Gladness and Singleness of Heart<\/p>\n
“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking<\/p>\n
bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and<\/p>\n
singleness of heart. ” (Acts 2:47). Gladness means good cheer, joy,<\/p>\n
mirth, gladness of heart. I do not know of anybody who does not want<\/p>\n
gladness to be the characteristic of their life. But there will be no<\/p>\n
gladness without “singleness of heart.” Single as opposed to double.<\/p>\n
When the aim of your heart is single; the glory of Christ….you will<\/p>\n
necessarily have gladness. It can be none other. But when your interests<\/p>\n
are divided, un-gladness is sure to follow! Remember, \u201cNo servant can<\/p>\n
serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other:<\/p>\n
or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve<\/p>\n
God and mammon” (Luke 16:13).<\/p>\n
Todd Nibert<\/p>\n
A Credible Witness<\/p>\n
Criminal investigators learn that a false witness will describe the<\/p>\n
facts in great detail, in a logical, chronological, precise manner. A<\/p>\n
true witness will not be as precise but will include the senses of<\/p>\n
experience: their sorrow\u2014has the prick of the Holy Spirit made you<\/p>\n
mourn?; the taste\u2014have you tasted that the Lord is gracious?; the<\/p>\n
smell\u2014have you smelled the myrrh, and cassia of Christ’s garments; the<\/p>\n
touch\u2014has his hand settled you comfortably in the full assurance that<\/p>\n
Christ is able to keep you? We do not put our hopes in feelings or<\/p>\n
religious experiences but the believer’s witness is not in dead facts<\/p>\n
but from seeing the Person. It is his power that exercises our senses to<\/p>\n
discern both good and evil, the Person from mere facts. The believer is<\/p>\n
a credible witness!<\/p>\n
Clay Curtis.<\/p>\n
THE APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE<\/p>\n
Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and<\/p>\n
fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.<\/p>\n
What is the Apostle\u2019s doctrine? 1 Tim 6:3 If any man teach otherwise,<\/p>\n
and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus<\/p>\n
Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness. The<\/p>\n
Apostle\u2019s doctrine was \u201ceven the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d What<\/p>\n
is our doctrine? Church tradition (1 Peter 1:18)? The commandments of<\/p>\n
men (Matt. 15:9)? Have we concocted a set of doctrines that reflect our<\/p>\n
depraved sense of justice, or is it thus saith the Lord? Do we trust our<\/p>\n
\u201cinterpretation\u201d of the Bible or believe God?<\/p>\n
How important is doctrine? The books of Timothy are the old and wise<\/p>\n
Apostle, teaching and exhorting the young preacher Timothy regarding the<\/p>\n
ministry, and the word \u201cdoctrine\u201d is in his letters to Timothy twelve<\/p>\n
times. (1 Tim 4:16) Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine;<\/p>\n
continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt oth save thyself, and<\/p>\n
them that hear thee.<\/p>\n
Doctrine is not salvation, Christ is salvation, but you are not saved<\/p>\n
without doctrine. Some say things like, don\u2019t preach doctrine, just<\/p>\n
preach Christ. This is like saying, don\u2019t get in the water, just swim.<\/p>\n
Doctrine means \u201cteaching.\u201d Christ said, (Matt. 11:29) Take my yoke upon<\/p>\n
you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall<\/p>\n
find rest unto your souls. For you to learn of Christ, someone is going<\/p>\n
to have to teach you.<\/p>\n
What is it to continue in the doctrine? They continued to hear it. God\u2019s<\/p>\n
sheep don\u2019t ever tire of hearing the truth. We are diligent seekers of<\/p>\n
and lovers and students of the truth. What could be better, more<\/p>\n
interesting, more profitable, more enjoyable than the truth of God in<\/p>\n
Christ? Truth never changes, like God Who is truth, it is immutable.<\/p>\n
They continued to learn it and pursue it. Acts 17:11 These were more<\/p>\n
noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with<\/p>\n
all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those<\/p>\n
things were so. They continued to embrace it. They were steadfast and<\/p>\n
were not carried about with every wind of doctrine. (Eph. 4: 14) That we<\/p>\n
henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about<\/p>\n
with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning<\/p>\n
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. They continued to walk<\/p>\n
in it. \u201cAdorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things\u201d (Tit. 2:10).<\/p>\n
If we truly believe what we say we do, we will act like it. Many in<\/p>\n
studying the word of God make separation between what is called the<\/p>\n
doctrinal and the practical teachings of scripture. They can be<\/p>\n
distinguished, but not be separated. Every truth taught, and learned,<\/p>\n
affects the walk of those taught.<\/p>\n
We do emphasize that a man can know doctrine, and believe all the things<\/p>\n
that we believe, and miss Christ. But, I believe, by far more to the<\/p>\n
point in my generation, is that men and women cannot believe on the<\/p>\n
Christ, of whom they have not heard (Rom. 10:14).<\/p>\n
Chris Cunningham.<\/p>\n
If God is sovereign is man responsible<\/p>\n
Yes. I do not understand how God is absolutely sovereign, the first<\/p>\n
cause of everything, yet I do neither more nor less than what I want to.<\/p>\n
My actions are mine. I do not understand how both of those things are<\/p>\n
true, but they are. An if you do not believe in both God\u2019s absolute<\/p>\n
sovereignty and man\u2019s complete responsibility, in reality you believe<\/p>\n
neither.<\/p>\n
A belief in God\u2019s absolute sovereignty and man\u2019s complete responsibility<\/p>\n
is essential in a sinner asking for mercy. You have never asked for<\/p>\n
mercy until you see you are in the hands of a sovereign God and you have<\/p>\n
no control. If you fail to see your own responsibility for your actions,<\/p>\n
you become a victim of God\u2019s sovereignty. You will not truly ask for<\/p>\n
mercy when it is not your fault. But when you see that you are in the<\/p>\n
hands of an absolute Sovereign, and that all your sin is all your fault,<\/p>\n
then and only then will you sue for mercy.<\/p>\n
Todd Nibert<\/p>\n
The Remembrancer of CHRIST JESUS<\/p>\n
“Reader! here is one of the sweet offices of GOD the HOLY GHOST,<\/p>\n
particularly endeared to us. You, and I, are forgetful of divine things.<\/p>\n
JESUS saith, that the HOLY GHOST shall bring all things to our<\/p>\n
remembrance, whatsoever he himself hath said unto us, John 14:26. And<\/p>\n
shall not you and I look up to that gracious, and loving Teacher, and<\/p>\n
say, LORD! be thou the Remembrancer of CHRIST JESUS; that none of his<\/p>\n
precious words, and the glorious things belonging to his Almighty<\/p>\n
Person, and offices, may at any time slip from our minds?” -Robert Hawker<\/p>\n
Commonest Things Blessed<\/p>\n
Ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy<\/p>\n
water. (Exodus 23:25)<\/p>\n
What a promise is this! To serve God is in itself a high delight. But<\/p>\n
what an added privilege to have the blessing of the Lord resting upon us<\/p>\n
in all things! Our commonest things become blessed when we ourselves are<\/p>\n
consecrated to the Lord. Our Lord Jesus took bread and blessed it;<\/p>\n
behold, we also eat of blessed bread. Jesus blessed water and made it<\/p>\n
wine: the water which we drink is far better to us than any of the wine<\/p>\n
with which men make merry; every drop has a benediction in it. The<\/p>\n
divine blessing is on the man of God in everything, and it shall abide<\/p>\n
with him at every time.<\/p>\n
What if we have only bread and water! Yet it is blessed bread and water.<\/p>\n
Bread and water we shall have. That is implied, for it must be there for<\/p>\n
God to bless it. “Thy bread shall be given thee, and thy waters shall be<\/p>\n
sure.” With God at our table, we not only ask a blessing, but we have<\/p>\n
one. It is not only at the altar but at the table that He blesses us. He<\/p>\n
serves those well who serve Him well. This table blessing is not of debt<\/p>\n
but of grace. Indeed, there is a trebled grace; He grants us grace to<\/p>\n
serve Him, by His grace feeds us with bread, and then in His grace<\/p>\n
blesses it. C.H.Spurgeon. (faith’s checkbook)<\/p>\n
The Gospel In Person – The Doctrine Of God<\/p>\n
Tommy Robbins<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated<\/p>\n
unto the gospel of God, (Which He had promised afore by His prophets in<\/p>\n
