Christ is Victor - March/April, 2015, Volume 28, No.2

“The only true God”

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).

Jesus Christ talks in terms of “Eternal life”, “Eternal truth”, and “Eternal principles”. He has power over all flesh and He gives eternal life. This is the life Jesus had. Jesus brought into this world eternal principles which make a life eternal. Sin is your enemy. It ruins your body. It is an enemy that vexes your spirit. It makes you useless for life and the purposes of God. It empties you of all your talents and the powers that God has put into you. The positive forces that God has put in you are drained away. Until you get the life of Christ into you through the new birth, you cannot have a taste for spiritual things. Only by the new-birth experience do you come to know “the only true God.” What a blessing it is to know Him in the prime of your youth! When you know Him who created you with a great purpose, who has a great plan for you, and who is willing to put all His power into you, what a great blessing it is!

We [Christians] often quite forget that we are sons and daughters of a great prince. Jesus presented His disciples before God saying, “These men have received thy word into their heart.” What a thrill and assurance it must have been to the disciples! What a declaration of their standing before God. They had beheld His glory on earth as His father’s glory shone out of Him in His humble service. Jesus was praying about their seeing more and their being with Him always. In verse 24, Jesus prays, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” Jesus wants us to be with Him in the very place where He is.

Scientists work hard to find out physical laws. But Christ came to give us God’s eternal truth clearly and fully. The more this truth gets into you and controls you, the more you will be like Jesus. Jesus further prays in verse 17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” What fortunate people we are when we know Christ! As you read His word and take it into you, it purifies you more and more, and the Holy Spirit will fill you more and more and you will become a blessing. Have you been a blessing to anyone in leading him to this eternal life?

Jesus gave us the Word. In the holidays do not waste your time. Study the Word and take it in. Christ wants you to represent Him in this world and wield all His power. Aim at being like your Master. Christ will make you so. Can you find anything wrong in Christ? Any flaw? Any failure? None at all! What a perfect and wonderful Saviour God gave us!

—N. Daniel

“Jesus atones for sins”

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

In the 53rd chapter of the Book of Isaiah, we find a portion of Scripture of unrivalled beauty and poignancy, wherein Isaiah foretold the propitiatory death of Christ so clearly and graphically. In this verse, Isaiah tells us that Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. We must bear in mind that Isaiah prophesied this 700 years before the event actually took place. That is yet another unique aspect of the Bible. The prophets foretold that the Saviour of all mankind would come and become the supreme sacrifice for man’s sin.

The deep-seated desire in the human heart, to somehow appease the just wrath of God at man’s rebellion and sin, found expression in a variety of sacrifices being offered. Many of these sacrifices were intended to atone for man’s sin. But how can any offering, animate or inanimate, expensive or inexpensive, please the heart of the Holy God, to whom our sins are unutterably loathsome and immeasurably offensive? It is inconceivable that we can please the Living God by some gift, and buy our way to Heaven.

But God found the Lamb for the sacrifice—His own Son, who is the express image of His person. Thus, while we were without hope, the Saviour came. At a location called Calvary, just outside the walls of Jerusalem, He gave His life as the sacrifice for our sins and the sins of all mankind. It was on a cruel cross, rejected, despised, spat upon, and sneered at, that He died.

The colossal cost of Calvary’s Cross is impossible to calculate. Sin was foreign to Him; He never knew sin. Yet He took upon Himself your sins and my sins. Even we ordinary mortals abhor our sins at times, and even make many futile resolutions not to dirty ourselves again, though all in vain. But the sinless Saviour left Heaven’s holy clime and came down to identify Himself with you and me. This is love, at its highest and purest level.

The Bible says, “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). To pay the penalty for man’s sin, He had to humble Himself further; the Immortal had to bear the indignity of death, and that too the death of a criminal.

His own disciple Judas Iscariot betrayed Him and literally sold Him for thirty pieces of silver. There are many today who betray Christ for far less money than that. Think of all the greed, which our sick modern society has produced. A lie is nothing to people; deceit is a trifle; their body they will give to immorality; their souls they will sell away in acquiring ill-gotten money. Judas had to choose between money and Christ; he chose money. Many, like Judas, choose money today and throw moral values to the winds, and their souls to the devil.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not” (Isaiah 53:3). How tragically true these words are, even today! Never did God come as a man to dwell with man, until Jesus came; never did a man walk on earth, sinless and untainted by impurity, until Jesus walked on earth; and yet He was rejected and despised of men. His matchless purity reproves them too severely of their impurity, so even today men would rather have someone else than Jesus.

It was no sin of His that brought this shameful death upon Jesus. He was wounded for our transgressions and sins. Taking our sins upon His body not only caused Him physical suffering but was a crushing weight upon His soul.

Let me illustrate. In an army camp, an offence was committed by the men in a tent. The major was a strict man and wanted the culprit to own up to his crime as someone in the tent would have to pay the penalty. He would have to bear fifty lashes with a heavy whip. Almost everyone knew who it was but none admitted to having done the crime. To the officer’s dismay, Willie the little drummer boy stepped forward and asked to be whipped.

