

because He is one of us. We

read in Heb. 2 ‘as the children

have partaken of flesh and

blood, He Himself likewise

shared in the same; and in all

things He had to be made like

His brethren’. He belongs to the

human family and will not desert

them nor stay away forever.

For there is one God and one

Mediator between God and men,

the Man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5).

A mediator has links to both

parties. Jesus is the Son of Man

and the Son of God. He is the

only Mediator, like Jacob’s

ladder set up between heaven

and earth. Jesus binds heaven

and earth, God and man, flesh

and deity, together in Himself.

His presence on earth will be the

most natural thing of all.

6.We know that He is coming

because the world is in danger.

We go from crisis to crisis. We

have manufactured all that is

needed for the whole world to

commit suicide. Jesus Himself

spoke of this: Unless those days

were shortened, no flesh would

be saved; but for the elect’s sake

those days will be shortened

(Matt. 24:22). He spoke also of

men’s hearts failing them from

fear and the expectation of

those things which are coming

on the earth (Luke 21:26), but

His coming would take place as

the Divine intervention. That

deliverance day is fixed in God’s

program for this world. Jesus

Christ, the Son God will return.

He will join our hands with the

hand of God in an eternal and

wonderful clasp of love.

Three wonderful things His

coming reveals

His coming tells us something

wonderful about this world.

His coming shows that despite

human self-will, the will of God

will be done. The shuttle of time

has been weaving a perfect

pattern. This world has a

wonderful future, a Divine

destiny. We may seem to be

drifting, but the currents are the

providences of God. His coming

is not just a great religious

event, but the culmination of all

events, bringing everything

together that has ever

happened. Christ is not coming

merely to live another human

lifetime, but to reign for ever

and ever; to take over the whole

globe and put things to right.

His coming tells us something

wonderful about ourselves.

What an incredible thing that

God should send His Son to us in

the first place! He came as the

Good Shepherd and that He

intends to be, for we are His

people and the sheep of His

pasture (Psalms 100:3). No

wonder the Psalmist asked what

is man that You are mindful of

him, and the son of man that

You visit him? Why the creator

of infinity should concentrate

upon the human race we do not

know. He loves us, but why? It is

a mystery.

His coming tells us something

wonderful about the Gospel.

Jesus is coming here, to our

material world and to people

living here. That sounds very

materialistic, and it is. Our

Gospel is not an ethereal

concoction revealed to

somebody in a vision, or by a

voice, or on golden plates. Jesus

Himself is our salvation and He is

coming back here the same way

He departed - as thousands

knew Him. That is a physical and

material miracle. This truth tells

us that the Gospel is as much for

the physical and material order,

as it is for the spiritual order.

Jesus not only saves souls, He

saves people. So we preach a full

Gospel of Jesus as Savior, Healer,

Baptizer, and Coming King.

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with kind permission

of Christ for all

Nations.

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When we talk about being

crucified with Christ and dying to

self, what do we mean? It means

we die to our desires, our ego, and

our will. Sometimes this even

means dying to our own vision. But

you may say, “I’m sure my vision is

God-given. It is His will.” Yet there

is an inherent danger. It is possible

for the calling, promises, and vision

God has given us to become our

main ambition, making them

opponents of God, for He is not

willing to share our hearts with

anything—not even good things.

Isaac was the fulfilment of the

promise God gave Abraham. Yet

God was not willing to share

Abraham’s heart, not even with

Isaac. So God asked Abraham to lay

Isaac on the altar and offer him as

a sacrifice, knowing this would be

the ultimate test of Abraham’s

love. Author

God let the suffering old man go

through with it up to the point

where He knew there would be no

retreat, and then forbade him to

lay a hand upon the boy. To the

wondering patriarch He now says

in effect, “It’s all right, Abraham. I

never intended that you should

actually slay the lad. I only wanted

to remove him from the temple of

your heart that I might reign

unchallenged there. I wanted to

correct the perversion that existed

in your love. Now you may have

the boy, sound and well. Take him

and go back to your tent. Now I

know that thou fearest God, seeing

that thou hast not withheld thy

son, thine only son, from me.” - A.

