DISCIPLE

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers " Acts 2:42. Contemporary assembly conditions often show a marked departure from New Testament simplicity and dependence upon the leading of the Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit. Often this is due to failure on the part of the elders to provide guidance and teaching from the Scriptures. There is a great need to promote spiritual growth and stability among promising young brethren and sisters. There are five forms of fellowship in the New Testament. 1. Social Fellowship: "Breaking bread (eating of meals) from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart" Acts 2.46. This was especially necessary for those who had lost their houses and livelihood because of persecution. It is still good to show hospitality to the Lord’s people in our homes . "What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink...

by C. H. Spurgeon      An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years, it has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.      From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.      My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it ? "Go ye into all the ...

The world population has increased by another billion since this was first written in the 1980’s, and now exceeds seven billion. W e cannot imagine that many people.  For us a stadium with twenty thousand is a lot – a mere drop in the bucket compared to seven billion.  And the worst news is, most of them are lost and headed to perdition, eternal doom.  With this comes the staggering death statistic, now calculated to be 1.78 people per second, 107 per minute, 6,390 per hour, and daily 153,000!  While you read this hundreds will pass to their destiny.  Every hour thousands more pass into eternity, never to return.      Onward marches the grim reaper, respecting no one, employed by Satan in the destruction of Adam’s race.  Wars and famines are just some of his special harvesting techniques.  False religions and “isms” help placate the doomed with false hopes and vain works until the grim one can reach them with his fatal scythe....