For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:3.
The evil servant says in his heart, “My lord delayeth his coming.” He does not say that Christ will not come. He does not scoff at the idea of His second coming. But in his heart and by his actions and words he declares that the Lord’s coming is delayed. He banishes from the minds of others the conviction that the Lord is coming quickly. His influence leads men to presumptuous, careless delay. They are confirmed in their worldliness and stupor. Earthly passions, corrupt thoughts, take possession of the mind. The evil servant eats and drinks with the drunken, unites with the world in pleasure seeking. He smites his fellow servants, accusing and condemning those who are faithful to their Master….
The advent of Christ will surprise the false teachers. They are saying, “Peace and safety.” Like the priests and teachers before the fall of Jerusalem, they look for the church to enjoy earthly prosperity and glory. The signs of the times they interpret as foreshadowing this. But what saith the Word of Inspiration? “Sudden destruction cometh upon them.” …
Men are putting afar off the coming of the Lord. They laugh at warnings. The proud boast is made, “All things continue as they were from the beginning.” “Tomorrow shall be as this day and much more abundant.” 2 Peter 3:4; Isaiah 56:12. We will go deeper into pleasure loving. But Christ says, “Behold, I come as a thief.” Revelation 16:15. At the very time when the world is asking in scorn, “Where is the promise of his coming?” the signs are fulfilling. While they cry, “Peace and safety,” sudden destruction is coming. When the scorner, the rejecter of truth, has become presumptuous; when the routine of work in the various money-making lines is carried on without regard to principle; when the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but his Bible, Christ comes as a thief.
The Faith I Live By p. 342
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Prayer Requests
—-Urgent prayer request for the Fuste family that was just in a bad accident. Rob is in critical condition. Diane
—-Asking prayers for someone dear to my heart who was just diagnosed with cancer. Rhonda
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago, Ron and I were at a local lake and were watching the boats on the water. We noticed a little girl trying to water-ski. That water-skier was small, only about 8 or 9, and this obviously was her first time trying to ski. She had all the right equipment and the will to learn, but things just were not going too well for her. The little girl was doing everything right and was getting up fine, but she could not stay up.
As we watched her futile attempts, we soon realized that the fault lay with the person driving the boat. Each time this tiny girl got up, he would put the boat into full power. This caused her to become off balance. She did not have the strength to stay in the proper position against that powerful motor. She looked like a flag flapping in the wind behind the boat until she would finally lose her grip. Over and over again she tried, but eventually she gave up without success. What was said to her when she got into the boat, we could not tell; but we hoped that she was encouraged to try another day. We could only hope that she was not faulted for her inability.
Just as the man behind the wheel in that boat needed to find the right balance between too much and too little power, so do we. In our zeal for witnessing, we often try to share with others the truth that they need, but we show them too much too fast and all we accomplish is turning them away. Our motives are right, but our approach is all wrong. We do not naturally possess the wisdom to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matt 10:16 We must have the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We must possess the wisdom that comes only from Above. James tells us, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5
Our Great Creator is the source of all power, all wisdom. He has promised to give us the amount we need if we will ask and believe that we receive. James continues, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” vs 6,7
God’s Holy Word teaches that in witnessing as well in study, “precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Isa 28:10 As we search and share God’s message, we continuously build upon the foundation. We do not build all at once, but a little at a time. As we are building, we must make sure that Jesus is the Cornerstone in all that we share.
How vital that we don’t just give information alone. A head knowledge without a heart knowledge is useless. In fact, it is worse than useless: it can cause as much imbalance as that tiny water-skier was experiencing. How can we find that balance? Only by God’s Holy Spirit flowing through us. Jesus has assured us, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:9-13
Our Dear Saviour longs to impart His Spirit to us that we may bring the message He has for these last days to all around us. All we have to do is ask and believe that we receive, then act upon that belief by going forth in the strength of ” the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.” Eph 6:10-18
Rose

The Criers of Peace