Bits and Pieces – 77th Edition – August 29, 2021

Sorry, I had no Bits & Pieces for you last week but I had a painful and unpleasant medical condition that put me out of action for some days.  Fortunately, things seem to be on the mend.  I do appreciate your prayers.

Tony Puccini was a godly, gracious man who was liked by all who knew him.  Sadly, he was taken from us on August 13^th at 91 years of age. He is survived by his loving wife, Grace, and children, Michael, Sharon, David, Elaine, Lisa and Brenda.  Please remember them in prayer at this sad time.

“The heathen shall know that I am the Lord”

These words, or their equivalent, occur some sixty-four times in Ezekiel.  This key theme in the prophecy speaks of the manifestation of the Lord in grace and glory.  God is going to make Himself known mightily among men.  It will be a revelation, epochal, consummate, and glorious.  The whole earth shall know it [38:23].

This is significant news for the Christian.  There is a progression in the Christian life.  Salvation is knowing the Lord.  After salvation, the child of God will want to know more of Him.  Paul, some thirty years on the road, testified that knowing the Lord more and more was his goal in life: “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection”  [Phil 3:10].  The believer anticipates that glad day, eclipsing all others when he will see Jesus. Now he sees through the glass darkly but then face to face.

What shall the coming of the Lord Jesus mean to me?  I shall know Him as never before.

This news is also significant for restored Israel.  How remarkable has been their history!  The patriarchs and the prophets knew God, as did some others, but on the whole, the nation did not.  At length, the Messiah came.  He first saw the light of day as an infant in the land.  He walked among the people, performed His wonders, and proclaimed His Word.  Yet they knew Him not.  They rejected Him and nailed Him to a tree.  What shall the coming of this Christ be, when men shall look on Him whom they have pierced when they shall know that He is the Lord?

Finally, this news is significant for the heathen, the wicked of the earth who have hated God, blasphemed His name, and abused His people.  All such have a discovery to make. They will find out at last who God is, but they will find out too late.  O Lord, let me truly come to know Thee now.  [Dr. John Douglas].

“It is better to be the elect of God than the elect of a whole nation”. [C. H. Spurgeon].

     Forty-five years ago, our fledgling church was in near panic.   We started on July 4, 1976, and had planned a two-week Gospel campaign with Dr. Paisley starting on September 12.  Unfortunately, we had nowhere to hold it.  Due to the ecumenical opposition, nobody was willing to rent us accommodation – and we tried many places!  There was one church in Riverside downtown that had an interesting sign – Christ is coming.  Call Jim!  We tried them, but with no response.

With just a week to Dr. Paisley’s arrival and the mission’s commencement, we were desperate.  Six days before the mission was due to start. I phoned Pastor Hubert Ryan to ask him if there was any way they could rent us the Riverside building?  He took our request to his board, and they voted 4 to 4.

But the Lord was good.  Hubert cast a vote to break the tie!  And so the vote was 5 to 4 in our favour.  We heaved a massive sigh of relief and began an immediate clean-up of the building – the gallery had not been used in years.  So we started the first night with about  600, and during the two-week mission, many souls came to the Lord.  Our grateful thanks still go out to Hubert Ryan for sticking his neck out on our behalf.  The Lord will bless him for his courage.

“Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob” Numbers 23:23

How this should cut up root and branch all silly, superstitious fears!  Even if there were any truth in witchcraft and omens, they could not affect the people of the Lord.  Those whom God blesses devils cannot curse.

Ungodly men, like Balaam, may cunningly plot the overthrow of the Lord’s Israel; but with all their secrecy and policy, they are doomed to fail.  Their powder is dry, the edge of their sword is blunted.  They gather together, but as the Lord is not with them, it is in vain. [C. H. Spurgeon]