Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 4

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - ASSEMBLING TOGETHER

 ASSEMBLING TOGETHER

In the book of Hebrews there is this statement:

[N]ot forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, 

as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

(Hebrews 10:25)

The above states very clearly that we should assemble together to help and support one another regularly and even more so as we see potentially the end of the age approaching. But in reality, the opposite seems to be happening. According to many news sources, church attendance in Canada is steadily dropping. CTV news has reported that only about 11% of Canadians attend church weekly, down from 67% after WWII and 30% in 1996. The Bible did also say that you should not be deceived for:

…that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, 

and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…

(2 Thessalonians 2:3)

Humans have no problems filling stadiums for sporting events or concerts and expending large sums of money in doing so, but it often seems to be too much to go a few blocks to get together as a church body. There seems to be the idea that we can do the same by watching TV or doing whatever virtually rather than coming out of our homes and gathering as a group. Certainly, at times doing events on the internet can be beneficial, but it is not the same any more than attending a concert virtually replaces the in-person event.

But it is not only religious services that have changed, people often won’t leave their homes for goods, nor will schools be open if the weather is any ways inclement. Although there may be good reason for this, it may also indicate a tendency towards isolationism and the resultant increased social and mental problems. It wasn’t too long ago that people would walk miles to go to church or school and in all types of weather. As I mentioned before, persons in Minudie, N.S.* would walk for miles, carrying their shoes because of their value, just to attend Sunday services.

And as for school, well, before there were buses all children walked to school - winter or summer. It was just the thing to do. And still in many places, where people are not as fortunate as we are here, children still undertake great hardships just to get the education that we take for granted. In 1994, it was reported that 10 children, because of the carnage in Rwanda, walked through Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, without money, begging and stealing as needed, fording rivers and avoiding animals and eventually, after 2400 km, coming to South Africa. Why? The Refugee Center on the outskirts of Johannesburg reported that:

 

They were finished. All they had was what was on them. 

They came all this way to go to school.**

One of the group said:

[I]n Zimbabwe they told me to try South Africa. 

It was rich and I could study.**

It’s the desire to become educated and to study that drives people to do extreme things such as this. It’s also the desire to know God that drives people in Indonesia to go to church, causing them to have the highest church attendance on earth at 91.8% in 2018.***

It seems that the desire to obtain a secular education, or to know the Word of God, is not as great in the Western World as it once was. And perhaps, in part, that is why we have as many problems as we evidently do.

It certainly is enough to give one something to think about.  

*Something to Think About - Sept 13, 2020

**Rwandans trek 2,400 km to safety in South Africa by Alec Russell - The Chronicle-Hearld, Wednesday, October 5, 1994

***Church Attendance - Wikipedia

Rev. Roxann Spicer - April 28, 2024.

Church Service April 28, 2024

 

Please join us for our service this evening as the Rev. Roxann Spicer brings us a message from the Word of God.

Roxann and husband John will lead the worship.

The service will begin at 6 PM at the Hillside Community Hall 27 Chance Harbour Rd.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 3

Dr. Barcly with Something to Think About - JUSTIFICATION

JUSTIFICATION

    According to the dictionary, justification in theology refers to that act of God whereby humankind is made or accounted just, or free from guilt or penalty of sin.* In other words, it is the means by which we are made right with God. Although it is often stated that we are made right with God through faith…

Therefore, having been justified by faith, 

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… 

(Romans 5:1)

…there are, in fact, seven different statements in Scripture about our justification by God.**

In fact, Scripture states very clearly that we are, indeed, justified by God.

 

It is God who justifies. 

(Romans 8:33)

In addition, the Bible says that we are

…justified freely by His grace 

through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

(Romans 3:24)

All of this is possible because of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ and, therefore, the Bible also indicates that we:

now [having] been justified by His blood… 

…[and] saved from wrath through Him.

(Romans 5:9) 

It was accounted to him [Abraham] for righteousness. 

[B]ut also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him 

who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 

who was delivered up because of our offences, 

and was raised because of our justification. 

