------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vol 1 Issue 1 The Edifier Middlebury Chapel Spring 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- TESTIMONY Submitted by David Staley For the first issue of the "The Edifier" I felt it would be appropriate to interview a friend of mine. More than likely, you have heard of him, and possibly you know him personally. His name is Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. I pray the following will edify you. For some background information, Jesus was born in Bethlehem by Mary who was a virgin. Her husband Joseph was a carpenter by trade. God was Jesus' true Father as he too was God, God in the flesh. Jesus lived and was raised in Nazareth in the district of Galilee. He began his earthly ministry around the age of thirty years old in Capernaum, a town in Galilee. He did many miracles and wonders among the people, healing the sick, driving out demons, and preaching the kingdom of God. Please describe to our readers the reason you came to earth as a man. "Sure. To put it in a nutshell, I came to die for the sins of the world so that all have the opportunity to have a relationship with God, and receive eternal life." Could you tell of this purpose in detail? "Certainly I can. I'll start with the night before my crucifixion. That was very hard. I mean very hard. The disciples were becoming lazy and I was about to be betrayed to Judas." That was the one who betrayed you with a kiss? "Yes it was. I remember that after Judas betrayed me into the hands of the soldiers and guards of the high priests and Pharisees I was eventually taken and beaten." I know that although you came in the flesh you are also God. Did the torture hurt you? "The pain I felt was indescribable. I was physically beaten till by back was literally torn to shreds. My beard was pulled out by the roots, and I was treated like a whipping boy for all my tormentors fear and anger. It was practically sport for them." That is horrible. This action was endorsed by the religious leaders? "They wanted to kill me from the beginning of my ministry. But you see, this was part of the plan that the Father had laid out for me." It was awfully gruesome. "Yes it was. Today if they make a movie that graphically showed my torment at that point I'm sure it would be rated 'R' for violence and language. I wasn't the one speaking though. I did not speak or utter a single word. Like a lamb led to slaughter, if you will, but the shouts that were hurled at me were terrible. I mean...to hear the obscene shouts, the hatred...the lashings of the tongue were almost as unbearable as the fists and whips." It sounds like you were under a lot of stress to say the least. "Well remember that when you are going under pressure. Remember what I have gone through. Check out Hebrews chapter 12, verses 1-4. My friend John quoted me in the gospel he wrote where I stated the following when speaking of my death: 'Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father glorify you name.'" That is when the Father spoke from heaven. "Yes He said, 'I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.'" The Father glorified you so that you, His one and only Son could glorify Him by you obedience. Tell me, what is one of your favorite passages of scripture? "'Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.' That is in the third chapter of John verses 14-16. Actually, that whole section is good." When you say "lifted up" are you using that to illustrate the cross? "The cross...that is where I was led after the beating and mock trial. I was led up to the hill called the Skull. There I was nailed to a cross of wood and so "lifted up" before a jeering crowd. This by far was the most trying time of it all. On that cross I became the sacrifice for the sins of the world. The sins of you, you family and friends and of all the people of earth. I was then also that the Father who was with me always, who I had never been apart from turned away from me because I became sin. That was the hardest part of my whole life." That is why you cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" "Yes, but it had to happen to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah which proclaims 'He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Who happened then? "Well, later after I knew that all was completed I said ' I am thirsty' to fulfill the Scripture. I was given some wine vinegar put on a sponge on the stalk of a hyssop plant. Then I proclaimed 'It is finished' and I gave up my spirit to the Father and died." You remained in the grave for three days, but I'll let you tell what happened next. "I believe that a Scripture from the book of Peter puts it in simple truth. "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but make alive by the Spirit." Yes, you are alive! "Yes, I am and if anyone confesses with their mouth that 'Jesus is Lord' and believes in their heart that God has raised me from the dead they will be saved. For there is no other name under heaven by which man can be saved." Jesus, is there anything else in closing you would like to say? "When you accept me as Lord and Savior, your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. You will be with God for eternity. There is peace in that. You also receive the Holy Spirit, who will live in you and seal you till the Day of redemption. Also you become a part of the Church, the body of Christ, the Bride of Christ...To know that one day I would see my bride across from me at the bridal feast, and to exclaim as Adam did when he first saw Eve 'Flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone'!...Consider it pure joy. I did, and that is why I endured the cross. Set your eyes on me because if you are for me the promises I have established are yours. Prepare yourself to enter the promised land." