Not Important
There is a sketch in the Calvin and Hobbes comic book that pictures Calvin looking up at the stars and shouting, ‘I’m significant!’. The next panel zooms out to show us a tiny handful of the stars framed against a small picture of Calvin in the bottom left-hand corner, while in the following frame Calvin […]
‘I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful’ – 2 Cor. 7. 4
‘Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation’, 2 Cor. 7. 4. In our previous article, we briefly considered Paul’s care for the Philippian believers. We now turn our attention to the Christians at Corinth. Although […]
Evangelizing
Matthew’s Gospel closes by recording that the risen Lord Jesus Christ commissioned the disciples to ‘teach [disciple] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’, Matt. 28. 19. The commission has not been revoked. We each have the privilege and responsibility to witness about […]
Public Preaching
It must be about ten years since I first stood on a platform, red-faced and with shaking hands, to publicly preach the gospel. Here is some advice I would give to my former self, and to anyone else starting out in what can feel like a daunting part of Christian service. I have separated this […]
Career Choices – Teaching
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a primary school teacher – so the disclaimer at the outset is that I cannot speak for high school teachers. Main commitments in work life Teaching is like any other job – if you want it to take over your life, it will. The […]
Prophetic Priests
Children often follow the career paths of their parents. For instance, how many doctors do you know whose parents were doctors? There is a similar pattern for teachers. In Old Testament times, the office of priest was hereditary – son followed father into sacred service, as ordained by Jehovah, 1 Chr. 23. 13. That is […]
Dispensations – Final
In studying the dispensations of innocence, conscience, government, promise, law, grace, and kingdom, we have seen, at times, a degree of overlap between the various administrative systems through which God has regulated His dealings with mankind. The Acts period stands out especially, containing elements of law, grace, and kingdom. A second historical period which does […]
Editor’s Introduction
It has been a real pleasure for me to read and edit the articles that I am bringing to you in this issue. You will notice that we have a final article on ‘Dispensations’. This brings us to the end of this series but more than that, it reminds us once again of the plan […]
‘I am … content’ – Phil. 4. 11
‘I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content’, Phil. 4. 11. The Epistle to the Philippians is marked by joy and rejoicing, as Paul displayed much affection for the Philippian believers. Paul wrote from prison, Phil. 1. 7, likely at Rome, to thank the believers for a gift that they had […]
Giving
The Context The Apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian elders that the Lord Jesus had taught that ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive’, Acts 20. 35. The Lord Jesus gave Himself. What do we know about giving? It is sad to observe that, while there are exceptions, the saints are generally better off […]
Career Choices – Banking
I have spent the last thirteen years in the banking industry and many changes have taken place over those years. Like writers before me, I have been thankful to the Lord for His help and guidance during that period. I can look back over it and know that I have been guided through thus far. […]
Hilkiah
Hilkiah’s name means ‘My portion is Jehovah’ and this priest certainly lived up to his name. Hilkiah was high priest during the reign of Josiah, the last good king of Judah who ‘walked in the ways of David’, 2 Chr. 34. 2. In this article we examine three spiritual highlights which, taken together, demonstrate that […]
Acrostic of Prayer
The exhortation of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 17 to ‘pray without ceasing’ is particularly pertinent in times of difficulty, when we feel overwhelmed by the circumstances of life. Thank God for this precious recourse that we have, as believers, and the confidence we gain from knowing that ‘in every thing by prayer and supplication […]
Editor’s Introduction
Thanks for joining us again and reading ‘YPS’. If we are still in ‘Lockdown’ when this insert reaches you, I hope that you have more time to read. If you are like me, you will probably be as strapped for time as ever so ‘take and make time’ to read. It is not a luxury […]
‘I am what I am’ – 1 Cor. 15. 1
‘But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain’, 1 Cor. 15. 10. Saul of Tarsus was vehemently opposed to all who owned Christ Jesus as Lord and ‘he made havock of the church’, Acts 8. 3. It was this violent […]
Worshipping
In John chapter 4, the Lord Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman that the day was coming when the Father would seek worshippers ‘in spirit and in truth’. But what is worship? If we look across 21st-century Christendom, worship often equates to music. Worship can certainly be expressed in appropriate hymns and spiritual songs that […]
Career Choices – Medicine
In a study carried out by the British Medical Association in 2016, the top three reasons given for studying medicine were: helping other people (52%), interest/aptitude for sciences (45%) and doing work valued by society/others (30%). Other reasons or influences in making the choice include family members or friends who are doctors, intellectual challenge, and […]
Jehoiada
Jehoiada the priest was a thoroughly versatile individual: childcare provider, military strategist, educator, matchmaker, clerk of works, treasurer. You name it, Jehoiada did it. He embodied Solomon’s advice – ‘Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might’, Eccles. 9. 10, ESV. Before we study Jehoiada, let’s consider the historical context. After the […]