W. Tozer ‘The Pursuit of God’.

What does it mean to surrender

our will to God? Many of us are

willing to surrender until it begins

to hurt, but true surrender is

painful. Some are willing to

surrender as long as it is logical,

but true surrender is not subject to

our rationale. Others can surrender

what is bad and harmful, but God

is not satisfied. To God surrender is

not complete until it is total. It is

not simply saying, “Your will be

done,” but, “Not my will.” This

death to self is not some form of

divine sadism. God always has life

in mind. Just as a gardener prunes

off the old branches so new ones

can grow, God desires to remove

that which hinders life and growth.

This place of death is also the place

of birth, and it is how God’s

purposes are born in the earth!

John Wimber is best known as the

founder of the Vineyard church

movement, which is well known

for its wonderful music that

touched the world and, in many

ways, revolutionized worship in

the modern church. But many

people don’t realize that John

Wimber had been very successful

as a secular musician. Two of his

hit singles reached the US top ten

before he met the Lord and

abandoned fame and fortune to

follow Jesus. His wife, Carol, told

the following story: John and I had

been Christians only a few months.

We were broke and Christmas was

coming. John had laid down his

musical career because Jesus asked

him to. After refusing a lucrative

offer to arrange a Christmas album,

he quietly put down the phone. As

I watched, John went to the

cupboards, closets and the piano

bench. He gathered a lifetime of

work and talent and placed it in big

cardboard boxes and we drove to

the Yorba Linda dump. As he

pushed the last box out of the

station wagon and it sunk into the

garbage, John 12:24 came to my

mind: “Except a grain of wheat fall

into the earth and dies, it remains

alone, but if it dies, it bears much

fruit.” In my heart I know that was

when worship was born in the

Vineyard.

What if God asked you to give up

the thing you enjoy the most?

What if He asked you to lay down

your gift or talent, the thing that

defines you—the thing in which

you find self-worth? Could you lay

your promise on the altar as

Abraham did Isaac, or push your

treasures into the dumpster as

John Wimber did? Have you

checked to see who is sitting on

the throne of your heart? Is it you?

Is it your vision? Is it your dream?

Or is it Jesus?

My friend, God has a wonderful

plan for your life, and He wants to

use you in extraordinary ways for

His glory. But resurrection only

follows death—death to self, death

to your will, death to your desires,

and death to your dreams. It is in

these painful moments of

surrender that God’s kingdom is

established in us, when we pray

with Jesus, “Not my will, but Yours

be done.”

The Surrendered Will Bible Study by Daniel Kolenda (CfaN) Photo: © Ellah

By kind permission of CfaN, an extract from Daniel’s new book-

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The ‘Faith-builders Bible study series’ has been developed a useful resource for today’s students of God’s Word and their busy lifestyles.

Pastors, home or study group leaders and indeed for anyone wishing to study the Bible for themselves will benefit from using Faith-builders studies.

Each volume is the result of many years of group Bible study, and has been revised again and again to be relevant, challenging and faith building whilst remaining clear and easy to understand.

Each chapter has thought provoking questions to aid study and sample answers are provided.

Below is an extract from the study notes for Mark chapter 9.

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The ‘Faith-builders Bible study series’ has been developed a useful resource for today’s students of

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Introduction

We infer from Paul's letters that Luke was a qualified physician (Col. 4:14) and we may assume that he was not a Jew, since Paul does not include him among "those of the circumcision" (Colossians 4:11).

He joined Paul at Troas to journey into Macedonia as far as Philippi. He is not mentioned on the second missionary journey but is found to be with Paul on the third missionary journey. Luke is also the writer of the book of Acts.

1:1-2 Now many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, like the accounts passed on to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning.

In commencing his gospel Luke says that many believer's had attempted to write about the life of Jesus

Christ having received their information from those who had been eyewitnesses of all the events that had occurred and the teachings they had received from Lord Jesus Christ and who had faithfully passed it on.

1:3-4 So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know for certain the things you were taught.

Having considered the need for a full orderly account Luke had closely investigated everything from the beginning (starting with John the Baptist's conception). It may well be that Luke was able to interview some of the surviving witnesses personally; and these might have included Mary and Peter (Luke seems to know more about their stories than Matthew does).

Luke dedicates the result of his work to someone called Theophilus, about whom we know nothing; except to say that his name means ‘lover of God’. Luke wanted this person, and every ‘lover of God’ to know that their faith was based on certain corroborated facts; and he arranged these facts in such a way as to instruct his converts in the truths of the Christian faith..

The Conception of John the Baptist

1:5 During the reign of Herod king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and he had a wife named Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron.

