Weapons of Our Warfare
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Weapons Warfare Printed by EUREKA PRESS PTY. LTD. SOUTH AUSTRALIA for LOGOS PUBLICATIONS 632 Burbridge Road, West Beach 5024 South Australia September, 1989 Foreword This volume is designed as a means of encouragement in facing the difficulties of life. We are engaged upon a great combat, and need to seek the companionship of those of similar mind. Such help can be found in the various extracts from the writings of valiant war- riors of the past, both brethren and sisters, who have laboured on the field of battle for the things they believed. Paul instructed the Corinthians: "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of stron- gholds: casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exal- teth itself against God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4-5). He shows that there is not only a need to "rightly divide the Word of Truth" but to recognise the power of the enemy, felt in the natural mind. As a mighty war- rior, the apostle felt the unrelenting contest: "I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Rom. 7:22-23). It was an engagement that continued to the last moment, when he said: "I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course" (2 Tim. 4:7). But that same warfare must be undertaken by those who would honour the Truth. So, writing to young Timothy, Paul said: "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou, by them mightest war a gcod warfare; holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck" (1 Tim. 1:18). The warfare is not only within, although that is our greatest chal- lenge, but is also exhibited in the opposition of the world in which we live. This age seeks to overcome the saints, and to destroy our commitment to the Truth and our love of things spiritual. We need to be aware of the challenges, and to combat them with faith, wis- dom, understanding and courage. Though this modern age is of a different character to those which have preceded it, inasmuch as the attitude of Sodom and Gomorrah and the days of Noah are prevalent, nevertheless, the advice of spiritual warriors of the past still holds good, and is helpful in developing and maintaining the proper equipment. The Spirit- Word provides the means and strength we need, but the encourag- ing voices of our companions in warfare can firm our conviction and determination. For this reason we have produced the present volume. Much of its contents were originally published under the title "Helps for the Christian Warfare," but an additional section has been added en- titled: "The Vision of Glory." We need to know where our warfare leads us, and the prospect of the ultimate victory. Such a vision re- presents the goal of our warfare, the reason for our fight. It speaks of the grand victory that will shortly be revealed throughout the whole earth when the greatest Warrior of all time will stand supreme, surrounded by his companions. Then, the great enemy of sin itself will be destroyed in us, as the mantle of immortality and the victor's crown are placed upon us. We will then say, "Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." We hope that these "voices from the past" will be of help to the present-day warrior. G.E.Mansfield, September, 1989. CONTENTS Brother's Liberty 87 Consider the context of Acceptable Prayer 151 Matt. 18:15 46 A Christadelphian's Control That Temper 85 Soliloquy 119 A Divine Tonic 261 Daniel —A Wonderful Book . 195 A Faithful Reply 140 Daniel's Hope is ours 213 A House of Prayer for all Dangers 65 Nations 278 Doctrine of Evolution, The ... 238 Alien at the Breaking of Do Right 64 Bread, The 141 A Life-Long Campanion 156 Ethics of the Bible, The 149 A Limit to our Liberty 243 Evil Speaking 159 "AllisKnown" 39 All-round Thoroughness 260 Feeling and Doing 65 A Modern "Good Samaritan" ... 66 First and Last Adam, The 56 Amusements 203 Food or Poison, Which? 245 An Imposter 20 Forbidden 65 Anything but the Bible 37 Forms of Worship 283 AParable 16 Fouling the Pure Stream 66 Appearance of Evil, The 30 Argument of Rom. 14, The ... 223 "Gather my saints unto me" ... 199 A Safe Course 63 Gen. 11,12 178 A Searching Exhortation 242 Glances at Nature 93 A Transformed Territory 299 Gleanings 21,31,57,74,95, Attending Churches and 108, 124, 131, 154, 175,210,262 Chapels 15 God uses the bad as well as AWarning 258 the good 259 God will turn Sorrow into Joy . 