B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #197
B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #197
I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’
July 29.2011
News – Pastor Mike Gurath has returned to Kenya to work. He reported:
I’m scheduled to head back to Kenya on July 18th with a return date of December 14th. You can expect the blog to be fully active upon returning to the work out in the field. Some highlights of this five month span will hopefully include:
– Expansion and Establishment of the School
– Drilling and Construction of a Well on the Church and School Property
– Completing the Mass Adult Instruction Class at the Church in Milimani
– Continuing to Assist Our CLC Seminary in Chotororo
CLC Mission Helpers have been in Nepal to assist in the HCLCN to teach the Word. Pastor Ohlmann led the group to serve the Lord there. They have now returned to the USA.
Called Home – Pastor John Victor of the BELC Koppedu District was called home by the Lord. He had suffered paralysis recently. Pray for his wife and two children. It is not death to die in the Lord.
PARABLES
The Five Brothers
Once five brothers decided to go out into the world to make their way. As they traveled they came to a kingdom. In this kingdom the king had no sons and he was waging a war against his enemies. He asked the brothers to help him. And he said that if they would help and won for him, he would make one of them king of the land after him. The five brothers agreed. Now their names were: Stumpy because he was sort of short and stout, Argumentative, Taller Than Others as he was the tallest, Treasurer and Little Brother since he was the youngest and shortest.
They fought and won so that the king asked who of them would be king. Stumpy said that Taller Than Others should be since he was the tallest. Argumentative said Little Brother should be since he could reign the longest being the youngest. And so they discussed among themselves who should be king but could come to no conclusion. Finally they decided that they would all rule together. Just as they had fought together and defeated the enemy, so they would work together to rule.
Now these five brothers are the fingers on your hand. Stumpy is your thumb. Argumentative is the index finger that you point at others when you argue. Taller Than Others is your middle finger. Treasurer is the finger you wear a ring on. And of course Little Brother is your little finger. Now just think how they work together and succeed. If you try to lift a chair with one finger, it is very hard. Even with two it is difficult. But when your whole hand grasps the chair you raise it easily.
This is the way it should be among us as Christians. When we work together and not vaunt one over another, we are successful. As we cooperate with one another, just like the fingers on your hand, a job is well done.
This is a story that children are taught in Myanmar. I have modified it though to make it into use for our Christian purposes
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End Time False Teachings
A WAR WITH GUNS, TANKS AND MISSILES
Some take passages on the warfare we will be waging in these last days and also use passages where nations are mentioned and picture us as the Christian church involved in a physical war with guns, and tanks and missiles with the capture of lands. The Lord Himself said though that His kingdom is not of this world, else would His servants fight. Jn. 18:36 The Lord’s disciples were mistaken also in asking Him prior to His ascension, “Will you at this time restore the kingdom?” Acts. 1:6 It is true that there will be wars and rumors of wars until the end of time. Mt. 24:6 The church as the kingdom of God is primarily involved in a spiritual warfare. It is not tanks, and guns and missiles, but righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. Rom. 14:17 It is a spiritual warfare and not a physical one.
“For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Eph. 6:12. Paul encourages us to take on the armor of God which is spiritual. The six pieces of the armor are clearly spiritual and for spiritual warfare for each piece is connected to the spiritual: truth, righteousness, Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. It is with this sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God which we use to wage the warfare.
“For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:3-5 Our goal is to win for Christ and not to destroy. Our aim is to advance the Gospel that the Spirit may usher more into the kingdom on God, which is Christ’s gracious rule of the heart.
When we study the visions of John in Revelation we see a warfare mentioned and pictured in symbolic ways. In Chapter 19:11-16 it is Christ on the white horse who leads us. In Rev. 16:16 the great battle we fight is the spiritual one with this wicked world allied with satan. In Revelation old nations which were enemies of God’s people are mentioned in the symbolism: Egypt, Sodom, Babylon. These are used to point up how the church has always had its enemies and will still have. But the kingdom in the end succeeds through the Word of God. Today there are still weak Christians who like the disciples at the ascension would earthify the church, “Will you at this time restore the kingdom?” They meant an earthly kingdom in their misdirection. The clear passages of Scripture point us through this life of tribulation to the heavenly kingdom.
Pastor Koenig