HELP FOR HOME LIFE - 5Moses' ParentsHere are some striking parallels linking the times in which Moses was born with our own times, and in their attitude and conduct under such severe testings, his parents have left an encouraging example for believing parents today. Looking back to those days, Stephen says in Acts 7:17 that it was "the time when the promise drew nigh", that is, the promise of national deliverance from Egypt, made to Abraham hundreds of years before. When we remember the promise of the Lord in John 14:3, and the conditions forecast in other scriptures for the last times, then we look at the nature and rapidity of developments on a global scale in our own times, the conviction is deepened within us that "coming of the Lord draweth nigh". It was also a time when Pharoah mounted a ruthless and determined attack against the little children who were born to the Israelites. Into the river Nile, the very source of the national life and prosperity of Egypt, Pharoah commanded that the infants must be cast, to the end that they might not live". Behind the increasing pressures and seductive influences in the world around us today, we can see the hand of the god of this age, the great deceiver of souls, so arranging them, that our little ones can be drawn, from a very early age, into that dark current of godlessness and self-pleasing that would drown them in eternal ruin. Although the immediate focus of the story is on Moses, we later learn that this was also the home of Aaron and Miriam, who both became persons of great influence for good among the people of God in their day, though not without their own personal failure. In view of this, we look with added interest at the things that are recorded of their parents. 1. Their marriage. "There went a man of the house of Levi and took to wife a daughter of Levi". As we have noticed in our earlier meditations, this was a sound beginning. Because of its far reaching significance in subsequent family life, we repeat the clear statement in 2 Cor.6:14, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers". Many are the deep sorrows that have been borne by believers who have by-passed this injunction and they can testify to the cost that has been added to many a step they would have taken in obedience to the Lord. 2. They acted together. There are three direct references to their actions in the Scriptures. In Exodus 2 it is Moses' mother who is the active figure, when Stephen refers to this incident in Acts 7 it is Moses' father that he mentions, then in Hebrews 11 the parents are mentioned together. From this it is obvious that his mother was not acting in mute response to the dictates of a domineering husband, nor in self-confidant independence, but like the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31, she used her initiative wisely as 'she looked well to the ways of her household' and 'the heart of her husband safely trusted in her'. This priceless blessing of unity and mutual confidence between husband and wife is the happy lot of couples who have a personal confidence in the Lord that is mutually shared, along with a united purpose of heart to please Him. 3. They acted in faith. Although the present circumstances and prospects were so dark, this couple believed God, and their faith in Him enabled them to see beyond the immediate threat. They believed that God would be true to His promise, and that He would bring them up out of Egypt to the land of Canaan at the appointed time. of course they had the wonderfully encouraging testimony of Joseph at his death about sixty four years earlier, when he gave commandment that he should not be buried in Egypt. "God will surely visit you" he said, " and ye shall carry up my bones from hence." Their faith in God delivered them from the fear of the king and governed their actions toward their new born son. 4. They thought of God's interest in their little infant. Each time we read of his birth we are told that Moses was a special child, but in Acts 7 Stephen adds that he was fair in the sight of God (Newberry and others). His parents evidently had the conviction that God had a special interest in their little son and that He had special purposes for him in later life. While most parents today would regard their new-born infant as very special, it is also true that God has a special interest in each one. The Lord Jesus teaches this clearly in Luke 18:15-1 7, and according to Matt. 18:10 He said, "In heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven." Again in v. 14 He said, "Even so it is not the will of your Father that one of these little ones should perish". 5. They eventually put Moses Into the river. The command of Pharoah was that he should have been thrown into the river at birth, but their faith in God caused them not to fear the king's command, and they hid him for three months. But then they could hide him no longer, the dread reality must be faced. He must be put into the river. The time comes in Christian homes today when the children must venture out into the stream of life around us, else, as Paul says in I Cor.5: IO, "we must needs go out of the world". But there is much to be learned from Moses' mother in the careful preparation she makes - the basket sealed to keep the water out - the lid for protection from the creatures of prey and the glare of the sun. Then she put the child therein, and laid it in the reeds beside the river's brink, not out into the main current. With his sister set to watch what would happen, all that loving parents could do was done, and the outcome must be left in the hands of the Lord. Whatever provision we make for the future of our children, let us see that it is sealed with the word of God and prayer. The Psalmist said, "By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer" (17:4). And again in Psalm 19:11, "Moreover by them is Thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward". 