It was a cruel scene. The penalty could be no less severe because it was a weak boy who was under the heavy whip. As the stripes were counted out, Willie bravely took the whipping until he could bear no more, and collapsed. Unable to bear the sight of innocent Willie taking his whipping, the real culprit stepped out and asked to be whipped. But once again the penalty was meted out to Willie and he never recovered from the whipping. At Willie’s death-bed, the real culprit Robert was found sobbing, “Willie, why did you do it, why did you take my whipping?”

Now, the little drummer boy Willie loved Jesus and simply felt he had to take Robert’s whipping, although it cost him his life.

Yes, our precious Lord Jesus took our sins upon His own body and died in our place, so that we may be freed from our sins and live this most beautiful and victorious life, which He gives.

—Joshua Daniel

“Reality Check”

But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength in the time of trouble (Psalm 37:38-39).

“Pursuing God”

Aiden Wilson Tozer was born into a small farming community in Pennsylvania, USA, in 1897. After moving to Ohio as a teenager, he began work at a rubber factory.

One afternoon while walking home from work, Tozer spotted a small crowd clustered together on the opposite side of the street. They were standing around an older man who appeared to be speaking to them. Curious, he crossed the street.

At first, Tozer could not comprehend what the man was saying. He had a strong German accent, and Tozer had to pay careful attention. Yet he then realised what the man was doing; he was preaching! Doesn’t this man have a church to preach in? Tozer wondered. And it isn’t even Sunday! Why is he so excited? Yet the street preacher’s words began to have an impact.

Tozer was startled when the preacher declared: “If you don’t know how to be saved, just call on God, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner,’ and God will hear you.” At least, they were words to this effect.

The words burned in Tozer. He thought about them, walking home. The words troubled him. They awakened within him a gnawing hunger for God.

“Saved. If you don’t know how to be saved, just call on God … ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner’.”

When Tozer arrived at home, he headed to the attic. It was there that a wonder must have occurred, for when he later emerged, he had become a new creation in Christ Jesus.

The household in which Tozer lived was very crowded. Needing a place where he could get alone with God, pray, and study his Bible, Tozer cleaned up a small space behind the furnace in the basement. What a refuge it became.

Tozer became a man of God, one who enjoyed intimate fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ. He practised the presence of God; he adored and worshipped Jesus Christ; and he authored many works, such as The Pursuit of God. “I speak to thirsty hearts,” he wrote, “whose longings have been wakened by the touch of God within them, and such as they need no reasoned proof. Their restless hearts furnish all the proof they need.”

He was a man who hungered and thirsted after His Creator, the only true God. In The Pursuit of God he wrote: “O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, ‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.’ Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.”

“You and I are in little (our sins excepted) what God is in large,” wrote Tozer in The Pursuit of God, “Being made in His image we have within us the capacity to know Him. In our sins we lack only the power. The moment the Spirit has quickened us to life in regeneration our whole being senses its kinship to God and leaps up in joyous recognition. That is the heavenly birth without which we cannot see the Kingdom of God. It is, however, not an end but an inception, for now begins the glorious pursuit, the heart's happy exploration of the infinite riches of the Godhead.”

—See James L. Synder, In Pursuit of God: The Life of A. W. Tozer, and A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

“Never Left or Forsaken”

Lillian Trasher (1887-1961) was a formidable lady. In 1910, she arrived in Egypt and began to care for orphans in the following year. She often saw God in action when the need was great.

Supplied

During the Second World War, the Italians (partners with Germany) invaded Egypt. The War caused great hardship. The orphanage now cared for some 900 children, and often required food and clothing. By September 1941, many of the children’s clothes were worn and they had little food.

One evening at supper, Lillian announced that all school and work would be suspended for twenty-four hours so that everyone could seriously pray about the situation. Lillian heard some earnest praying that evening in the girls’ dormitory. A little girl named Figa, whose head had been shaved because of a skin disease, prayed beautifully: “Lord, You have said that when our mothers and fathers forsake us, You will take us up [Psalm 27:10]. We need you to provide for us right now because Mama [Lillian] says there is no one else who can help us.”

Tears came to Lillian’s eyes; how right Figa was. A miracle alone could assist them.

The children and staff continued to pray. In the morning, a telegram arrived from the American Ambassador to Egypt: “Miss Trasher, please visit me tomorrow for lunch.” Lillian hoped this had something to do with all their prayers. She took the midnight train to Cairo and arrived at his place just before midday.

The Ambassador had important news to share with Lillian. Greece had just fallen to the Germans. A Red Cross ship near Greece got word of this, and was ordered back to Alexandria, Egypt. Then a fear arose that the ships in Alexandria’s harbour would be attacked, and the ship was ordered to dump its cargo and head out to sea while it was still dark. A young Scottish sailor on the ship begged the captain to unload the cargo, rather than dump it. He knew about the orphanage, and had a mother praying for it daily. At first, the captain did not want to do so, but the sailor insisted. He assured the captain that they could unload the ship and make it out of port before sunrise. The ship was quickly unloaded and the supplies placed in a warehouse.

