DISCIPLE

Donald L. Norbie (1923-2017) The apostle Paul, in his last letters to Timothy, is deeply concerned that the doctrine which he and the other apostles had taught should be preserved and passed on faithfully. The verse above (2 Tim. 3.10) emphasizes the importance of this. Paul had taught Timothy faithfully. Timothy had listened carefully, watched Paul's life and understood the message. His life had been molded by that doctrine and characterized by obedience. Paul's last plea to Timothy is to maintain the purity of that doctrine: "Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine..." (1 Tim. 4.2-3 NKJV).      There are many lessons to learn from Church history. It is interesting to note how so many movements begin with a strong emphasis on the purity of the Gospel and obedience to the Word of God. The Word of God is emphasized in all of its...

  “And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed” (Num. 22.12). Thought Israel was far from perfect and had failed repeatedly, God did not allow Balaam to curse Israel.             As then, so today Israel has many enemies who believe they are right in opposing Israel, hating it, and cursing it. It’s become fashionable again to be antisemitic. We should not be surprised, because the whole world is still under the evil one (1 Jn. 5.19), who is know for his hatred and persecution of the chosen nation (Rev. 12:13-17).             The unbelievers are Satan’s puppets, who walk “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Eph. 2.2). No Christian should allow himself to be infected and contaminated by this devilish attitude. I...

  January 1 “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.”  Exodus 12.2 New Year’s resolutions are good but fragile, that is, easily broken. New Year’s prayers are better; they ascend to the throne of God and set answering wheels in motion. As we come to the beginning of another year, we would do well to make the following prayer requests our own: Lord Jesus, I rededicate myself afresh to You today. I want you to take my life this coming year and use it for Your glory. “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.” I pray that You will keep me from sin, from anything that will bring dishonor to Your Name. Keep me teachable by the Holy Spirit. I want to move forward for You. Don’t let me settle in a rut. May my motto this year be, “He must increase; I must decrease.” The glory must all be Yours. Help me not to touch it. Teach me to make every decision a matter of prayer. I dread the thought of lean...

“And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.”   Zechariah 11.12-13 We stagger at the blindness of Israel. Her utter contempt for the Lord Jesus Christ astounds us. Zechariah has shown us many wonderful scenes of the Messiah in His kingly glory and dignity, but now he predicts the time of His rejection. Zezhariah’s message is graphic. He takes on the role of the Messiah and asks, “If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver” (v. 12). Thirty pieces of silver! They knew the contempt of such a price (Ex. 21.32).      Only willful blindness could result in the wicked crime of Judas unknowingly fulfilling this prophecy. Matthew ma...

  By that I mean, do you have an emotional attachment to Christmas trees, wreaths and such? Religious interest in trees is an ancient pagan tradition, but not a Christian one.      The Egyptians, Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Sumerians all had holy trees that they decorated and venerated.   Egyptian  Throneroom of palace of Asurnasirpal II    Sacred tree venerated in a Babylonian seal Adorning and worshiping a holy tree   Sacred babylonian tree     Sacred tree in the palace of Nimrod (British Museum) Celtic Sacred Tree of Life      Pagans attribute divinity, mystical powers, healing and health to trees. In Wicca, trees are symbols of nature's power, representing the "tree of life" that supposedly connects the earthy, spiritual and divine realms. Various trees hold specific magical properties. None of these things are taught in Scripture.    The Christmas tree is an adaptation of those ancient...