Address—S. Jacobson
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Start our meeting this afternoon by singing in the Appendix #42.
Savior, lead us by thy power safe into the promised rest. Choose the path the way, whatever it seems to be. Oh Lord, the best be our guide in every peril. Watch and keep us night and day. Else our foolish hearts will wonder from the straight and narrow way. Someone please start #42 in the appendix.
Let's look to God for his blessing.
Let's turn first of all to the last two verses of First Corinthians.
15.
And in a few moments we'll proceed after some other scriptures to 1St Corinthians 16. But first of all, let's read 1St Corinthians 15 verses 57 and 58. And then I'd like to turn to.
Ephesians 4 and then to.
Another portion before we return to 1St Corinthians 16.
1St Corinthians 15, verse 57 and 58 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord Ephesians the 4th chapter.
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And a few verses there to get a connection.
Verses 11.
Through.
16 Ephesians 4 verses 11 Through 16 He gave some apostles, and some of 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. We might make a remark about that 12Th verse, because we may not get back to it in in the King James. There are obviously those four prepositions for.
The four four. But the first one is in the original a different word, and we might say that the last two are the means to the first one. And the purpose of God in connection with apostles and prophets and and evangelist, pastors and teachers, is for the perfecting of the Saints. And the means to that end is the work of the ministry, the edifying of the body of Christ.
Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth and love.
May grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
From whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplier, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Let's turn to the last chapter of Colossians.
And verses 7.
Down through the chapter.
Sure. How far Colossians 4.
All my state shall take a cus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord whom I have sent unto you, for the same purpose, that he might know your estate and encompass your hearts.
A faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, They shall make known unto you all things which are done here. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, Saluteth, you and Marcus, sister, son de Barnabas, touching whom you received commandments, if you come unto you, receive him, and at Jesus, which is called justice, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellow workers unto the Kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. Epiphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ. Saluteth you always laboring.
Fervently for you in prayers, and that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record that he hath a great zeal for you and them there in Laodicea, and them in Hieropolis. Luke, the below physician and Demas preach, You salute the brethren which are in Laodicea and Memphis, and the church which is in his house. And when this epistle is read among you, caused it to be read also in the Church of the Laodicean's, and that ye all likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.
And say to our chippers, take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord.
That thou fulfill it. One more verse and then we'll go back to 1 Corinthians 16.
One Corinthians 12.
Is sort of a.
A pivotal verse, a point of emphasis in connection with what we would like to speak on 1St Corinthians 12 and verse 18.
But now hath God set the members, everyone of them, in the body as it hath pleased him? Now that word for set has a reflexive sense, so that the the, the blessing of the doing comes back upon the doer. And who obviously is the one that sets, Well, it's God. And God has done the setting of each and everyone here that is a believer.
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In the body as it had pleased him. And that means that there's not one of us the same, there's not one snowflake that's ever been found to be the same, and there's not one child of God. If there's 6 billion people in the world, we're not going to make an estimate of how many Christians there are.
We might be over or under, We'll just leave it there, but for everyone of those believers.
There's not one that God has set in the body that is intended to have that the same function, the same gift, same opportunity. But how important that we should see that what God has done, every one of them in the body as it has pleased him. And that's the encouragement that I want as a result of what we're going to look into. We're going to address some of the portions we've read, but the main point is this.
That everyone of us have a specific mission that God has intended. I had hoped for to have a messages of Love hymn book. We couldn't find one. And so later on I'm going to quote for the sake of the children, one of those poems, one of the songs in the little Flock Him book. I remember part of it and I we wrote out the rest of it. But we'll get to that to show that regardless of of the age.
From the oldest to the youngest. And there is a function that God intends for each one of us because he has set the members in the body as it hath pleased him. Now let's go. We've already in First Corinthians 12, so let's just turn a few pages to 1St Corinthians 16.
And first of all, let's go back just one verse, which is the last verse of First Corinthians 15 and I want to reread it.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast.
Unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, now the word for work and the word for labor is used several times. It's in Hebrew six, it's in First Thessalonians one, and is used here. Work might be what you'd call a job description, and the labor is the is the energy that you put into executing.
That work, if it wasn't a bit misunderstood and but I'll use it. It's the expression that we know that a famous statesman said blood, sweat and tears and that applies and can apply to each one of us. In connection we we hear the expression a laborer. Well, according to scripture all workers are not laborers but all laborers.