“Tell me, Miss Trasher,” the Ambassador queried, “do you have a need for food and clothing at this time?”

What a marvellous provision—so many supplies for the orphanage!

A little while later, Lillian, the Ambassador, and a Red Cross representative were standing together, looking at crates of supplies. There were thousands of items of clothing and blankets, and masses of powdered milk and rice. Lillian burst into tears.

The Ambassador kindly declared that he would pay the delivery costs.

When the children heard the good news, the children cheered! Then as they waited to open the containers after delivery, Lillian said a prayer of thanks. How thankful she was to God for His supply.

Protected

A few years later, the cholera epidemic arrived in Egypt. Yet Lillian read the Bible story about Moses and Pharaoh and the plagues, and repeated the verse, “Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” “I will take that as a promise, Lord,” she prayed. She trusted Him to keep all the children safe. For the best part, they were.

Not long after, Lillian was awakened one night by the sound of the school bell. An orange glow filled her room; looking out of the window, she saw that the boys’ dormitory was on fire!

Lillian ran to the telephone, called the fire department, threw on a robe and shoes, and ran out. The boys were already outside by the time she arrived; Lillian did not want any of these precious ones to be lost.

The fire truck did not immediately arrive, but Lillian remembered the 150 new buckets she had bought from the army. Hundreds of hands joined in to help get the fire under control. Yet then flames began to lick up the wall of the kitchen.

The kerosene tanks used to heat the water were in the kitchen! A deadly explosion could occur if the fire reached them. The boys were doing their best to douse the flames, but they were growing bigger… Lillian fell to her knees in fear. “Do something, Lord,” she prayed. “The kerosene tanks are inside. Do something.”

Lillian stayed on her knees for a minute or two, staring at the flames. Marvellously, they died down, the fire fizzled out, and the inside of the kitchen was left unharmed.

Soon the fire truck arrived. When the ambulance arrived as day broke, the ambulance driver could hardly believe that no one had been burned by the flames.

The kerosene storage tanks truly remained untouched. In the wall that had been touched by the fire, a window was jammed open with some newspaper stuffed into the gap. Burn marks showed that the flames had licked all the way up to the newspaper and then stopped!

It was a miracle. Lillian had seen the flames on the wall, dropped to her knees, and prayed. At that exact moment, the flames must have stopped, or they would have consumed the newspaper and spread inside to the kerosene tanks. God had given the precious gift of protection.

—See Janet and Geoff Benge, Lillian Trasher: The Greatest Wonder in Egypt

“A Moment Please!”

You are well?
That’s fine.

You hope to remain so?
That’s natural.

You may be disappointed?
That’s possible.

You will die?
That’s sure.

You’d better get ready?
That’s wisdom.

You want to be right?
That’s promising.

You don’t know the way?
Then listen!

1) You need to be saved!

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

2) You cannot save yourself!

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5). “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

3) Jesus Christ alone can save!

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

4) Your part!

“Seek ye theLordwhile He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts” (Isaiah 55:6-7). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

—Distributed by Way of Life, Dungannon, Northern Ireland

About Us

This newsletter is produced six times per year by the Laymen’s Evangelical Fellowship International. It is printed and distributed in the US, UK, Germany, Singapore, Canada, and Australia and is supported by unsolicited sacrificial gifts of young people. For a free subscription or for other enquiries, please contact any of the addresses below.

This Fellowship is an inter-denominational missionary and prayer group working for revival in churches and amongst students in several countries. We invite every layperson to become God’s ally in changing his or her corner of the world. We train people in evangelistic work and to be self-supporting missionaries.

USA: P.O. Box 14, South Lyon, MI 48178. Phone: (248) 486-6326.
CANADA: P.O. Box 31002, Windsor, Ontario N9G 2Y2. Phone: (519) 966-4603.
SINGAPORE: P.O. Box 320 PSA Building Post Office, Singapore 91114. Phone: (65) 63562724 (Sam).
MALAYSIA: P.O.Box 236, Jalan Kelang Lama, 58700 Kuala Lumpur West Malaysia. Phone: 012-3416203. Or contact No. 3, Lorong Beduk, Taman Sungai Bakap, 14200 Sungai Bakap, Seberang Prai Selatan, Pulau Pinang. Phone: 019- 4493115 T.K. Ong.
AUSTRALIA: P.O. Box 1072, Armadale, Western Australia 6992. Phone: 61(08) 9498 3735.
GREAT BRITAIN: P.O. Box 737 London SW2 4XT. Phone: 020 7738 3302.
IRELAND: P.O. Box 18 Cavan Co. Cavan.
INDIA: 9B Nungambakkam High Rd. Chennai 600034. Phone: 044-2827 2393.
INTERNET: http://lefi.org
EMAIL: post@lefi.org