Luke sets the time as being in the days of Herod Antipas, sometimes called Herod the Great, who had

The Faith-builders Bible study series

Luke Chapter 1:1-1:38 By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem

Mark Chapter 2 (abstract) By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem

15

been installed as king of Judea by the Roman Emperor; and begins his story in the Temple of God in Jerusalem. At that time there was a priest serving in the Temple from the division of Abijah named Zechariah. The divisions of the priests were appointed by King David for serving in the temple (1 Chron. 24:10). Zechariah’s wife was Elizabeth a descendent of Aaron the first high priest.

1:6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.

Luke draws our attention to the fact that both Elizabeth and Zechariah were righteous in the eyes of God and lived blameless lives according to the law and commandments of the Lord. Luke accepts that the Jews were the chosen people of God, and that their laws, and Temple worship had been given to them by God.

One of Luke’s purposes in showing that Jesus was born as part of a right-living community of Jews is to show how he was born as the fulfilment of all God’s promises to Israel, to redeem them from the law (Gal. 4:4-5) and become the centre of their worship (John 4:24) as well as the whole world’s worship (Mat. 2:2).

Luke first shows Jesus to be the Saviour of Israel (the Messiah) and later reveals that he is not only Israel’s Saviour but the Saviour of the entire world (Isa. 49:6).

1:7 But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old.

By describing Zechariah and Elizabeth’s situation Luke is deliberately reminding us of an earlier couple to whom God made many promises. Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, Abram and Sara had not child, for Sara like Elizabeth was barren. It was the same God who gave his promise to Abram, and fulfilled it in Isaac who would now give Elizabeth the power to

conceive. This reminder is intended to show that the time had come for God to fulfil of his promise to Abram (Gal. 3:16; Luke 1:68-72). The child of Elizabeth and Zechariah would herald the arrival of the ‘descendent’ of Abraham whom the prophets had spoken of in various ways as God’s servant and son and Israel’s king.

1:8-9 Now while Zechariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the holy place of the Lord and burn incense.

Whilst Zechariah was serving in the temple according to the order of his division, the lot fell to him to enter the holy place and burn incense (it was customary among the priests to draw lots to decide who which of them might have this privilege).

1:10 Now the whole crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.

Recall that only the priests were allowed to enter the holy place to offer incense (Num. 3:10; 16:40), and so whilst Zechariah was inside the temple of God the crowds of people were praying outside.

1:11-12 An angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared to him. And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, was seized with fear.

As Zechariah performed his priestly office, he was shaken by the appearance of an angel standing in the holy place; and overwhelmed with fear.

1:13-14 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will name him John. Joy and gladness will come to you, and many will rejoice at his birth.

The angel reassures him that there is no need to be afraid for he is a

messenger from God to bring him good news. God had heard his and Elizabeth's persistent prayers for a child (Luke 11:9). In the first place, the angel had come to announce the birth of John as the answer to their prayers, who would give them a great deal of pride and joy. But the angel also wanted Zechariah to know that John’s birth was of a much wider significance in God’s plan, and that many people would one day be glad that he had been born.

1:15-16 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.

The child to be born would become exceedingly great in the sight of the Lord, thus taking a place in God’s purposes which was equivalent to that of Moses or Elijah. Like Samson, he was to be placed under the vow of a Nazarite from birth, and so was never to drink wine or any alcoholic drink (Numbers 6:2-3).

This kind of vow was meant to indicate complete dedication of the life to God. Most unusually, John would be filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in Elizabeth's womb and because of his preaching the Word of God many people in Israel will repent and return to the Lord their God. No wonder Jesus described him as the greatest prophet to be born of a woman (Luke 7:27-28).

1:17 And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.

Although John was to have a prominent place in the working out of God’s purposes, yet these purposes did not centre on John. His mission was to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 3:4).

16

The allusion to his walking in the spirit and power of Elijah is not a reference to his ability to work miracles (for John never worked a miracle – John 10:41), but rather to confront iniquity as Elijah did on Carmel, bringing the nation back to God in repentance.

John would exhibit the same lifestyle and zeal for truth as Elijah had; rebuking sin and exhorting to repentance. Through him many parents, children and those who were rebellious would accept the wisdom of the godly and turn back to God (Mal. 4:5-6).

1:18 Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well."

Unfortunately, unlike Abraham who had believed God’s promise, Zechariah could not believe the angel's words, and asked for proof, since he believed he and Elizabeth were too old for this to happen.