Our workers, because a laborer is one that has.
Exercised the gift that God has given given the.
Importance of what God has set him, and I can't overemphasize that. Whether it's the body of Christ at large, or whether it's the local expression of the of the body in a local assembly. How important to recognize that each person is distinct is different. I certainly need my brethren.
And and they in some feeble way need me. And as we function according to what God is given, there is.
Harmony, there is blessing. There is encouragement because God has done the setting. I haven't sort of chosen or somebody hasn't chosen me. Well, now you live there and you make sure of this and that. No, it's what God has done and how important because in a local assembly someone has said, and maybe it's right, maybe it's wrong, that because of the outstanding gift of a William Kelly, his home assembly.
Was somewhat crippled because of his outstanding gift up in Ireland because of Brother Bellitt. The same. It would have been the same in the assembly where Brother Darby lived, but he wasn't there enough. And so it is now. Forgive me brethren, I'm only seeking to bring out a very important point that regardless of the gift of a Kelly or a ballot or a Darby, God has set the members in the body as it have pleased him.
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A story is told, Davis apocryphal, But there's a point to it. He was late in going to an assembly that he was visiting.
And there were brothers that because of his presence previously, that he never heard them speak in a reading meeting. And so he sat there for a while, and according to the story, apocryphal or not, he got up and left.
He said, I feel that my presence is a hindrance to the work of the Spirit. And so he left. Now God has set the members in the body as it had pleased him. Now let's read 1St Corinthians 16. Now concerning the collection for the Saints, As I have given order to the churches of Galatians, Even so do ye upon the first day of the week that everyone of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him that there be no gatherings when I come.
And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to you to bring you liberal, your liberality into Jerusalem. And if it be me that I go also, they shall go with me now. I will come unto you when I shall pass through Macedonia. For I do pass through Macedonia, and it may be that I will abide Jay and winter with you, that you may bring me on my journey with us, whoever I go. For I will not see you now, by the way.
But I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit. But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost, for a great door and effectual is opened unto me. And there are many adversaries now Timotheus, see that he may be with you without fear, for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do that no man therefore despise him, but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me, for I look for him with the brethren.
Another difficult verse, verse 12. As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren, But his will was not at all to come at this time. But he will come when he shall have convenient time. We'll go back to that verse. Watch ye stand fast in the faith which you like men, be strong, Let all your things be done with love, with charity. I beseech you, brethren, you know the House of Stefanus, that it is the first fruits of Akea, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the Saints.
That you submit yourselves unto such, and to everyone that helpeth with us, and laboreth notice to everyone that helpeth with us. And Labreth. I am glad that the coming of Stephanus and Fortinetus and Achaeus, for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied, for they have refreshed my spirit, and yours therefore acknowledging them. They're such. The churches of Asia salute you.
Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you, Greet you one another with unholy kiss, The salutation of me, Paul, with mine own hand. If any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, then be anathema Maranatha, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. The other portions besides 1St Corinthians 16 that we read.
Are to bring out that there are various portions in the epistles.
That bring out the value that the spirit of God through the writer primarily Paul and we could find it in Peter as well the value that the Apostle Paul.
Gave to his fellow workers. Beautiful, You know, that's one of the first things that towards the harmony in a local assembly is to recognize what God has given to someone else.
We're not all teachers. We're not all this, we're not all that. But you know, there is an expression that could be maybe appropriately used sometimes that.
It says.
The law of physics. Two bodies can't occupy the same space at the same time, and so if there is not an opportunity for the exercise of of a gift because someone seems to have an abundance.
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It then doesn't lay wait time for someone else. And that's just not intended as a dig, but as a point of fact and an encouragement that we each have to think of, of somebody that we may not usually hear from, that has enjoyed a certain portion, a certain verse, and he speaks on it. And isn't it nice when someone has said that, say, brother, I enjoyed that. Thank you.
That, that, that is the way that we go along as brethren. Now in the first part of this chapter, it seems appropriate to me. If we see it correctly, that is the collection. And so it's not a question of gift. It's not a question of.
Of.
Some special mission that God has given to to each one of us, or anyone in particular, But lay by you in store to think of of what it means to to give of what God has given to us, someone may give.