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORDS TO LIVE BY submitted by Grant Luton When Christians study the Jewish faith, they gain a new appreciation for God's grace. The Jews are longing for what we already have. The question is: Do we realize what we have? The practicing Jew has a deep desire to please God, and he goes about it as best he knows how; namely by keeping commandments as they are recorded in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Can you guess how many commandments there are? If you said "ten", then you are off by only 603. The Jews have codified exactly 365 prohibitions ("do not's") and 248 mandatory commandments ("do's"), for a grand total of 613 commandments, or mitzvots as they call them. If you are surprised at this amount, you shouldn't be. Since God is interested in every area of our lives, He gives commandments regarding every facet of living. For example, if you ate a ham sandwich yesterday, then you broke commandment #173. Do you have a fence around the roof of your house? No? Then you are in violation of commandment #184. If you ever cut down a fruit tree then you violated commandment #57. These commandments may not seem to make a lot of sense at first, (and, as believers, we have been released from having to obey most of them) but they are all grounded in logic and a concern that God's chosen people live lives that set them apart from Gentiles. Through trying to keep 613 commandments is very difficult, even burdensome, it is in obeying them that the Jew maintains his identity. By obedience to the Law, he believes that his behavior and character align themselves with God's. But even the Jew realizes that there must be a better way of trying to please God. Read what the Talmud (the Jewish oral law) says about this and I think you will be surprised. Rabbi Simelai expounded, "Six hundred and thirteen commandments were given to Moses, three hundred and sixty-five negative ones,...and two hundred forty-eight positive commandments,...David came and reduced them to eleven: 'A Psalm of David: Lord, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle, and who shall dwell in thy holy mountain? (i) He who walks uprightly and (ii) works righteousness and (iii) speaks truth in his heart and (iv) has no slander on his tongue and (v) does no evil to his fellow and (vi) does not take up a reproach against his neighbor, (vii) in whose eyes a vile person is despised but (viii) honors those who fear the Lord. (ix) He swears to his own hurt and changes not. (x) He does not lend on interest. (xi) He does not take a bribe against the innocent.' (Ps 15). Isaiah came and reduced then to six: '(i) He who walks righteously and (ii) speaks uprightly, (iii) he who despises the gain of oppressions, (iv) shakes his hand from holding bribes, (v) stops his ear from hearing of blood (vi) and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil, he shall dwell on high.' (Isa 33:25-26). Micah came and reduced then to three: 'It has been told you, man, what is good, and what the Lord demands from you, (i) only to do justly and (ii) to love mercy, and (iii) to walk humbly before God.' (Mic 6:8) Isaiah again came and reduced them to two: 'Thus says the Lord, (i) Keep justice and (ii) do righteousness'. (Isa 56:1) Amos came and reduced them to a single one, as it is said, 'For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel. Seek Me and live.' Habakkuk further came and based them on one, as it is said, 'But the righteous shall live by his faith.' (Hab 2:4)." (Babylonian Talmud Makkot 24A-B) The Christian might add two more lines to this list: "Jesus came and based them on two, as He said, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind...and Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.' (Mt 22:37-40). Paul further came and reduced them to one: 'If there is any other commandment, it is summed up in the saying 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor, love therefore is the fulfillment of the law." (Rom 13:10-11) We can see from Amos, Habakkuk, Jesus and Paul, that the entire law can be summed up by: 1. Seeking after God 2. Walking by faith 3. Loving God and one's neighbor If you think about it, aren't all three of these really saying the same thing? To seek God, one must walk by faith; and a walk of faith is valid only if accompanied by love. ("If I have all faith,...but do not have love, I am nothing." I Cor 13:2b) And even these three are contained in the one imperative to "walk in the Spirit" ("...that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, who...walk according to the Spirit." Rom 8:4) But, we Christians must be careful lest we think that merely because our list is shorter, that it is less demanding. If the Jews' list of laws infiltrates 613 facets of their lives, then in how many areas of our lives must God's Spirit demand control? Six thousand? Six million? More? Jesus has given us a "yoke" that is easier, and a "burden" that is lighter than anything that the Jewish mind can conceive. But even so, our yoke and burden is far more demanding than a paltry 613 commandments could ever be. Our walk in the Spirit puts controls not only on our actions, but also on our very thoughts and attitudes. How can we ever meet such a lofty standard? By His GRACE! I don't know where a Jew gets his strength to keep 613 commandments, but ..."I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." By His indwelling Spirit we have a still small voice that gives direction. By His Word we have lamp for our feet and a light for our path. And by His joy and grace we have the strength to complete our journey. 