(Romans 4:22,24-25)

And as previously noted, Romans 5:1 states that we have been:

   

justified by faith

But it appears that it is not only by the above that we can achieve a degree of justification, even though the Bible indicates that it is primarily by faith that salvation is obtained. In Matthew it says:

“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” 

(Matthew 12:37) 

And again in James it states:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works 

when he offered Issac his son on the altar?

You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 

…was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works 

when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

(James 2:21,24-25)

Just another example indicating that salvation may be by faith…

For by grace you have been saved through faith… 

(Ephesians 2:8)

…but it may take more than faith alone for one to be justified and made right with God.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, 

so faith without works is dead also. 

(James 2:26)

And that should be something for us all to think about.

*dictionary.com

**Adapted from Romans Volume 2 God’s River Chapter 1 Pg 9-16 by Donald Grey Barnhouse  

     

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 2

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE LOST

THE LOST

Many people are familiar with the Parable of the Prodigal Son, as found in the book of Luke, chapter 15. But not nearly as familiar are the Parables of the Lost Coin and the Lost Sheep, found immediately preceding the Parable of the Lost Son in the same chapter. There is an interesting difference between the three stories, all three of which were for the benefit of the tax collectors, Pharisees, and scribes who were gathered near Him.

Jesus told about the parable of the Lost Sheep this way:

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, 

if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, 

and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” 

(Luke 15:4)

He told them that the man who has found that one lost sheep, goes home thankful and rejoicing because he has found it.

In a like manner, Jesus related the story of a woman who lost a coin and who diligently sweeps and cleans the house until the coin is found and then is thankful and rejoices because her money has been reclaimed.

Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost. 

(Luke 15:9)

And then there is the story of the Lost Son who wanted his inheritance and afterward, left into a far land where worldly living and unscrupulous friends soon left him destitute and homeless. Then it is said that:

I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, 

“Father, I have sinned before heaven and before you…” 

(Luke 15:18)

So he has to return to his father of his own volition. The father does not in this case go after his son. But when the son returns, the father is the first to notice and go to meet him.

Sheep are considered to be animals which are easily led, heedless and incapable of finding their way alone. Once lost they are essentially doomed unless the shepherd goes to find them. The coin, of course, is inanimate and incapable of anything. But humans are capable of making their way and making decisions based upon their circumstances. It is unfortunate that we often have to reach the lowest point possible before we decide to return to the Father. But even then, the story indicates that it is never too late and that He is always ready and eager to run to us and welcome us back into His arms. What cannot do or fend for itself must be sought out, but for those with free will, the initial decision must be theirs. And once that decision is made, the Father is right there.

All belong to God whether at times seems that way or not. There is a need and desire to search for those who may be lost. But there also remains a degree of personal responsibility for situations in which some people find themselves, and a true desire to return to their Father who is always there for them.   

Always something to think about.

Matthew Trott April 14, 2024

Service Sunday April 14th at 6 PM

 

Master's Hand Ministry will be having a service this Sunday April 14th at 6 PM at the Hillside Community Hall 27 Chance Harbour Rd.

Matthew Trott will bring us a message from the Word of God.

Jasmine Trott will be leading worship.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Books of Thessalonians Part 1

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - TO BE ENCOURAGED

 TO BE ENCOURAGED

We have just finished the study of the book of Daniel. It’s easy to get caught up in the story of the man who was taken captive at a young age from his home in Jerusalem, and forced to spend the rest of his life in captivity in a foreign land - Babylon. It’s also not hard to get wrapped up in the prophecies God gave him and to miss some of the basic themes of the book, including the constant presence of God’s sovereignty and the constant need of man’s obedience.

By understanding these two principles, Daniel rose to the highest level of government in both the Babylonian and the Mede-Persian empires, without ever losing his faith and duty to his God. In so doing, he left us with four means by which we should be encouraged.