1:19-20 The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place."

In reply, the angel reveals his name--‘Gabriel’ meaning "the might of the strong God" (Clarke)—and his position ‘I stand in the presence of God’. As such he is the messenger of God sent directly from his presence to bring the good news to Zechariah.

By implication, failing to believe Gabriel’s words was a failure to believe God, and so as a consequence of his unbelief, Zechariah was struck dumb and would not be able to speak again until John the Baptist was born.

1:21 Now the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to

wonder why he was delayed in the holy place.

Meanwhile the people outside had begun to wonder why Zechariah was taking so long inside the temple.

1:22 When he came out, he was not able to speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision in the holy place, because he was making signs to them and remained unable to speak.

When he finally came out and they discovered that he could not speak to them, they understood by the signs he made that he had seen some kind of vision in the temple.

1:23 When his time of service was over, he went to his home.

When Zechariah reached the end of his service, he returned home.

1:24-25 After some time his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. She said, "This is what the Lord has done for me at the time when he has been gracious to me, to take away my disgrace among people."

Soon after this Elizabeth became pregnant and didn't go out in public for five months. It may be that she was taking good care of herself, now that she was to be a mother.

I remember my mother telling me an old wives tale that we shouldn’t buy clothes for our baby until after the first 6 months of pregnancy because so many children were lost before then.

On the other hand, some commentators have supposed that Elizabeth wanted to wait until her pregnancy was showing before letting others see her – a kind of evidence to them of what she knew, in case they refuse to believe her. Whatever the case, Elizabeth gladly acknowledged that it was the Lord who had healed her of barrenness and enabled her to conceive

therefore taking away her disgrace among the people.

In those days and in that culture, to have children was considered to be a blessing from God and a fulfilment of His promise of fruitfulness (Lev. 26:9); whilst to be barren was considered by some to be a sign of God's displeasure.

Gabriel's Announcement to

Mary

1:26-27 In the sixth month of

Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel

Gabriel was sent by God to a town

of Galilee called Nazareth, to a

virgin engaged to a man whose

name was Joseph, a descendant of

David, and the virgin's name was

Mary.

Six months after Elizabeth had

become pregnant God sent Gabriel

to Mary who lived in Nazareth in

Galilee. She was a virgin promised

in marriage to Joseph who was

descendent of King David.

At this point Luke introduces us to

another important theme in his

gospel – for since Joseph was a

descendent of David, the child born

to Mary would be considered to

have come from David’s family line,

from which God had promised to

raise up a king (Psa. 132:11); and

hence Luke identifies Jesus as the

child named in Isaiah 9:6-7.

1:28-29 The angel came to her and

said, "Greetings, favored one, the

Lord is with you!" But she was

greatly troubled by his words and

began to wonder about the

meaning of this greeting.

When the angel entered into her

house he greeted her by saying

"Rejoice! The grace of the Lord is

upon you". Mary was not chosen on

17

her merit, as she realised herself in

verse 48; it was by grace that God

had chosen her. It is important to

note, however, that both Joseph

and Mary were God-fearing Jews

who lived according to God’s

commands. These words greatly

disturbed Mary for she could

understand neither what the angel

meant nor why he had appeared to

her.

1:30-31 So the angel said to her,

"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you

have found favor with God! Listen:

You will become pregnant and give

birth to a son, and you will name

him Jesus

As in the case of Zachariah, Gabriel

reassures Mary that she has found

grace in the sight of God. Then he

makes known to her the startling

news that she would become

pregnant and give birth to a son and

that he was to be given the name

Jesus (or Jeshua) which signifies

God’s salvation. This is the name

God had identified with the branch

that rises out of Jesse in Isaiah 11:1

and Zechariah 6:11-12.

1:32-33 He will be great, and will be

called the Son of the Most High, and

the Lord God will give him the

throne of his father David. He will

reign over the house of Jacob

forever, and his kingdom will never

end."

"He shall be great" in every way: in

wisdom, power and glory, for he

shall be the Son of God. God will

give him permanent possession of

the throne of his ancestor David

(Matt. 1:1 and 1 Kings 2:4) and he

will reign over Israel forever; an

indication that Israel shall never

have another king after him- he is

‘king forever ceasing never over us

all to reign.’

1:34 Mary said to the angel, "How

will this be, since I have not had

sexual relations with a man?"

