Bits and Pieces – 58th Edition – April 11, 2021

Some people and religions present God as some sort of divine tyrant whose anger is never appeased.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The God of the Bible is just, but also is loving, merciful, and long-suffering.  And He can be pleased [1 Corinthians1:21].  A close examination of Scripture will reveal that His pleasure rests in His Son, our Saviour.

He is pleased with the person of Christ.  He could say, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”  [Matthew 3:17].  The heavenly Father is pleased with the plenitude of Christ for Paul reminds “it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell” [Colossians 1;19].  He is also pleased with the purity of Christ because the sinless Jesus was able to say, like no earthly son, “I do always those things that please Him” [John 8:29].

We see the amazing love of God to sinners when we realize that He is pleased with the passion of Christ.  Isaiah records [53:10] “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him.”  God is also pleased with the people of Christ for we are told “it hath pleased the Lord to make you His people”  [1 Samuel12: 22],  

We are reminded that God is well pleased with the preaching of Christ [1 Corinthians 1:21].  Do you sometimes feel that your labour is in vain? Do you feel ineffective as you preach and teach His truth?  Be encouraged today, for it pleases God “by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”  The Father is pleased when His Son is preached.

Paul encouraged young Timothy to give himself to reading.  [1 Timothy 4:13].  Of course, the main thrust of the Christian’s reading should be the Bible.  But there are many worthwhile volumes that will challenge your life, mind, and soul.  During the lockdown, there will be many opportunities to catch up on our reading.  You know what they say, “Anybody who does not read, won’t be read.”

One modern author I picked up recently is Eric Metaxas, and his Amazing Grace, which is a biography of William Wilberforce who fought for years against slavery.  Wilberforce was a British parliamentarian and a committed Christian.  He was friends with the Wesleys, John and Charles, George Whitefield, John Newton (hence the title Amazing Grace). They were an encouragement to Wilberforce.

A more recent book by Metaxas is his excellent life of Martin Luther – well worth the read.

Is there any greater time thief in the world than television? (Add now cell phones to the list). – Ed).  Its dramatic offerings are increasingly unsavoury.  Its news coverage is ever more blatantly biased yet numbers of Christians succumb to TVs addictive powers.  TV’s influence is progressive.

The more you watch, the more you want to watch.  The more you want to watch, the more you tolerate,  the more you imitate.  Ultimately, television takes much more than time.  [Beneth Jones in the Canadian Revivalist]

Certain good Christians look upon the Lord’s day as a season so solemn that it can only be properly kept by being as miserable as possible.  Drawdown the blinds, darken the room, chide the children, banish every smile: now we are getting sabbatic.

This is not the teaching of our Master.  The Sabbath should be, “a day most calm, most bright,” fit to be called “the endorsement of supreme delight.

It is a time of the singing of the birds, for the winter of our Lord’s humiliation is over and He has risen from the dead; today we celebrate the glory in the highest heavens, as the elect of God and the cornerstone of His church: Surely it ill becomes us to go about with our hands upon our knees as if we mourned His victory and grudged His honour.

No, let us clap our hands with exaltation.

“The Lord reigneth: let the earth rejoice.”

The whole province of Ontario was placed under a stay-at-home lockdown again on Thursday.  Everything except essential services is shut down.  Food and medical provisions are open but, somewhat strangely, churches have been able to maintain last week’s level of restriction.  So the church will be open to 15% capacity on Sunday.

We shall also continue our Sunday services on sermonaudio at 11.00am and 6.30pm with prayer at 5.50pm on zoom. The Wednesday evening prayer meeting evening will continue on zoom at 7.30pm.