'Arise and walk', the Law demands, But gives me neither feet nor hands. A better way His grace doth bring, It bids me fly, and gives me wings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOUTH PERSPECTIVE THE TONGUE: FRIEND OR FOE? by Tim Deck When most people think of a tongue, they think of that harmless little red muscle in our mouth that we use to talk with. Indeed, this description is partly true. However, the tongue is far from harmless. It is a very powerful instrument that, if not tamed, can bring upon us some very unpleasant things. I believe, in the history of mankind, that the tongue has gotten us into more trouble than any other part of the body. The words "lips", "mouth", and "tongue" occur in the Bible a total of 672 times in a total of 641 verses. Obviously, the Lord has a lot to say about this "harmless" little muscle. According to Proverbs 18:21, the tongue has control over two very important things: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." Notice also Proverbs 13:3: "He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction." Obviously, the tongue has more up its sleeve than we thought! According to the Bible, a tongue, when left uncontrolled, gets us into trouble: "A hypocrite with his tongue destroyeth his neighbor...: (Pro. 11:9). This is the dark side of the tongue, of which we are commanded to stay far away from: "Put away from thee a froward (or uncontrolled) mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee" (Pro. 4:24); "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." (Pro. 10:19) Many times in the Bible, not only does it tell us to control our mouth, but it also explains how wonderful it is when it finally is controlled: "A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." (Pro. 25:11) "There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel." (Pro. 20:15) The way to control our mouth is simply to consider every word or thought before we say it. we should check it to make sure it is the right word for the right time: "The heart of a righteous man studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things." (Pro. 15:28); "The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips." (Pro. 16:23). Training the tongue, however, is not an overnight event. It takes time, patience, and sometimes help. When we do need help, we all know who to turn to; our Lord Jesus Christ: "Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred." (Job 6:24); "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: keep the door of my lips." (Ps. 141:3) Notice that almost all of these verses are in two parts, good and bad. They show the contrast between the mouths of the righteous and the unrighteous. The tongue is not only an instrument to get us in and out of trouble, but it shows other people what kind of person we are: "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." (Pro. 17:28). Knowing a person's mouth (and therefore what kind of person he is) helps us to know how to choose our company: "The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked." (Pro. 10:11); " Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him lips of knowledge." (Pro. 14:7). Considering the latter verse, if you find yourself alone more often than not, do a "lip-check". I know it's something I have to work on. Considering the above verses and information, I hope I have helped you. Training the tongue is far from easy. Maybe, together with the help of each other and God, Middlebury Chapel can prove to be excellent listeners as well as speakers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- REVIEWS Music: War of the Heavenlies by Hosanna Music reviewed by Sally Smole ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first words heard by the listener are very powerful, right out of the Bible: 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. Ephesians 6:12 This music is rich with scriptures on fighting spiritual warfare. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11 It also contains Ephesians 6:13-17 which instructs us in putting on our armor. It's important to put the armor on every day. But more important than that...to use it! This is an area the Lord has been teaching me. I was putting my armor on every day but I wasn't using it. I was letting the enemy beat me up. I wasn't using the most important weapon: The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17 I learned the importance of binding Satan in Jesus Christ's name and then using my sword and quoting scripture. This is how Jesus won against Satan in the wilderness. (Matthew 4) And this is how we can have victory over Satan, too. The scripture used in this music is very powerful for fighting the devil: ...not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6 ...For He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. I John 4:4 ...For the battle is not yours but God's. 2 Chronicles 20:15 I listened to the songs with these verses so many times and didn't realize all the great scripture I was learning. I realize there is no substitute for reading the Word and memorizing scripture. But what a great way to saturate yourself with scripture, spend praise time with the Lord, and learn to fight warfare. Books: Find Yourself, Give Yourself by Dick Wulf reviewed by David Staley I have just finished reading a book titled "Find Yourself, Give Yourself" by Dick Wulf. It was first put out by Navpress and was a finalist for best book published in 1983 in the category of "doctrine and theology". I was incredibly encouraged by this book. It is broken down into two parts which compliment each other. The first part discusses the truths about our identity in Christ and the meaning and purpose of us as God's creation. The