$0.10 may give $0.50 may put a check for $1000 or whatever. But to think of what it means that there is that expression from our hearts of what God hath prospered him. Now. Some, we think, have been prospered a great deal, and others may have felt that they've been prospered very little. But if we lay hold of what God has given to us, how important it isn't it to give of what God has given.
Now, in this chapter, if we were to summarize it, it really wouldn't be that difficult. There's an apostle Paul. There's an associate of the apostle Paul in Timotheus, and there is another associate of Pauls by the name of Apollos. And we associate with the apostle Paul that dignity of having been set. How many epistles did he write? Well, if we.
Include the book of Hebrews, he wrote eight. And to think of a man that God stopped on his way to Damascus.
And gave him to write eight of the books of the New Testament. None like him. And so we're not going to say that we have been set anything like it in connection with what Paul was, But we recognize that. Notice what he says. He worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do. There was you feel comfortable with the apostle Paul, you say? Well, he had such a great gift. And the revelations.
Yes, you would. You would feel comfortable because he would make you feel comfortable. We're going to take up a little later about Aquila and Priscilla. Can't you just imagine them sitting at the work bench, the three of them making tents and and what did they talk about?
Well, I'm not going to speculate, but I'll say this that if Paul was for real, which he was, I'm sure that there are conversation was.
Very, very encouraging. And it had to do with all the blessings that God had bestowed.
Upon his own. We're going to take up a quote and Priscilla a little later, but we're going to mention about Timotheus.
How many I was wrong in case with the epistles that Paul wrote. I was thinking of how many of those that he wrote that Timothy was mentioned and that's the eight that either written to him or his name was attached. And notice what it says, that he may be who you without fear he probably was a timid man. In the book of Timothy Apostle Paul says a little wine for thy stomach sake and thine often infirmities. Maybe he was had upset stomachs. Maybe he up an upset stomach. Maybe he.
Couldn't eat certain foods.
The water bothered him. Whatever. But he says he works the work of the Lord, as I do. Is that sort of a something that, well, Paul just felt that he should say that, no, this is the word of God. And to think of the encouragement that you and I can take, regardless of what we may think of ourselves or what our brethren may think, that we can say we work the work of the Lord. Marvelous. And there's so many ways in which that work can be done.
I know a sister in our assembly that makes a great point of sending carbs. I've been here, I've been there, and I've had people say, say, what about this sister? And so I'm able to give who she is and they know who she is, all right, But I put a sort of.
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A stamp of approval, as it were, because I know her from the home assembly. There are others that do things that none of us know. Is there an apath epifrace here that laborers fervently in prayer for the Saints? How important, how very, very important that you might stand perfect and complete in all of the will of God, you say?
I'm just barely making it day by day. I'm not too sure that I fit in with with what Epiphras was praying about. No, that is not the case. You know it. Timothy was told to stir up the gift that was in him, probably because of the.
Coldness of the day. It means to be revitalized concerning it. So I wanted to find on some package.
Of that we had purchased and put in the refrigerator, I wanted to see if I could find out something that said stir stir up. But you know, the only thing I can find it says shake well before using and I wonder if that isn't a little bit of what that verse means to shake well.
Before using we need to have well mixed sediment, certain types of.
Dressing for salad tends to separate. It needs to be shaken, and we need to be encouraged to make sure that we are reading the word of God day by day if it's following what's on the calendar.
Where is it now? It's in Ecclesiastes. It's in Deuteronomy.
It's in the Gospel of Mark. It doesn't matter where you're reading, but all to have a developed appetite for reading the word of God. And you know you'll find that as you read it, you'll say I never saw that before, or a Brother to meeting. Why I never saw that. Isn't that nice?
Timothy. He worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do now in tanks, with Apollo's remember years ago.
A brother, now with the Lord, gave this thought and I want to pass it on.
It seems that a pause had a mind of his own. He was not going to be dictated to by the apostle Paul. That's a bit harsh, to think of this verse that way, and this brother brought it out this way.
The brethren in Corinth were all too willing.
To grandise Apollos in Paul's absence, and Apollo said, I am not going to go to Corinth and have myself grandized at your expense. They walked according to the same rule.
It wasn't his will at all to come at this time, but he will come when he shall have convenient time. I like that.
If it's correct.
Or not correct?