181 Bear with each other 30 Goodness of God, The 167 Beauties of the Bible 16 Governing the Tongue 137 Benevolence with Wisdom .... 174 Greatest in the Kingdom of "Be Strong, Fear Not" 200 Heaven, The 35 Beware! 66 Be Wise 218 Hebrew Origin of Weights .... 137 Bible True, The 149 Honouring and being Blazing Glory of the Honoured , 85 Bible, The 104 Built upon Truth 37 In Earnest 85 In the Wilderness 172 Call to Righteousness, The .... 257 Isn't it Wonderful? 88 Character 67,86 Invisible Hand of God, The ... 227 "Cheerup!" 173 Christ's Resurrection 216 Jew as God's Witness, The .... 246 Confidence in the Unseen God 150 Landmarks for Young Conscientiousness: Running Pilgrims 195 Wild or Controlled 157 Land Prepared, The 274 "Little Leaven," The 112 Recognise your Part 87 Lord's Supper, The 16 Re-immersion 15 Rejectors of the Truth 199 Man, as he seems and as he is .. 50 Reckoning Backwards 55 Meditations or the Ways Repentance 180 ofDeity 40 Resurrection, The 207 Men Pleasers 66 Right Policy, The 30 Name "Christian," The 49 Sacred Ground 260 Nations Subdued, The 269 Sacrifice in the Age to Come .. 294 Neglecting the Bible 18 Safest Warriors, The 243 Never despise Exhortation .... 146 Self-defence a la Solomon 53 NotWhats,andtheWhats, Self-love 67 The 46 Sheep and Wolves 20 Shoulder one another's Objections 156 burdens 244 Our Probation 245 Simple though Profound 148 Our Struggle 35 Simple yet Important 86 Overcharged 91 Sincerity 158 So-called Discrepancies 49 Power of Influence, The 65 Spirit of Christ in Adversity, Practical Words for Practical The 47 People: Spiritual Danger 191 No.l—God is Practical 32 No.2 —Riches 58 Testing Partial Inspirationists .. 44 No.3 — Business 75 The Alien at the Breaking No.4—Success 101 ofBread 141 No.5 — Liberality 126 The Appearance of Evil 30 No.6 — Creditors and The Argument of Rom. 14 .... 223 Owing 142 The Bible True 149 No.7 —Suretyship 182 The Blazing Glory of the Pray Always 55 Bible 104 Preaching the Word: The Call to Righteousness 257 Letter No.l 91 The Doctrine of Evolution .... 238 Letter No.2 106 The Ethics of the Bible 149 Letter No.3 134 The First and Last Adam 56 Letter No.4 152 The Goodness of God 167 Timothy Replies 168 The Greatest in the Kingdom Letter No.5 208 of Heaven 35 Letter No.6 219 The Invisible Hand of God .... 227 Praise 67 The Jew as God's Witness 246 Present Hour, The 48 The Land Prepared 274 Priesthood 287 The "Little Leaven" 112 Proving and Realizing 138 The Lord's Supper 16 Psalm29,30 179 The Name "Christian" 49 Punctuality 28 The Nations Subdued 269 TheNotWhats,andtheWhats . 46 Questions to put to one who beli-^es The Power of Influence 65 in the Immortality of the The Present Hour 48 Soul 48 The Resurrection 207 The Right Policy 30 Wait and Watch 215 The Safest Warriors 243 Walking by Faith 147 The Spirit of Christ in Walking Surely 86 Adversity 47 What an Acknowledgment 55 "They have Forgotten" 147 What a Perversion 87 Too Sensitive 67 Where will you be, IF 90 Two ways of dealing with Will Studying Nature only, Offences 160 lead us to God? 139 Unprofitable servants 36 Yielding ourselves to the claims Very Inconvenient 87 of holiness 241 SPECIALLY FOR SISTERS A Letter to the Sisters, by Eve in Eden 112 aSister 98 Letter to the Sisters 9 A Letter to Sisters 247 Sisters of the New Testament, A Sister's Counsel to Young Sisters and the work for which they are in the Truth 68 commended 230 A Sister's Encouragement 193 Speech 23 POETRY A Little While (John 16:18) 95 The Acceptable Feast Ill Another Version of The Day of His Coming 188 "WhatofThat?" 84 The End of the Day 217 A Why and Wherefore 29 The Fall of Babylon and the Be thou not weary 202 Triumph of Israel 263 Burdens so hard to be borne .... 54 The Marriage of the Lamb .... 301 TheStars 136 How Readest Thou? 194 To-day 202 I will uphold thee 201 The State of the Lamp 73 Our God is able to Deliver — and He will 64 WhatofThat? 23 Weapons of our Warfare Letter to the Sisters Dear Sisters,—In these latter days of the Gentiles, when we are hoping that any day now we may receive the welcome summons to meet our Lord either by angelic visitor, or any other means he may in his wisdom adopt; when, therefore, we are, as it were, waiting to be ushered into the presence of the Son of God, first as our Judge; and then, if acceptable to him, and found worthy of his friendship, to be chosen as constituents of his Bride-elect, it is fitting that we should be busy preparing for such a glorious change in our experience and surroundings.