Luke is referring back to Isaiah 7:14,

where the word ‘virgin’ may in fact

refer to any young woman. Luke

includes this verse to clarify that

Mary was a virgin in the sexual

sense - she had never had sexual

intercourse with a man; and that is

why she could not understand how

she could become pregnant.

The angel made it quite clear to

Mary that her conception would not

involve the seed of man. For the

Holy Spirit will come upon her, so

that the conception would be

brought about by the power of the

Most High and the child born would

be the holy Son of God.

What Luke has in mind here is the

incarnation, when God became

flesh and dwelt among us. This is

also the reason why Jesus was

without sin: only descendants of

Adam were born in sin, Christ came

from above.

1:36-37 And look, your relative

Elizabeth has also become pregnant

with a son in her old age —

although she was called barren, she

is now in her sixth month! For

nothing will be impossible with God.

Another important link that Luke

makes here is to show how Mary

was a relative of Elizabeth (who you

will recall came from the family of

Aaron, Israel’s first High Priest). This

is important because it provides a

link between Luke’s portrayal of

Christ as a king and as a priestly

servant of God.

Gabriel tells Mary that Elizabeth is

six months pregnant although

elderly and barren; for nothing is

ever impossible with God (Jer.

32:27).

1:38 So Mary said, "Yes, I am a

servant of the Lord; let this happen

to me according to your word."

Then the angel departed from her.

Mary humbly submits herself to

obey the message from the Lord (I

am the Lord’s servant) and

confesses her belief in Gabriel's

announcement to her. Then the

angel left.

1:35 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.

18

Seeking God vv. 1-3

7:1-3 In King Darius' fourth year, on

the fourth day of Kislev, the ninth

month, the word of the LORD came

to Zechariah. Now the people of

Bethel had sent Sharezer and

Regem-Melech and their

companions to seek the LORD's

favor by asking both the priests of

the temple of the LORD who rules

over all and the prophets, "Should

we weep in the fifth month, fasting

as we have done over the years?"

Zechariah carefully records the time

when the returned exiles had sent

representatives to inquire of God

regarding their religious observance

of fasting in the fifth month. This

regular fasting had been the

practise of the Jews throughout

their seventy years in exile; and it

may have been that since God had

kept his promise to restore them to

the land, they wanted to know if

they ought rather to rejoice than

mourn.

It does appear that God was

working on these men by his Spirit,

stirring them from apathy and

indifference to genuinely seek the

will and mind of God. It was God’s

moving that caused them to

challenge the status quo and re-

evaluate the things they had always

done; they did not wish merely to

go through the motions but get

serious with God.

There are times when we too must

awake from our apathy to seek God

with all our hearts and ensure that

we are in the centre of his will,

doing what he requires of us.

God’s Reply vv. 4-6

7:4-6 The word of the LORD who

rules over all then came to me,

"Speak to all the people and priests

of the land as follows: 'When you

fasted and lamented in the fifth and

seventh months through all these

seventy years, did you truly fast for

me — for me, indeed? And now

when you eat and drink, are you not

doing so for yourselves?' "

As the prophets waited on God,

God spoke through Zechariah to

challenge this practise of fasting

with the searching question: ‘did

you fast for me?’ In other words,

was this a genuine religious

observance, or simply a matter of

course? Like many traditions, this

fast began with the best motives;

but over time it became an empty

formality.

There are times when God does call

and require a fast (e.g. Joel 2:15)

but always in connection with

genuine repentance and turning to

God, never as a meaningless ritual.

Indeed, that God takes no pleasure

in outward observances without

inward piety had already been

made clear by the prophets (e.g.

Amos 5:21-22; Isaiah 66:3).

There is absolutely no use in our

keeping up any form of religious

observance if our hearts are far

from God; yet God accuses Israel of

doing exactly that - for whether

fasting or eating their hearts were

focussed on themselves.

Our In Depth Study

Zechariah Chapter 7

By Mathew Bartlett

Photo © Jacob Gregory Scripture taken from the NET Bible®.

This article is an extract from The Prophet of Messiah – a Zechariah Bible Commentary

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19

God’s Requirements vv. 7-10

7:7-10 Should you not have obeyed

the words that the LORD cried out

through the former prophets when

Jerusalem was peacefully inhabited

and her surrounding cities, the

Negev, and the Shephelah were also

populated? Again the word of the

LORD came to Zechariah: "The LORD

who rules over all said, 'Exercise

true judgment and show

brotherhood and compassion to

each other. You must not oppress

the widow, the orphan, the

foreigner, or the poor, nor should

anyone secretly plot evil against his

fellow human being.'