the holy scriptures,) Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord \u2026\u201d Romans<\/p>\n
1:1-3<\/p>\n
Before the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh the gospel of<\/p>\n
God was in promise by oath, or covenant, Christ being the Surety and<\/p>\n
Substance of that promise – \u201cWho hath saved us, and called us with an<\/p>\n
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own<\/p>\n
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world<\/p>\n
began\u201d 2Timothy 1:9.<\/p>\n
HE IS THE PROMISE of the gospel. The gospel and Christ are synonymous.<\/p>\n
He is the mystery of the gospel revealed to His people – \u201cBut we speak<\/p>\n
the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God<\/p>\n
ordained before the world unto our glory\u201d 1Corinthians 2:7. The<\/p>\n
preaching of the gospel is the declaration of Christ, Who has come into<\/p>\n
the world and effectually put away the sin of His people by the<\/p>\n
sacrifice of Himself.<\/p>\n
The Lord Jesus Christ IS the Good News. Make no mistake, if the message<\/p>\n
which we preach is not saturated, permeated, with the person of Christ,<\/p>\n
we have not preached THE GOSPEL. He is our doctrine! The Lord Jesus<\/p>\n
Christ is not revealed in the doctrine of God, the doctrine of God is<\/p>\n
revealed in HIM! If we preach the Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed in<\/p>\n
the scriptures our doctrine will be correct. Confused? Let me simplify<\/p>\n
it; \u201cWe preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and<\/p>\n
unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews<\/p>\n
and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God\u201d 1Co 1:23-24.<\/p>\n
The gospel is concerned with the Lord Jesus Christ, all He is, all He<\/p>\n
has done, and all He is doing. He has preeminence in all things. It is<\/p>\n
vital to be doctrinally correct. However, there is no correct doctrine<\/p>\n
apart from Christ our Lord. Whether one labels me as a Calvinist or not,<\/p>\n
is of no concern to me. I pray that it may be said of all who hear me,<\/p>\n
\u201cHe determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and<\/p>\n
Him crucified\u201d 1Corinthians 2:2.<\/p>\n
Bread or Poison?<\/p>\n
Clay Curtis<\/p>\n
Malachi 1:7: Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say,<\/p>\n
Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is<\/p>\n
contemptible.<\/p>\n
The next time you are baking a fresh loaf of homemade bread, mix in rat<\/p>\n
poison. Do you think you could obtain life by eating it? Why not, there<\/p>\n
will be good bread in each bite? The problem is that the whole loaf is<\/p>\n
contaminated by the poison. We would not even call such mixture bread,<\/p>\n
we would call it poison.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that the Pharisees used the good food of the<\/p>\n
scriptures. The Judaizers in Galatia even used that good name of Christ<\/p>\n
Jesus the Bread. They added many good ingredients of true doctrine. Yet,<\/p>\n
insisting there is something the sinner can do to make himself more holy<\/p>\n
than Christ does, they denied that God put away the sin of his people<\/p>\n
according to his holy justice; that he by himself justified each child<\/p>\n
whom he saves in the person of his Son; they sprinkled in the poison of<\/p>\n
man’s free will contaminating the whole. The apostle Paul called it,<\/p>\n
“another gospel.” The Lord called it, “the leaven of the Pharisees.”<\/p>\n
Believers call it poison.<\/p>\n
According to his word, a sinner can as soon expect life from eating rat<\/p>\n
poison as from eating such polluted bread. The Lord Jesus Christ saves<\/p>\n
in power, in righteousness and in truth or he does not save at all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gladness and Singleness of Heart “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. ” (Acts 2:47). Gladness means good cheer, joy, mirth, gladness of heart. I do not know of anybody who does not want gladness […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bulletin-editions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4258"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4260,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4258\/revisions\/4260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}