I believe that it's important to see that a policy and Paul walked in the same spirit. There was never an opportunity that was taken by Paul or Apollos to aggrandize themselves at someone else's expense. Beautiful. That's how the body functions. God has set the members in the body as it hath pleased him.
Now let's go down to the 15th verse.
And it says, and we've we found this man's name and we found about his household in the first chapter. I beseech you, brethren, you know the House of Stefanus, that it is the first fruits of Aqua, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the Saints.
Stefanos and his household were included with those that Paul mentions about baptism, and here we find Stefanus in his household addicted. Now we think of addiction as something that.
Liquor this that. The other thing, there's a bus that you can get from downtown Denver and go up into the mountains a little ways and there are things that you can put in quarters and Dimes and dollars and so on, and people are addicted to that. Now by the grace of God, we keep ourselves from such addictions, but here is a family that were addicted.
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To the ministry of the Saints. Now, I don't know exactly what it means here. This Ministry of the Saints, were they hospitable? Well, you'd say yes, I think so. I think that's part of it. Were they a help? Yes, They weren't. Encouragement in whatever way that the dear Saints, wherever they happen to be.
That they were an encouragement and you know there are families represented here. The whole family may not be here.
And it may be that they do not.
With not that his face shone like Moses. And so we wish not that our face is shining because we are like the household of Stefanus, but how beautiful that there are indeed families here and families represented that follow in the footsteps of a Stefanus that as a household the father, the mother, or in unison the children.
I don't know if there were teenagers, if there were little children. It doesn't say, but it says the House of Stefanus, How beautiful. What an encouragement for us as those that I no longer have my children at home, but some of you do. And to think of how beautiful as a family.
Some have a propensity for young people's meetings. Some have.
Exercise in various ways, but all how beautiful to acknowledge. What does it say that you submit yourselves unto such? I am going to submit myself to a family like that.
Oh, that's what the Apostle Paul is saying. And to everyone that helpeth with us and laboreth, see how the Apostle Paul is is producing.
An effect, a reality in connection with the body, the body of Christ. And you know, that's why I read those verses in Ephesians 4 that weather is an apostle, which there are none today, or whether it's this or this or this, it's all a function of the one body, beautiful. Now, outside of the assembly, do you meet individuals that are a part of the one body?
Will you say, brother? Of course we do. And we love them. I have a neighbor.
Common wall.
She calls. We're praying for you.
Little further away, a dear couple.
Dear Saints of God, you know we delight to meet those that are fellow members of the body of Christ.
Years ago at a trade show.
Technical trade show. I noticed a man that was waiting to talk to some of us there and it was obvious he pulled out a New Testament.
And he was reading it, and I remarked about it. You know what he said. You know, I carry that New Testament with me because when I have a spare moment, it's good to read the word beautiful.
Beautiful.
Bus years ago.
I was reading There's a man that leaned over.
Understand us what thou readest.
And I said, how can I accept some man show me never met him again. Will I meet him again? Indeed, I'll meet him in the glory.
And so this household is to fan us. We could, we could expand, we could, could use just this verse. And it would, should encourage everyone of us, whether there are some of us that don't have children still at home, to think of, of what our household stands for and is important in connection with.
I I won't embarrass the brother because he but he's not here. But whenever he comes, his visitor, he brings his Bible. Now I'm not saying this so that you will feel embarrassed that you hadn't in the past. But if you were to come again and either because we've invited you or you invited yourself, bring your Bible. Feel free to feel free, feel free to bring it. And if you want to, feel free to say, well brother, the reading tonight I have in my heart.
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A certain thing, that'd be all right, that would be acceptable in our house.
Now there are individuals, Stefanus for tinnitus for that which was lacking on your part. They have supplied. That's a bit, we'd say a little bit testy, wasn't it? But you know, this is the Apostle Paul. This is the word of God, and he is bringing out that there was a deficiency.
And, you know, each one of us need to accept that there are sometimes deficiencies in our profession.
There's a verse that says gentle unto all men apartment to teach patient in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves.
That can be, and has been for me and maybe for you a voice from the Lord. And so we accept it, and and oftentimes a state of soul is evidenced by how we take some word that may.
We may not like it.
But they have refreshed my spirit and yours. You know, there are individuals that just have a way, and I'm not going to stare at a brother that I feel has refreshed me. I'll look off in some other direction so that it won't embarrass him or embarrass the rest of us, because each one of you in your way don't realize the encouragement.