God’s reply is very enlightening. He

brings the exiles no new message,

but refers them back to the

messages given to their fore-fathers

who had refused to listen when

they lived in peace before the exile.

If they had heeded God’s word and

obeyed his voice then they would

never have been removed to

Babylon.

So God restates the message given

through the earlier prophets,

summarising it by means of three

positive and five negative

commands:

Exercise true judgment. Primarily

this refers to the law courts.

Bribery, partiality and corruption

were common before the exile

(Amos 5:12; Micah 3:11) but they

were now to be things of the past in

both civil and criminal courts.

In a broader sense, God’s words

imply doing the right thing and

dealing fairly in all circumstances;

whether that means employers

paying fair wages to employees and

ensuring good working conditions,

or a father providing for his family;

indeed doing whatever else is just

and right.

Show mercy (NET – brotherhood).

The word used implies love and

forgiveness. It is the opposite of the

inhuman and unmerciful attitude of

people who do not value human life

or show care towards their fellow

human beings. God’s love is for

everyone and so our love must be

for our neighbour, whoever they

may be. God has forgiven us so

much that we are at fault if we fail

to forgive others, especially those

who are our Christian brothers and

sisters (Matt. 18:21-22; Luke 17:3-

4). Jesus several times emphasised

the passage of Hosea which makes

clear that God requires mercy and

not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6; Matt.

9:13).

It would make no difference if we

fasted each day for twelve months

of the year, if we failed to show love

and compassion (1 Cor. 13:3).

The New Testament contains

commands that we are to

remember the poor (Gal. 2:10; Acts

20:35; Mark 14:7); just as the

Scripture promises many blessings

to those who do (Ps. 41:1; Prov.

22:9; Prov. 28:27).

As Christians, we are members of

one body – the church – and if one

member of the body suffers, the

whole body suffers. Hence

Christians should especially

remember other Christians in need.

In the first century, the Gentile

churches did so by sending offerings

to their poorest brothers, the saints

in Judea (Rom. 15:26); may we

emulate their example.

Do not oppress widows or orphans.

These groups in society were

helpless in Zechariah’s time. In the

days before welfare or social

security, if a widow and her children

had no family or breadwinner for

the household then they were

destitute apart from the mercy of

God. But God takes upon himself

the task of being a father to the

fatherless and a husband to the

widow (Psa. 68:5).

Jesus took a similar role when he

rebuked Pharisees for extorting

money from widows (Matt. 23:14);

and in its earliest days, the church

cared for believing widows who

were genuinely destitute; although

those with relatives were to be

cared for by their families (1 Tim.

5:3, 16).

Christians can join God in his care of

the vulnerable in a variety of ways.

The Christian tradesperson, for

example, who decides to make a

Compassion. The New Testament is very clear on this subject, that compassion is the practical expression of love (1 John 3:17). This fits with Zechariah’s understanding and his view of godly fasting compares well with Isaiah’s (Isa. 58:5-7). There are so many needs in our world - are we able to meet just some? If we are not moved with compassion when we see others in desperate poverty or suffering with life threatening illness, then we must question the state of our relationship with God.

20

little less profit than usual when

working for a widow will be repaid

by God; as will those who

remember orphans with gifts.

Do not oppress the foreigner.

There was to be no racism among

God’s people. They were to

welcome any foreigners with open

arms, remembering that they were

once strangers in Egypt (Exod.

23:9).

Of all people, the Jews should have

realised that it is not easy to be a

stranger in a strange land; and that

many migrants had come to Israel

to escape the evils of poverty,

tyranny and idolatry. The Christian

church today should be the most

welcoming place for any immigrants

from any nation.

Do not oppress the poor.

This is the negative aspect of the

corresponding positive command to

compassion. The poor were

desperate for work, and so would

accept very little pay.

Employers were not to exploit this.

The poor had no recourse to

payment of lawyers’ fees; and so

could easily be unfairly defeated in

court. Yet God would remain as

their righteous judge.

Nor should anyone secretly plot

evil against his fellow human

being.

Violence and malice of all kinds

whether expressed in robbery,

assault, or other acts inspired by

jealousy or hatred are the opposite

of love and are abhorrent to God.

Such acts were to have no lodging

place among God’s restored people

(Eph. 4:31-32).