We must always be encouraged to be realistic. Following God will likely not be easy or simple. There may be difficult times and dangerous periods when staying true may be a formidable task. In spite of his position as a slave and the possible difficulties involved, Daniel 

…purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…
(Daniel 1:8)

And so, remained faithful to God in spite of the circumstances in which he found himself.

We are also encouraged to remain cheerful and optimistic, regardless of the circumstances which envelope us. In spite of his surroundings, Daniel never seemed to let his situation get the best of him. It was said of Daniel and his friends that:

 

…in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, 

he found them ten times better than all…who were in his realm. 

(Daniel 1:20)

And King Belshazzar, when he summoned Daniel said:

“I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, 

and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.” 

(Daniel 5:14)

Thus, despite the realism of his captivity, Daniel remained in good spirits and cooperative with his superiors throughout his stay in the foreign lands.

In addition to this, we are also encouraged to remain full of faith. Daniel never stopped his life of prayer even though his circumstances never appeared to change.

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. 

And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, 

he knelt down on his knees three times that day, 

and prayed and gave thanks before his God, 

as was his custom since early days. 

(Daniel 6:10)

Even when the angel told him that much of the vision he had received would take place far in the future, he, in spite of his own lack of understanding, did not appear to waver in his faith.

…for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days. 

(Daniel 12:13)

We, therefore, are encouraged to always be willing to teach and proclaim God’s word to others.

…those who turn many to righteousness 

[shall shine] like the stars forever and ever.

(Daniel 12:3)

As Jesus Himself said:

“…Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” 

(Mark 16:15)

Daniel survived his situation and lived his life in captivity while continuing to follow these principles. In the days we’re in, and as dark as they sometimes seem, these are principles we should all continue to think about.  

    

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Daniel Part 23

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE TRUTH

 THE TRUTH

“What is truth?”

Pilate is reported to have posed the above question at the trial of Christ in Jerusalem and as recorded in John 18:38. It is a question that many have pondered over the years, especially as it pertains to the subsequent crucifixion and then resurrection of Jesus. Did such events truly take place or was it all a deception as some religions and many people believe? Does it really make any difference whether Christ arose from the dead or is it enough to just believe that He did? After all, many believe that the truth is simply what is right for you; and if it works for you then that is essentially your truth. So much of a story can be changed by the way one looks at it, and by the bias of the one writing it.

But the universe does not work that way. There are specific laws that are true whether or not we agree or desire them. The Law of Gravity exists, although we can modify it by special  means, and if you don’t think it applies to you, just try jumping off a tall building. The Law of Thermodynamics is similar, and although modifications can be made, deterioration develops in everything whether we like it or not. And if you don’t believe in the Laws of Motion - well, try  standing in front of an oncoming train.

The point is that universal truths exist and the evidence for those truths exist whether we like it or not. We must accept the evidence or receive the consequences of our denial. So this is the weekend in which we remember the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. There is considered to be more evidence for that event than for any other event in ancient history but many still deny its reality.  

J. Norman Dalrymple Anderson was a dean of the faculty of law at the University of London, chairman of the Dept. of Oriental Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and Director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in the University of London. He stated:

The evidence for the historical basis of the Christian faith, 

for the essential validity of the New Testament witness to the person 

and teaching of Christ Himself, for the fact and significance of His atoning death, 

and for the historicity of the empty tomb and the apostolic testimony of the resurrection, 

is such as to prove an adequate foundation for the venture of faith.*

There are multiple other sources which corroborate the above statement and indicate firmly that there is a truth to the crucification and resurrection which is as basic as the Laws of Physics and not subject to individual whims or desires. It is a fact which must be either accepted as is or rejected, and that is up to each individual. But as Paul put it:

 

…if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty…

For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 

And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 

Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable.

(1Corinthians 15:13-18)

But now Christ is risen from the dead, 

and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 

For since by man came death, 

by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 

For as in Adam all die, 

even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

(1Corinthians 15:20-22)

Christ said, in John 14:6, that He was “the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” If what was said about Him is true, then what He says should also be true and that does give one a lot to think about.

*The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict - Josh McDowell, page 219.