That comes from continuing in the faith.
However feebly however.
Inadequate, you may feel, to think of the encouragement that it is to each one of us to find that another believer is going on.
What does it say?
Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord all. But I don't have any work of the Lord to go. Oh, yes, you do. Your attendance at the at the meetings is an encouragement. An encouragement. It so happened that this couple couldn't come, this couple couldn't come, This couple couldn't come. And there were eight of us.
At a reading in prayer not too long ago.
It was justified, but we missed them because.
This brother might have given out of him. This one would have given a thought.
To think of some thought that a brother has that the spirit of God has given to him to to enjoy and then he comes to meeting.
And he opens up, We're taking up the book of Romans, and if you see fit to come to Denver, I don't know what chapter will be in when you come and we're going slowly or or more fast, whatever that you might think, but have something and you know.
And I don't mean this to be a little bit on on the strange side.
We appreciate visitors taking part in the meeting. Visitors are gathered to the Lord's name and those that that aren't workers are aren't laborers. Perfectly acceptable for this brother to come with his wife and for him to speak up. In fact, I disappointed personally when we have a visitor that doesn't speak up, doesn't enjoy because we are missing.
A member of the body that God has set for a very specific purpose, and I want to be able to acknowledge that God has given something very special now.
We have.
Of our time.
But I mentioned about a poem that there is a as a hymn in the In the Messages of Love hymn book and.
Wrote out part of it because I couldn't remember it.
It's that one that says only in an act of kindness that you little child may show.
In seeking to please the Savior and more like himself to grow only a feeble effort.
To lighten the heavy load.
Of some way worn traveler while wending his toilsome Rd. Only an act of kindness that you little child may show does that verse in First Corinthians 12 That seems so eloquent and so elegant that God has set the members in the body as it has pleased him. Does that apply to a child that has accepted the Lord?
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Well, what is that little song book that we have? #2A? Child of seven or even 3 or 4 May enter into heaven through Christ the open door. So anyone 34567.
To think of what they can do.
In compliance with having been set in the body as God has set them, beautiful and encouraging to every child that's here, your presence at meeting is very, very much appreciated. May not say so, but your brethren do appreciate it. Only an act of kindness that you little child, may show in seeking to please the Savior and more like himself to grow.
Only a feeble effort to lighten the heavy load of some weary way worn traveler while wending his toilsome Rd. There was an experiment that was performed not too many years ago. They took a middle-aged woman in good health and they dressed her up and made her look like an old woman and they had her try to hail down a taxi cab. They had her coming into a building.
See if there was courtesy.
And it was amazing how poorly this woman was received because she looked old and decrepit. To think of a child that could sense that there was an older person, go hold the door, do a kindness. So many things that are so important in connection with the function of each one of us now, before we lose our time.
I want us to take up and it's a subject I remember dear Reg growth and in the meeting in in Seattle years ago when it overlooked West Seattle and overlooked the Olympic Mountains and now they're across the lake. I remember he spoke on Aquila and Priscilla. I don't remember specifically what he had to say, but it made that impression. And if we were to take up Priscilla and Aquila or Aquila and Priscilla.
There are.
I have them marked here 1234.
There are six of them.
It alternates first, starts with Aquila.
The third is Aquila, the 5th is Aquila, so the 2nd and the 4th and the 6th are Priscilla.
Now the function of those two, apparently they were Jews. They were told to leave Rome, but wherever they were they seemed to be have the state of soul and the exercise to function for God's glory. We find in the book of Acts that 18th chapter that they were the Paul was of the same craft and we mentioned that. Can you imagine sitting at the bench or cross legged on the floor or whatever you envision them working on tents.
Of having.
A cooler and Priscilla and the Apostle Paul.
Working together. Beautiful, isn't it? And isn't it nice if if we as brethren?
It could work together. And you know, tense is a temporary abode. There are homes in in most major cities that have a a value of a half a million, a million, a million and a half dollars. And you know, a tent, a tent, just a tent. And so that's what equivalent Priscilla and Paul must have talked about. They must have talked about the the believer just going through this scene.
And here we are building a tent and all. All I wish I could have been there and have heard, but you know, I think that most of what Paula Paul talked about is in the word of God. He talked about those revelations and we could go into 123455 revelations.
