DISCIPLE

Believe it or not, not all love is good, and love certainly doesn't make everything ok. Some loves are mistaken, misguided, and some are even evil. The author, Randal Amos, invites us to meditate on and learn from some aspects of true Christlike love. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This short article is a consideration of some of the features of the love of the Lord Jesus. Truthful love, John 18. 37; 1 Cor. 13. 6  Love without truth is deceitful and hurtful. We might tell a person to ‘have a nice trip’ without revealing the dangerous truth that a bridge is out. This is friendly but is not caring love. The Lord Jesus Christ never sacrificed truth on the altar of love but sacrificed Himself in love for the truth of God’s judgement. He came ‘to bear witness unto the truth’ – and was crucified for it. Paul wrote, ‘[love] . . . rejoices in the truth’. Legal love, Hos. 12. 6 ESV; Eph. 5. 2; Rom. 3. 26 Love without justice destro...

This article by William MacDonald was written in the 1960s, but it seems to have been written for today. Spiritually we are in a shocking condition. The status of many local fellowships is bad news, and deteriorating by the minute. It is fairly well known that there have been scandalous cases of immorality involving even elders and full-time workers. Of course this type of news never gets into the magazines; there everything is sweetness and light. But the awful truth is that some respected spiritual leaders have fallen into gross sin in recent months and the only reaction seems to have been to hush up the whole thing, lest the word get out and our reputation be impaired. We have been arrogant, and have not rather mourned ( 1 Cor. 5:2 ). And that isn’t all. We have become materialists to the core. Supposing that gain is godliness, we have degraded ourselves to the worship of money. We have become more proud of the number of successful businessmen in our chu...

by William MacDonald Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.  Proverbs 19:18      We live in a permissive society. Especially in the area of child/training, people listen to the advice of psychologists and sociologists rather than to the teachings of God's Word. Many adults who were brought up by parents who dared to discipline them, determine to allow their children freedom and self-expression. What are the results?      Such children grow up with a deep sense of insecurity. They are misfits in society. They find it difficult to cope with problems and troubles, and seek release in drugs and liquor. A few years of discipline would have made the rest of life much easier for them.      Not surprisingly, they live undisciplined lives. Their personal appearance, their living quarters, their personal habits all betray their careless and disorderly mindset.    ...

by J. A. Davidson DISCIPLINE “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame” Prov. 29:15. Happy is the child who learns early in life that sin brings trouble. A child controlled by his parents will learn to control himself. “The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly” Prov. 20:30. A child who is calmly and firmly curbed will learn to curb himself or herself. Authority in the home will lead to submission to authority at school, authority of government and authority of God. The curbing of the hot temper and headstrong obstinacy of childhood will guide little feet into paths of morality and righteousness in youth and develop character and nobility in formative teenage years. Wilful disobedience cannot be overlooked. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” Prov. 22:6. This means that he will not depart from the training. ...

Lovingkindness and Mercy  Do Not Preclude Discipline     While the kindness of God to His congregation was past telling yet His discipline, to maintain the testimony in holiness, was very strict.  Transgressors were to be put out of the congregation for eating leaven (Ex. 12:15-19);  for eating blood (Lev. 7:27) ; for eating the peace offering while defiled, or after the second day (Lev. 7:20); for seeing a brother’s or sister’s nakedness (Lev. 20:13); for touching holy things while unclean (Lev. 22:3); for compounding holy oil (Ex. 30:33); for neglecting the Passover (Num. 9:13); for neglecting the water of purification (Num. 19:13); and for neglecting circumcision, etc.      They were to put to death the idolater (Deut. 13:9); the blasphemer; the false prophet (Deut. 13:5-11); the presumptuous sinner (Deut. 17:12); the Sabbath breaker (Ex. 31:14); the wizard (Lev. 20:27); the stranger who came nigh as a priest (Num. 18:7); murd...