6. They witnessed the amazing intervention of the Lord. It has been well said that faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible. So it was with Moses' parents now. Surely the dramatic turn of events far exceeded their most optimistic expectations. Pharoah's daughter comes to wash at the river, she opens the basket, the babe weeps, her heart is touched, Moses' sister offers to bring a Hebrew nurse, and Moses is in his mother's arms again! Not only so, but she is paid from Pharoah's palace to nurse him. Christian parents, this God is our God, and Paul says, "He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us" (Eph.3:20). He is certainly able to open up a safe pathway for ourselves and our children if we trust in Him. The exact time that he was under his parent's care is not clear, but evidently they made good use of it, teaching him the fear of God, and their national hope of the coming Messiah. No doubt they often wondered what would become of him during his days in Pharoah's palace, where he grew to prominence, learned in all wisdom of the Egyptians. But their faith was amply rewarded when at the age of forty years, he refused to be called the son of Pharoah's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. The Lord knows the perplexities and anxieties that can arise in family life, but let us encourage young parents to take the words of Pharoah's daughter as a message from the Lord, "Take this child, nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages". - R.M. Goatley CONTINUE IN PRAYERMen ought always to pray, and not to faint. Luke 18:1.All our Lord's parables were given with a definite purpose, and in this context is a parable "to this end that men ought always to pray, and not to faint". The words are intended, it would seem, not so much for those who do not pray, but for those who pray, but do not continue in prayer. There is a special danger of yielding to the unbelieving suggestion that, if we have offered up our petition, it is enough. If the answer comes - well; but if not, it will not come because of our importunity. The parable, and our Lord's teaching in connection with it are directly opposed to such an unbelieving view. Here we are taught plainly that it is God's will that we should ask, and ask again. It is no proof that God does not hear us because the answer is delayed; nor is the delay a sign that the petition is denied. We must continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. Abridged CLOSING CHAPTERSTitus 3Paul’s Epistle to Titus, with its strong emphasis on both doctrine and practice, provides a fitting end to our current series of articles under the title of Closing Chapters. What a man believes should be matched by how he behaves. At no time were any of the apostolic churches models of perfection. We constantly need to remember this, lest we become discouraged with church conditions in our own times. The world, the flesh and the devil were just as real then as they are today, and the inroads of evil took many forms. Despite all the time that Paul himself had spent with the assembly at Ephesus, further teaching was still needed, so Timothy remained among them to "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine". Similarly, after he had laboured among the churches on the island of Crete, he felt the need for Titus to continue there and "set in order the things that are wanting" (1:5). Here we must understand that the note in our A.V. at the end of this epistle about Titus being "the first bishop of the church of the Cretians," is not part of the inspired text, and is totally misleading. Titus was expected to stay in Crete for a limited period only, leaving others to come and consolidate the work there (3:12). That work had reached the happy stage where some of the early converts had matured sufficiently to be recognised as elders and leaders in their assemblies. But there were serious problems also. First, the Cretans as a people were notorious for both lying and laziness: "The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies (lazy gluttons)". Hence the significance of Paul's words in 1:2, "The God that cannot lie;" also his repeated mention of "good works". Second, "vain talkers and deceivers" were active among the Christians, corrupting the Gospel message for the sake of personal gain. Though they stressed the law of Moses, and would have imposed it on the Gentile Christians, they were really lawless men themselves. "They profess that they know God," said Paul, "but in works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate". Such, then, is the background to the opening words of chapter 3 "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work". Human nature is such that men always want their own way, and rebel against restraints of any kind, whether divine or human. indeed a law forbidding something, only incites them to do it. Concerning London's famous Hyde Park, it is recorded that there was no desire on the part of the populace to hold meetings there "till an attempt was made to keep them out, and then, straightway, all the railings were pulled down, and the ground was carried by storm". In a world where lawlessness, often with violence, abounds on every hand, God still calls on His people to be gentle, showing all meekness to all men" (v.2.). The verses that follow call to mind the oft used phrase - "man's ruin and God's remedy". No Christian can ever afford to boast, for in his natural state he was not a whit better than others: "foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another". "Disobedient, deceived" - these words take us back to Eden's garden and the initial intrusion of sin into the world through our first parents. According to N.T. teaching it was Eve who was deceived, not Adam; his sin was an act of sheer, rank disobedience. "Hateful, and hating one another" - How relevant these words are when we think of Paul (the Jew) writing to Titus (the Gentile). What had dissolved that mutual hatred and enmity which they had inherited from birth, making them brothers in the Lord and co-workers in His service? Why, nothing short of "the love of God our Saviour" (v.4), which was manifested to us "through Jesus Christ our Saviour" (v.6). Earlier in the epistle God is twice referred to similarly as "our Saviour" (1:3, 2:10), and Christ twice also (1:4, 2:13). We notice too, the mention of the Holy Spirit in this section, so that the entire Trinity is involved in the work of salvation, making the slaves of Satan the heirs of God "according to the hope of eternal life" (v.7). Amazing grace! That work of grace involves both regeneration and sanctification, the first a single act, the second a process. This is substantially the same teaching as the Saviour Himself had given in John 13 concerning the BATH (regeneration) on the one hand, and the BASIN (sanctification) on the other. "The renewing of the Holy Ghost" recalls what is said in Romans 12:2 about the renewing of our minds for the service of God in a hostile world. The final section again stresses the intertwining of belief and behaviour. "They which have believed in God" must live accordingly and "maintain good works" (v.8). The same line of truth had already been propounded at the end of chapter 2. Christians are expected to "live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world", while looking beyond this world to the Saviour's return. They must behave as God's very own people, "zealous of good works". Having