A Warning from Israel’s History

vv.11-14

7:11-14 "But they refused to pay

attention, turning away stubbornly

and stopping their ears so they

could not hear. Indeed, they made

their heart as hard as diamond, so

that they could not obey the Torah

and the other words the LORD who

rules over all had sent by his Spirit

through the former prophets.

Therefore, the LORD who rules over

all had poured out great wrath. "

'It then came about that just as I

cried out, but they would not obey,

so they will cry out, but I will not

listen,' the LORD who rules over all

had said. 'Rather, I will sweep them

away in a storm into all the nations

they are not familiar with.' Thus the

land had become desolate because

of them, with no one crossing

through or returning, for they had

made the fruitful land a waste."

God’s warning to the returned

exiles is that they should listen to

and obey the voice of God. They

were not to do what their

forefathers had done prior to the

exile; for although they heard word

of God they refused to listen and

hardened their hearts so as not to

obey, even though they heard his

words again and again (Heb. 3:15).

Whoever rejects the voice of God

speaking to them puts themselves

outside of God’s mercy and stores

up judgment for themselves; just as

Israel’s refusal to hear caused the

destruction of their land and their

being carried away into exile.

Similar judgment awaits all who

harden their hearts and refuse to

listen to the voice of God (Heb.

3:12; Prov. 29:1; Rom. 2:5-6).

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21

Barnabas Son of

Consolation

Acts 11:24

Brief extract of a forthcoming book

based on studies by the late Haydn

O. Williams. Image © Dvest

One way of studying the Bible is

to do so biographically, by taking

Bible characters and what is

written about them. This is a

study method which can be very

rewarding indeed. In this study,

we shall learn about Barnabas,

who was also known as Joseph.

Bad Men

The media and newspapers

today are full of the deeds of

bad men: violence, war, murder

and robbery fill our television

screens. Sadly many men are

bent on the destruction of

property and life. Nothing is

sacred to them, not even the

House of God; for churches have

often been vandalised and

robbed.

One thing we can be sure of is

that the news that hits the

headlines on television and in

the papers is usually bad news,

and this highlights the fact that

we are living in the last days,

where God through the apostle

Paul predicted that evil men

would go from bad to worse (1

Tim. 3:1; 2 Tim. 3:1)

Good Men

Thankfully, the Bible not only

tells us about bad men but also

records the deeds of many good

and godly men and women

through the ages. Our text, Acts

11:24, is about one of these

good men: Barnabas.

How refreshing it is to read of

generous souls whose lives were

given to God and used to bless

and help others in need. To this

day some people won’t credit

Christians with good works. At

this present time some countries

treat Christians as scum;

however many great deeds may

be attributed to God’s people

today as well as in the past.

A Good Man

Acts 11:24 tells us that Barnabas

was a good man, full of the Holy

Spirit and faith. Barnabas’ real

name was Joseph, and he was a

Levite from Cyprus. Yet he was

nicknamed Barnabas by the

twelve apostles because of his

consoling and comforting

ministry. He was one of the early

coverts to Christianity in

Jerusalem, just like many other

Jews who came to Pentecost,

thousands of whom accepted

Jesus Christ as their Lord and

Saviour, being baptised as a

result of the preaching of Peter.

And what a gift of God to the

church Barnabas proved to be!

Genuine Conversion

People could tell that there was

something genuine about

Barnabas. Often in missions and

crusades we have discovered

that many so-called

‘conversions’ are not genuine -

but Barnabas’ conversion truly

was. He had been touched in his

pocket, as well as his heart, for

he sold some land he owned and

gave money for the apostles to

distribute to the poor.

When salvation is real there is

always evidence of it, and as in

the case of Zacchaeus, when a

man’s love for money is affected

(Matt 19:8) – that is evidence

indeed!

22

A Good Name

The apostles were quick to note

the generosity of Joseph and

they were so delighted with this

evidence of the grace of God

that they changed his name to

Barnabas which means the son

of consolation, or

encouragement. This was a good

name to have and Barnabas

stayed true to it. He was a great

encourager to new converts, as

his trip to Antioch described in

Acts 11 reveals.

I wonder what names would

describe our nature or life as

Christians? The Bible says that a

good name is rather to be

chosen than great riches

(Proverbs 22:1). We must strive

to put our Christianity unto

action, for our character is of

great importance, for God wants

us to become more like Jesus

(Romans 8:28).

