THE CROSS OF CHRIST SPLITS ETERNITY IN TWO

THE CROSS

Because the cross alone measures the breadth, and length, and depth, and height" of the love of God, it is beyond the comprehension of man. The love of Christ "passeth knowledge.

Its "breadth" is wide enough to comprehend the whole world, including all races. Its

"length" reaches down through all the ages from the beginning to the end of the reign of sin. Its "depth" reaches down to the lowest deeps of man's degradation and saves even

"to the uttermost." Its "height" includes the highest heaven to which it will eventually lift those who know its power.

TAYLOR G. BUNCH

 ST AUGUSTINE

President (General) Dwight D. Eisenhower

We are pleased to receive this study on the Marks of a Christian from Army Chaplain(ret) and Pastor, David D. Miller (J.Ogles)

 Patience in the Six Marks of a Christian

" The Sixth Mark of a Christian"- Patience

Gospel in Matthew 13:24-30;34... gives us a parable about heaven. Wheat and tares look alike. They are so alike in the initial stages if you pluck you will take out wheat when you mean to take out the poisonous weeds, tares in KJV. The story goes we must not pluck out the weeds/tares because they grow along with the wheat and we may mistakenly take out wheat." Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." Mt 13:30

The harvest is the end of time when " The Son of Man shall send forth his angels..." Judgment will come. " There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" V. 43 " Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

We should learn to be patient then as the account above  advises us. Shatford says that there are some times in life when we have to have patience, but although it is " absolutely necessary,...but also very difficult."

First, there are things we do not understand, yet if we rush , we may lose the situation and the person. Perhaps it is us. A young man came up to Canon Shatford and said " he had just read a pamphlet of fifty pages, a criticism of the Old Testament. And he said, ' My faith goes by the board because I cannot understand these things '." An impatient batter may throw away the game.

Secondly, patience is also needed when we face disappointment. " I measure a man not by the number of his falls, but by the times he gets on his feet and goes forward to the fight." - Shatford in Six Marks of a Christian. We just feel that all is lost. Someone has disappointed us, or perhaps we rushed a decision and feel we made the wrong choice. We cannot get out of this by giving up. 

We must persevere and as the Letter to the Hebrews says, " Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." 12:1-2 How many of us have known the valley of disppointment.....this or that goes a way we did not plan for a reason we cannot fathom. We are lost in our disappointment and sadness.

Thirdly, people are walking when we think they should run! " I like the teacher of the class who takes a lot of pains with the dull and backward pupils. And if God did not take a lot of pains with some of us who are so stupid and slow, I wonder what would become of us." Shatford

 This is especially difficult when we deal with spiritual matters. We cannot always see the progress very well. The wheat and the tares are growing together. Everything we think is fine, and then we learn the truth. There are some who never truly believed in Jesus. They played, they acted. ( Original meaning of the word----hypocrites. )Inwardly there is not a change in the soul.

" He that sowed the good seed is the Son of man" Mt. 13:37 It says in Romans 8:18 says that the " sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.....For we are saved by hope (v.24)---but hope that is seen is not hope" VS 25 " But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

Greek word here for patience is hypomonḗ (from  hypó, "under" and 3306 ménō, "remain, endure") – properly, remaining under, endurance; steadfastness, especially as God enables the believer to "remain (endure) under" the challenges He allots in life.--Bible Hub on line

Patience is actually an active word, not passive. " It means one who is willing to suffer, who does not take things too easily, who is willing to manifest in his life a capacity for endurance, for suffering, for restraint, for self-control."- Shatford

Some tell us to " make it snappy". When in the military they used to say, " BE bright, BE brief, BE Gone" Isaiah 28:16 says , " He that believeth shall not make haste." ( not hurry, not be dismayed)

" Because we are not patient we lose a great deal of the joy and the glory and the real spiritual value of our living."- Shatford

In conclusion, we are human. We do not know what God is doing in a particular circumstance or situation. Sometimes it takes great patience to know what God wants us to do. We do not know what God is planting , and who is receiving His Word that bears fruit unto eternal life. Our position must be as Christ did---to sow the seeds of the Word and wait for the Holy Spirit to bring the results.

We need His patience as His good seeds are being sowed in hearts. We pray the devil will not have his way with people, but not all receive the Word on hearts of good ground. The deceitfulness of riches and the cares of the world choke out the Word.

Be patient and see what God will do in His soil.

 David D. Mc Millan ,  Pastor, & Chaplain (Major) US Army, ret.

 THE FAMILY ALTAR

November 12.

"Render, therefore, unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's,

and unto God the things that are God's." Matt. 22, 21.

Foremost among the many temporal blessings which our mer-

ciful God showered on the world in the Beformation we must prize

the separation of Church and State and the resulting restoration

to the civil powers of their God-given honor and authority. In the

words just read our Lord makes it the duty of every man to honor

both God and the civil government, rendering to each what is

their due. But before the rise of the Beformation, the Pope claimed

to be the sole possessor of both powers, of the powers of Church

as well as of State. Kings and civil magistrates were held to be

his vassals whom he could depose from office at pleasure if they

refused to obey his mandates. What terrible wars resulted from

this arrogance of the Pope the history of the Middle Ages tells us.

From the Bible Luther taught the Christian world God's clear and

holy will regarding this vital question, too; and our forefathers

boldly defend civil government in Article 16 of our Augsburg Con-

fession as an ordinance of God, teaching that "Christians are nec-

essarily bound to obey their own magistrates and laws, save only

when they command to do any sin; for then they ought to obey

God rather than men. Acts 5, 29." The separation of Church and

State which we enjoy in this country is the very bedrock of our

American liberty and independence. But it cannot be denied that

lawlessness and dangerous anarchism is spreading about us on all

sides. Why is this? Because the fear of God and obedience to

His holy Law to such a large extent has vanished in our country.

Our sacred religious liberty, as well as our civil liberty and peace

are threatened in these evil days because so many of our American

people no longer believe in and uphold the Biblical doctrine of

the separation of Church and State. We need to pray for our

government, therefore, every day.

O merciful Father in heaven, who holdest in Thy hand all the might

of man, and who hast ordained the powers that be for the punishment of

evil-doers and for the praise of them that do well, and of whom is all rule

and authority in the kingdoms of the world: we humbly beseech Thee,

graciously regard Thy servants, the President of the United States, the

Governor of this Commonwealth, our Judges and Magistrates, and all the

rulers of the earth. May all that receive the sword, as Thy ministers, bear

it according to Thy commandment. Enlighten and defend them by Thy

name, O God. Grant them wisdom and understanding, that under their

peaceable governance Thy people may be guarded and directed in right-

eousness, quietness, and unity, and that we, with them, may show forth the

praise of Thy name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.