set forth what is "good" and "profitable" (v.8). Paul then warned Titus about things that are "unprofitable and vain" (v.9), foolish questions and controversies which will only sap the energies and waste the time of the Lord's servant. There is a limit to which one can go in trying to help men who develop obsessions in certain areas and cling doggedly to pet theories of their own. Of the four men mentioned at the end of the epistle, two are names found nowhere else in the Bible. in the course of these studies we have come across several other names, both male and female, with little or no information about their station in life or work for the Lord. What a thrill it will be to meet them in heaven and learn how each found Christ and then "served his own generation by the will of God". When Thy blood-bought church, Lord Jesus, is complete; W.P.W. McVey THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCHAND THE CHURCHESThe Churches - 33. Bishops, Priest and Deacons. (a) Bishops - The English word 'bishop' is derived from the Greek word 'episkopos' which literally means overseer. The overseer of the New Testament is a very different person from the ecclesiastical dignitary of Christendom. He is fitted by the Lord and is not elected by the church. His work is primarily spiritual and has to do with the care of souls. The word 'overseer' describes the nature of his work. The word 'elder' (Greek 'presbuteros') indicates the spiritual maturity that marks the man who seeks to care for the flock. The overseer is a guide or leader in the assembly. He must be blameless in character and life, see I Tim. 3 and Titus 1. His home life must be beyond reproach, for "if he know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of he church of God?" (I Tim. 3:5). The Scriptures also teach a plurality of overseers or elders in each assembly, see Phil. 1:1 and Acts 20:17. It is not one bishop over one church or a number of churches, but more than one bishop (at least) caring for the spiritual needs of each church. The work of an overseer is limited by the bounds of the assembly where he "labours in the word and doctrine". His advice may be sought, but he will be careful not to legislate in the affairs of an assembly of which he is not a member. The saints are enjoined in ]Thess. 5:12,13, to "know them who labour among them, and are over them in the Lord, and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake". The true elder will be recognised by his work among God's people and by his selfless service for them. There is no thought of an elder assuming dictatorial functions. He does his work among the flock, and he has this prospect that when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested, "he shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (I Peter 5:4). (b) Priests - The teaching of the New Testament is that all believers are priests unto God. (See I Peter 2:5,9). Believers are termed "a holy priesthood" because of the approach they have to God at a times, and a "royal priesthood" because of the testimony they are empowered to give to men. It is by the new birth that we are constituted priests. The believer is always a priest. In his individual life, in his home life, and in his assembly rife, he has the privilege of exercising his priestly functions "to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to' God through Jesus Christ" (I Pet. 2:5). (c) Deacons - This word is better rendered servant, or minister. It is important to notice that there are two types of deacon referred to in the New Testament. There is the deacon who serves in material things, and the one who serves in spiritual things. The former are appointed by the church and the latter by the Lord. It is reasonable that the church should have a voice regarding the men that handle its finances and attend to its business, but it is the Lord alone who can fit and call to the ministry of His Word, The qualifications of a deacon are found in 1 Tim. 3:8-13. They apply equally to both types of deacon referred to above. It will be noted that Phoebe is termed a deacon (Rom. 16: 1), i.e. she was a servant of the church at Cenchrea. The normal assembly will have a plurality of deacons as well as overseers (see Phil. 1: 1), and these will contribute to the effectiveness of the church. 4. The Christian Ministry. In the previous section it was noted that there are deacons who serve in things spiritual. These are the ministers of the Word, raised up by the Lord and fitted by the Spirit for the work of ministering to the Lord's people. There is a sense in which all service in the assembly is deacon work and it is emphasized that each member should be exercised about some service for the Lord and His people. it is clear, however, that all are not fitted to minister the Word publicly, and failure to recognise this fact has caused difficulty and confusion in many assemblies. Priesthood and ministry must not be confused. The former is the privilege of all; the latter is the responsibility of those who have received fitness from the Lord for such ministry. it is foolish to contend that all can minister publicly when it is patent that all are not fitted to do so. This applies equally to the preaching of the Gospel. It would be much more scriptural to use those w o have manifest fitness for the ministry than to persist with the foolish idea that every brother must have his turn. It is appreciated that there may be problems in small assemblies where there may be little gift. The answer in such circumstances would seem to be to make use of what gift is available and look to the Lord to raise up those who can help in the preaching and teaching of the Word. In Ephesians 4:7-16 the apostle sets out the subject of the Christian Ministry. The gifts referred to are given in consequence of the triumph of Christ in His ascension. The words read as follows: - "And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ". These verses cover the whole period in which the gifts would function from the commencement, when the work Jay in the hands of apostles and prophets, followed by the evangelists and the pastors and teachers, until the work is finished and the Lord returns. The compass of the gifts in this passage is very extensive and show the completeness of the provision made by the ascended Christ for the care and development of His body. The Christian Ministry should ever be regarded as a thing of dignity and honour and ought not to be reduced to the low level of entertainment. - G. Maclachian THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRISTHereby do we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments
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