A Generous Man

The word ‘generous’ means not

only open handed and free in

giving (or liberal) – it also means

noble minded. That is to say,

Barnabas was not mean spirited

or prejudiced against others.

So whilst we have no way of

knowing whether Barnabas was

short or tall, strong or weak, fat

or thin, we do know that he was

someone with a very big and

open heart towards others.

His Friendliness

After Saul the persecutor’s

remarkable conversion he began

to preach, but when persecution

then turned its attention on him

he fled to Jerusalem. Knowing

Saul’s past many were afraid and

doubted his salvation (Acts 9:26-

27). At that time it was Barnabas

who befriended the young Saul

and helped and encouraged him

as a new convert. Who knows

whether Paul would ever have

become a great apostle without

the help of this man of God,

Barnabas?

When Saul left again for his own

town, Barnabas sought him out

and took an interest in him. He

brought him back to serve the

Lord at the new church at

Antioch where they worked

together for some time (Acts

11). I wonder whether we treat

new converts in the way that

Barnabas did; do we accept

them with open, generous

hearts, r do we have an ‘elder

brother’ spirit, as in the parable

of the prodigal son, who was not

welcomed back into the family

by his older brother?

His Perception

During a time of great

persecution in the early church,

when Stephen laid down his life,

Peter was used to open the door

to the Gentiles. At around the

same time some Christians came

to Antioch, preaching to the

Gentiles and a new church was

started in the city.

The church at Jerusalem sent

Barnabas to investigate what

exactly was going on, ad

although he no doubt saw many

faults and failings, he chose to

overlook these, for he also saw

genuine evidence of the grace of

God, and was delighted. So he

encouraged the young church to

remain faithful and true to the

Lord Jesus.

Unfortunately, this was too

much for some in Jerusalem,

who did not like the idea of

Gentiles being accepted into

fellowship without being

circumcised, and it took until

Acts 15 for this to be settled.

Today, some denominations can

treat ‘other’ denominations in a

similar way!

A Great Hearted Man

Barnabas with Paul was a

pioneer missionary sent out by

the Holy Spirit and by the church

(Acts 13). He sacrificed and

suffered for Jesus Christ and his

greatness is seen in his humility.

He was older in the faith than

Paul, had helped Paul in his early

lie and was called and chosen

like Paul; but even so he later

chose to accept second place to

the younger man. When they set

out, Luke names them as

Barnabas and Paul, but

thereafter it was Paul and

Barnabas.

Barnabas proved trustworthy

with money, responsibility and

with new converts - a man full of

the Spirit and faith - this was the

secret of his great heart!

23

Being born again is a life

changing experience. The new

birth transforms the inner life,

affecting the way we think,

talk and act. A person is born

again when they believe in

the Lord Jesus Christ as

Saviour and receive him as

Lord. Being born again is not

the same as “turning over a

new leaf”. It is not merely a

moral transformation. It is a

brand new life - the life of

Christ - which is

supernaturally produced in us

by the Holy Spirit when we

trust God’s word.

When we were born, we

inherited the fallen nature of

our fathers. We became

enslaved by unclean habits.

The born again experience

brings New Life resulting in

deliverance from sin. This

New Life is available to

all who will sincerely

call upon the Lord to be

saved.

Step 1... Admit that you

are a sinner and need a

fresh start with God.

Step 2... Pray to God.

Tell Him that you want

Him to forgive you and

give you a clean heart.

God has promised

“Come now, let us reason

together says the Lord,

though your sins are red as

scarlet, they shall be as white

as snow, though they are red

as crimson, they shall be as

white as wool.” Isaiah 1:18

Step 3... Believe that Jesus

died for your sin on the cross,

taking the punishment that

you deserved, and rose again

the third day. Invite the Lord

Jesus to come into your heart

and life. Then confess to

others that you have given

your life to the Lord Jesus. Do

not be ashamed of the most

wonderful Person in the

universe.

Step 4... Read your Bible daily.

Talk to God in prayer

regularly. Join in fellowship

with other Christians who love

the Lord Jesus.

Here is a special prayer which

you can use:

Your “Born Again Prayer”.

Dear Lord Jesus, I want to be

Born Again. I believe that you

died on the cross to save my

soul from sin and that you

rose again. I pray you will

forgive my sins. Take from my

life all unclean habits and

desires. Give me a pure and

clean heart. Lord Jesus come

into my heart and into my life

today. Amen.

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