Special Dispensation
‘And so we went toward Rome’, Acts 28. 14. In our studies of the dispensations we have considered ways in which God, at different stages in history, has placed certain requirements upon mankind. We have seen that God’s demands have never been unreasonable, and in every dispensation there have been people who pleased Him. Nevertheless, […]
Editor’s Introduction
Welcome to another issue of Young Precious Seed. I hope you find it as interesting as I did as I edited the articles. In this issue, we have come to the end of the series on the dispensations. I hope that you have found it interesting, thought provoking and helpful. My thanks to the author […]
Let Her Alone – Part 2
Reading: John 12. 1-9a The pouring of the ointment By reading the complementary accounts, we discover this ointment was in an alabaster box. Implied in the words ‘she brake the box’, Mark 14. 3, is that of complete devotion. Once the neck of that vessel was snapped and the contents outpoured, there was no gathering […]
‘I am glad’ – Rom. 16. 19
‘For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil’, Rom. 16. 19’. ‘I am glad’ is a familiar expression, usually linked with a pleasing circumstance. It might be used trivially in response […]
Attending and Participating in the Assembly
The New Testament is clear that believers were baptized and then sought fellowship with other believers in assemblies of Christians, Acts 2. 42. However, the scriptures also teach that once added to the local church, fellowship was not a passive experience. Rather, each believer was to be active in the work of the local church. […]
Zadok
Apart from having a Handel coronation anthem named after him,1 Zadok the priest is most distinguished for officiating at the start of king Solomon’s reign, during the planning and construction of the temple at Jerusalem. Various priests are mentioned throughout 1 and 2 Samuel; it seems there were several priestly communities, for example at Nob, […]
Career Choices – The Police Force
As I look back over the past 27 years as a police officer I am filled with gratitude at the goodness of God. I am so thankful to the Lord for leading me into this profession and his continual guiding and guarding throughout. Truly I have been ‘Kept by the power of God’. When applying […]
The Dispensation of the Fullness of the Times
7. Kingdom ‘And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed’, Daniel 2. 44a. Throughout history, God has been reaching out to man, in the hope that man might seek the Lord, Acts 17. 27. When man has failed to do this, God […]
Editor’s Introduction
Another year and here we are again! Time speeds on and things change. For some of our readers, life is still getting busier and things are exciting. There will, however, be some who find the current season of life more difficult, and hard to handle. I hope that, as you read this first issue of […]
Let Her Alone – Part 1
Reading: John 12. 1-9a Mary’s outpouring of worship was the subject of divided opinion. Though deemed as waste by man, it brought tremendous pleasure to the heart of God. Her unparalleled appreciation of Christ was clearly manifested by way of this costly deed. The subject of worship – her approach As Christ in all His […]
‘I am persuaded’ – Rom. 14. 14
In a previous article we looked at the first time in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans he uses the phrase, ‘I am persuaded’. This is about the absolute security of believers; Paul is persuaded that nothing ‘shall be able to separate us from the love of God’, Rom. 8. 38, 39. We also quoted Wuest’s […]
Praying
I have found prayer the most difficult discipline in spiritual life. Perhaps one of the reasons the testimony of local assemblies is weak is because fewer saints than ever before have a serious prayer life. Do you regularly pray for the assembly, for the overseers, and for lost souls? The Lord Jesus taught that believers […]
Eli
When I visit the zoo, I enjoy going to the reptile house – the lizards appear to move so slowly. They remain fixed in one position for minutes at a time, without even blinking. Eli the priest reminds me a little of this reptilian behaviour – often, as we encounter him in scripture, he is […]
Grace
‘If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you’, Eph. 3. 2 NKJV God never changes. God’s holy standards never change. But, at times, God does change the way in which He conducts His affairs with mankind. In the Old Testament, God set Israel […]
Editor’s Introduction
Welcome to YPS November 2019. By the time you read this, we will be well on the way into winter. I like most of the seasons of the year despite the changeable weather we experience in the UK. Some people don’t like winter but I like the opportunity (usually after a busy day and evening) […]
Faith, Meekness, Temperance
Faith or faithfulness One of my favourite hymns of the twentieth century is ‘Great is Thy faithfulness’, which was written by Thomas Chisholm in 1925 in testimony to God’s faithfulness to him during his ‘very ordinary’ life. The scripture referred to1 in the hymn shows that God never forgets to be kind to us, and […]
‘I am persuaded’ – Rom. 8. 38
Many aspects of life include persuasion. From trivial matters, such as choosing one brand over another when shopping, to the important decisions of life, being persuaded, or convinced, is key to arriving at a conclusion. In Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, he uses the phrase ‘I am persuaded’ three times in relation to important spiritual […]
The Reading and Studying of God’s Word
Any progress in the life of a believer will begin with reading God’s word! The New Testament is clear that the Bible is the word of God. God does not usually speak through the miraculous today; instead, he speaks through His word, 2 Tim. 3. 16. Therefore, you will face difficulties if you profess to […]