second part takes the points of the first and allows you to practically apply the principles through seven study exercises. You are able to do it alone or with a group. This is not a self-help book to solely build yourself up so you feel good, but as a line from the book puts it: "If you recognize the imprint of God's signet upon your life, then you will gain the motivation to serve." If you have struggled with a desire to serve, but could not discern what ministries God has given you strengths and weaknesses for, I would strongly suggest this book. The Landing Place by Clint Kelly reviewed by David Staley For those of you who like adventure and intrigue, as well as biblical archeology, I have a book for you! I just finished reading a book called "The Landing Place" by Clint Kelly. It is about a cryptoanalyst named Reg Danson, his son, and an expedition team made up of Christians, Muslims, and Turkish soldiers on a quest backed by a powerful businessman and the U.S. Government. The quest is "to find Noah's Ark in the mountains of Ararat in Eastern Turkey." After a peculiar melting of the iced peaks of Ararat, the Ark has been made possible to locate with a strong possibility to move! Still it will be a hard and dangerous trek up the near 17,000 feet of the unpredictable Ararat. There are also other eyes on the Ark with motives and desires of their own. All in all, this book is not only entertaining, but creative in its edification. Bear with the few unpolished parts for you will begin the ascent up Ararat in no time! It is worth the wait. The next book Clint Kelly has written is out and is a Reg Danson adventure to Central Africa to investigate a prehistoric creature the natives call Mokele-Mbembe. Watch out Jurassic Park fans! I would suggest reading "The Landing Place" first though to get background on Reg Danson and his faith before going on to the second book. I believe you will enjoy "The Landing Place". ------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUIET TIMES El Elyon (The God Most High) by Sally Smole Who is El Elyon? He is our sovereign God who reigns over everything. He has total authority and control over all creation. Nothing can happen unless He allows it. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew the Most High. How do we know? Look at their lives. They walked in obedience to Him in all circumstances. They stayed pure in an impure land. They had to learn the ways of the Babylonians. Yet, they remained obedient to God by not eating forbidden foods, not bowing down to other gods, and not losing sight of who was in control. God blessed them with wisdom, visions and deliverance from the furnace. The Most High created quite a testimony of His Name through their obedience. The testimony was for the benefit of King Nebuchadnezzar. King Nebuchadnezzar did not know the Most High. Why can we say that? Look at his life. he continuously saw the awesome things the Most High did through Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego but did not change his ways. He created his own gods and determined that Babylon was built by his power for his glory not the Most High's. His pride was in the way. His eyes were on himself and he walked in his own strength. God finally had to humble him by making him crawl around for 7 years in the fields with the beasts. Then King Nebuchadnezzar knew the Most High God. I know God wants to use me as a vessel for noble use - to glorify His name and bring others to Christ. I need to be pure. I must humbly look to the One in control and walk in obedience in His strength. Then He can use me and make an awesome testimony of my life as He did with Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And I will truly know El Elyon, the God Most High. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN FORUM Poetry: potential The newspaper (both Plain Dealer and Beacon). Thoughts of various sorts, topics, and reason. windows and mirrors halls and exits To the bank, store, restaurant, and next it's on to a friends for some meaningless chatter. See the player swing-miss...swing-miss, swing-HIT! "THE CROWD CHEERS!" next batter. (the glory of man is a second of a lifetime) Stand there Sit here Reflect on this Move on Aspire, Pursue, Achieve, Promote, (breathe)..., next line. (the race is about over, yet the first lap isn't done) See the hamster in the wheel run, run, run, run? by David Staley ------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL WORDS The primary intent of "The Edifier" is to bring glory to God and to encourage and edify the Body here at Middlebury. God has blessed the Middlebury Chapel with so many people of differing backgrounds and interests. Lord willing, God will use this paper as a tool to take these differences and bridge gaps between us and bring even more unity by the Holy Spirit into our congregation. If you would like to help with the paper by contributing written articles feel free to do so. This could be an opportunity for you to share a part of yourself with many who might never know what you like to do or how the Lord is working in your life. It also can be a lot of fun! Here are some areas open for contribution: feedback on the sermons; reviews of Christian material; interests and hobbies; needs and services; prayer requests and praise reports; quiet times; and an open forum for you to share any creative work you have done. If you have any questions or need any help please contact David Staley for more information. Your involvement will be greatly appreciated! Romans 15:5,6. P.S. A "Heavenly Shout" goes out to all who contributed material to this first issue of "The Edifier" and to Beth Staley for typing on a temperamental, power-hungry computer! Amen and...AMEN!!!