More or less that the Apostle Paul had and enjoyed, and he must have enjoyed it. You know, he was a homesick man. You've ever been homesick?
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Just absolutely homesick. I can't stand this place. I want to go home whatever it amounts to. And you know, if if you try to attract a person that's homesick with anything, he's he's not interested. And so it is in connection with the the homesick Christian.
We long for the Lord to come, don't we? To think of how soon. Very soon.
Probably today someone has said, and to think that what's going to happen? We're not only going to leave this world, we're going to see him and we're going to have a body of glory like unto his. I know the scripture says a glorious body and it probably will be glorious, but it is really a body of glory in contrast to a body of humiliation here. Can you imagine? You know, there are some here. I saw a sister that had to go down the stairway backwards.
And I'm not as agile in stairways as I used to be, and so each one of us may have an affliction, but to think that we're going to have a body of glory conformed to the image of his son? And this is not an aside, but a very direct comment.
That that's the purpose of God according to that verse and 1St in Ephesians 4.
For the perfecting of the Saints, what kind of perfection? Sinless perfection? No, the perfection of conformity to God's beloved Son. That's what God is working in your life, and mine in mine and yours, through all of the various circumstances.
That he leads us through is to conform us to the image of his son, Romans 8 says Whatsoever.
We know not what we should pray for as we ought, but we know that.
We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. To them who are the called according to His purpose, for whom He did foreknow, He also did predestiny to be conformed to the image of His Son. That's the purpose of all things working together. For that good is to be conformed to His beloved Son now.
In closing.
Let's go to Hebrews 6 for a verse and we're just about through.
But I I hope, brethren, however feebly it may have been presented, that God has set you, and has set me in the body as it has pleased him, and to be encouraged it would not. We don't want to be shaken up, but we can be stirred up.
Rekindle, because it's a day of declension, and it's a day in which we need to rekindle what God has given each one of us. And He has indeed, Hebrews 6.
And verse 10 God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which he have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the Saints and do minister. Let's read that again, for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor.
Those two together of love, which he have showed toward his name, in that you have ministered to the Saints, and do minister, Believe me, brethren, there are many, many ways that I have not touched upon that you can minister. You don't have to give a lecture, you don't have to minister on scripture, which of course is quite quite acceptable, very much appreciated. But to think of how many ways in which you and I.
As individuals can minister to the needs of the Brethren.
Now I want to reread that verse in Ephesians.
No. Let's turn to 1St Corinthians 615 and read that verse and then in conclusion let's read that verse in Ephesians 4. So in conclusion 2 verses 1St Corinthians 15 verse 58 and then that verse in Ephesians 4. And I want to admit ahead of time because that verse ends.
With the word love.
1St Corinthians 1515. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord that coming day, when he'll say to each one of us well done, good and faithful servant.
00:50:10
If.
Our works are not burned up, but that's a possibility. Let's turn to Ephesians, the 4th chapter.
For me and and you may not see it that way and it's it's all right, but I can't think of a more integrated full verse about the body.
Then Ephesians 4 and verse 16.
Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working, and the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
If your assembly, my assembly, each individual took this verse along with First Corinthians 12 and allowed the spirit of God to stir up, as the Apostle Paul told Timothy reignite the fire, as it were, to think of what it would be. Let's read it again. And then we're through from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplier.
According to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body until the edifying of itself.
In love.
Let's sing.
168.
There's an expression in this hymn.
The last verse oh, kindle within us a holy desire, like that which was found in thy people of old, who tasted thy love and whose hearts were on fire while they waited in patience thy face to behold #168. Someone please start it.
All right. We're going to get anything around.
In keeping.
In keeping with the exercise that was mentioned during the meeting of acknowledging what others have done, a week ago I called Bruce Anstey and he dropped shipped some pamphlets that Greg Berg had put into a list that appeared in praise and prayer a month or so ago. And they're for free to any ask. Take them outside on the table, just outside the door.
As a series that he has published.
There, probably you would consider them for the younger set, but that's all right and so feel free to take them. There's about 10 copies, 8 copies of 10, so feel free. And so I take this liberty of mentioning it in the light of God has set the members in the body as it had pleased him, and may we by God's grace.
Acknowledge such and each and everyone here that has an exercise to to go on is an encouragement to each and every one of us, our God and Father.