As instructed by our Lord, we gather together each week to break bread, a privilege for which we should be truly thankful.
After Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jews scattered, the early believers met in the catacombs (a network of tunnels under the city) and in other secret places for fear of the Romans who sought them out, tortured and killed them During the early reign of Constantine, the believers enjoyed a short interval of peace Soon, however, they were being persecuted by the followers of Catholicism We can re call what Paul said in 2nd Thessalonians 2:7-8 ‘ For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way And then shall that Wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming”
The believers down through the centuries had to endure this apostasy, as well as the superstitions of the Dark Ages After the Reformation, when there was a revival of the truth, living conditions became increasingly better for a believer, especially in the English speaking countries, and today we need have no fear of physical persecution on account of our belief This being the case, and living as we do amid all the pleasures and cares of this world, let us ask ourselves a searching question If conditions should change and we were called upon to suffer and give our lives for what we believe, would we be prepared to do so? Would we say without hesitation “Lord, I am prepared, Thy will be done?” Or would we disown our brothers and sisters and deny the Lord?
How closely are we knit to this world ? Are our ties such that we cannot break them? Is our belief in God superficial, or do we worship Him inwardly, from the heart? Can God depend upon us to serve Him throughout the week, or do we think of Him only on Sunday morning? We must ask ourselves these questions and be honest in our answers This is the time to correct our wrong doing, for the books will be closed and the door shut when Jesus comes We must live as though we are in the world but not of it This sounds like an impossibility in these fast moving, modern times, but if we tend to be care less and cling to the world, our eternal riches may be taken from us. We can very easily be lulled into a state of insensibility because we are not undergoing the bloody persecution of those before us What recourse have we? Can we remain faithful unto the end’ We must hold fast to the commandments of Jesus, every hour and every minute of our lives If we keep God in mind always we will be less likely to make mistakes which we are more inclined to do when we are tired or enduring a frustrating experience We are endeavoring to live a spiritual life, but we have a human body with which we must always contend For our corn fort, we know that God understands our weaknesses, and if we are earnestly staying to overcome them, He will hear us when we earnestly pray for help “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation the spirit Indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak ” (Matthew 26 41) The life we live today is a test to see if e can remain loyal and faithful to God.
In addition to the parables of Jesus which instruct us, we have many writers of the New Testament who built upon the foundation of the New Covenant In Mat thew 25 35, 36 we have a good lesson Jesus is speaking about His second coming when all will be gathered in front of Him for the purpose of separating the sheep from the goats He says (to the righteous). For I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in Naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me” When the righteous ask Him when these things tool place, the King will answer ‘ Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it un to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (verse 40) This shows the bond that exists between Jesus and ourselves.
Perhaps at times we have a tendency to accuse our brother or find fault with him when he is not present When we say these things, Jesus or the Elohim who look after us know that we who are so anxious to criticize our brother are a long way from perfection ourselves Can we not see the point? Let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6 10) Paul states in Romans 14:11-13 “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God Let us not therefore judge one another any more but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way ‘ We must forgive if our sins are to be forgiven.
Paul further says I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service And be not con formed to this world, but be ye trans formed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1,2).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One