Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

church of Christ. Thankfully, there are some signs of revivalwithin the church. That is the place where new life muststart, but its effects must be felt throughout the nation.There is a call for the church to re-assert its faith in theinspiration and authority of the Holy Scriptures. There is acall for the church to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit inHis Word in the all important matter of God's worship. AsDr. Sommerville stated: "That which God has appointed isrequired. What He has not appointed is forbidden." Thiswas the position of the reformers andit gave strength to thechurch.This principle is directly opposed to the principleenunciated and followed by the Church of Rome: ' 'What isnot forbidden is permitted.'" Sadly enough, this erroneousand unscriptural principle came to be adopted and followedby most of the Protestant bodies, so that today, there are, itseems, endless innovations in God's worship, within thechurch both in the matter of the songs sung and the instrumentsplayed. The Psalms of the Bible indited by theHoly Spirit and commanded for use in God's praise havebeen pushed aside for the use of human imitations.(Counterfeit money may appear to be a very likely copy butitisstill forbidden by the United States Government andpenalties for its manufacture or use are stiff.) And whenitcomes to instruments played in accompaniment to singing oras solo instruments, try naming a few that are not beingused. Who accepts the worship offered, man or God? Whois to determine its acceptability?Furthermore, the Covenanter Vision inspired byGod's Word calls for obedience to the command of the HolySpirit to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works ofdarkness but rather reprove them. Christ said: "I spakeopenly in the temple and in secret have I said nothing.'' Thechurch must separate itself from all oath-boundorganizations of secrecy and commit itself to the open life.Christianity has nothing to hide. There have been mysteries(Ephesians 3), kept secret from the foundation of the world,until God revealed them in the gospel, specifically that theGentiles are to be fellow-members of the covenant and of thesame household. This gospel is to be carried openly to theuttermost part of the earth.This brings us to the climax of the Covenanter Vision,THE EVANGELIZATION OF THE NATIONS, (andeven here there is danger of the vision's becoming cloudedthrough mis-interpretation of the Scriptures). Before Hisascension to glory, Christ announced the Great Commission:"All power (authority) hath been given unto Mein heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciplesofall nations baptizing them into the name of the Father andof the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observeall things which I have commanded you. And lo, I amwith you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matt.28:18-20).That imperial command embraces the centuries andembraces the nations. Obedience on the part of the church("There will be a willing people in the day of Thy power")will bring about the fulfillment of the task and the fulfillmentof the age-old promise: "All the ends of the earth shallremember and turn to the Lord, and all the kindreds of thenations shall worship before Thee" (Ps. 22:27, Ps. 67:7).This vision is a pre-view of reality.What you and I need is the patience accorded to theprophet Habakkuk. God spoke to him: "Write the visionand makeit plain upon tables, that he may run that readethit. For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the endishall speak and not lie: thoughit tarry wait for it, becauseitwill come and not tarry" (Hab. 2:2,3). As the Lord said alsoto Isaiah: "I the Lord will hasten it in his time." AlsoHosea 1:10 and Malachi 1:11.•••Cash God's CheckBy Charles SpurgeonA promise from God may very instructively becompared to a check payable to order.It is given to thebeliever with the view of bestowing upon him some goodthing.It is not meant that he should read it over comforand then have done with it. No, he is to treat the proma reality, as a man treats a check.He is to take the promise, and endorseit with his ownname by personally receivingit as true. He is by faith toacceptit as his own. He sets to his seal that God is true, antrue as to His particular word of promise.He goes further, and believes that he has the blessingin having the sure promise of it, and therefore puts his nametoit to testify to the receipt of the blessing.This done, he must believingly present the promise tothe Lord, as a man presents a check at the counter of thebank. He must plead it by prayer, expecting to haveitfulfilled. If he has come to heaven's bank at the right date, hewill receive the promised amount at once.If the date should happen to be further on, he mustpatiently waittill its arrival; but meanwhile he may count onthe promise as money, for the bank is sure to pay when thedue time arrives.Some fail to place the endorsement of faith upon thecheck, and so they get nothing, and others are slack inpresenting it, and these also receive nothing. This is not thefault of the promise but of those who do not act withit in acommon sense, business-like manner.Here is practicality. God has given no pledge which Hewill not redeem. He has encouraged no hope which He willnot fulfill.• • •On the matter of using time well, Benjamin Franklin,one of the tightest men ever with a minute, said this: "Dostthou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is thestuff life is made of."FEBRUARY 24, 1971 7