Proclaimer

Four hundred years ago, an aging couple in their fifties left behind all that they had known and loved to journey to the rocky, untamed wilderness of North America. William and Mary Brewster, in spite of their advancing ages, were among the brave Pilgrims that boarded the Mayflower to sail to the New World. Unlike most Pilgrims, William Brewster had a family heritage among the landed gentry of England. He had been educated at Cambridge University and held the public office of Postmaster while living in his manor house in Scrooby.

The mother lovingly stroked the blond hair of her son. Slowly and carefully, she spoke to her son in a serious tone, “You must learn to be strong. From now on you are no longer my child—you are a man.” With this solemn parting, Ruth Weichert pulled her son, Henryk, to her heart. A quiver ran through her as she embraced her ten-year-old boy for what she knew might be the last time.

The Icelandic waters look icy and lifeless, but those freezing waters teem with krill, which is the main food for the great whales that find their food in these polar oceans near the ice caps. Iceland is cold! But also the land is hot and desolate, harsh, yet fruitful. The country welcomes the seaman who takes refuge there. These contrasts are seen not only in the landscape of Iceland but also in its interesting history.

The world has tried in vain to establish a one-world government. The prophet Zechariah declared, “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one” (Zechariah 14:9). Unity is an attribute of God. He is one, and His name is One. Thus, it follows that God brings unity to all that He governs.

Samuel Davies lived the life of a typical farm boy. He helped his father in the fields. He learned to hunt deer and squirrels in the woods. Samuel also enjoyed crabbing and fishing in the nearby Atlantic Ocean. His mother ensured that her son learned to read in his youth; she accomplished her goal as young Samuel sometimes was found reading his books or teaching other boys how to read!

The Hebrew word Elohim, generally translated “God” in the Bible, is plural in its grammatical number. This plurality reflects the divine Trinity—that one God exists in three Persons. In Genesis 1:26, the plural number is used when Elohim spoke: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Psalm 45 presents a glowing picture of a royal wedding between the King and His Bride. Furthermore, although Psalm 45 is set as a royal wedding, Hebrews 1:8 makes it clear that this is a Messianic psalm that speaks of the royal wedding of Christ and His Bride.

As the massacre intensified, the youthful king of France thought of one man whom he must and could save—his private doctor, a good and faithful man. This skilled French physician was a committed Huguenot and a pious, humble Christian. Charles IX, young but of frail health, loved his doctor and could not bear the thought of his doctor being murdered simply because he was a Huguenot! Not wanting his dear physician to share Admiral de Coligny’s fate, Charles IX hurried to where his physician slept and ushered him into his own royal bedchamber for safekeeping.

What makes the difference between these seemingly contradictory texts? Why would Paul turn from saying that there is none that doeth good and then give such a high commendation of goodness in the lives of the Roman believers? The difference is the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Goodness is included in the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in both Galatians 5:22 and Ephesians 5:9.

William Tyndale was an outcast, a fugitive and stranger from his native land; he was truly a man without a country. He could not return to England on pain of death. For many years now, he had wandered in foreign lands. Germany and the Low Countries (the Dutch Netherlands) had proved a haven for him, and he quickly had learned the foreign languages. In fact, Tyndale possessed a gift for learning languages. He could speak more than seven tongues fluently!

Some great occasion, some notable event, had occurred! He waded through the water to get to the window and look out. The lurid glare of fiery flames reflected on the floodwaters of the Tiber, giving the scene an eerie glow. In the distance, he could hear shouts. The imprisoned Reformer heard the shouts getting nearer and nearer, not knowing what all the noise and clamor was about.

“God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen.” This simple prayer is the first one that many children are taught to say in their formative years. Some may casually dismiss this prayer as trite and obvious, but the profound Biblical truth that it contains should be firmly rooted in the heart of every child of God. Over and over in the Book of Psalms, we read a statement of praise that ascribes the quality of goodness to Jehovah.

Even at the age of seventy, Spalding worked as hard as ever. That year, he traveled more than 1,500 miles on horseback. He lived with the Indians, slept on the hard ground, ate their food, and taught them from the Book of God. He gave the Nez Perce a written language and translated large portions of Scripture for his beloved people. He also taught them to sing, and Spalding loved nothing better than to sit in the white frame church and hear the sweet songs of Zion being sung by his converts.

Several days went by. Thomas had prayed, committing his case to God, so he faithfully continued with his duty. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, Thomas received a very rare cablegram. He knew that sending a message across the ocean by cable was very expensive, as a customer was required to pay by each character in the post. Quickly he scanned the cablegram. The message from his father was brief, but it flooded his heart with joy and relief: “Disregard my letter; was misinformed.”

Occasionally, new innovations, such as smoke signals, flashing mirrors, and signal flags, were used to convey messages from point to point in a faster way. But on this day in 1844, a new method of instantaneous communication would change the world forever. Samuel Morse sat down at the desk and his hand went to the button of the electrical switch.

God is not “mixed with” heaven and earth. He “fills,” as in wholly occupies and possesses, heaven and earth! This is not a statement of pantheism, where a bit of the divine is infused in created animals, plants, birds, and trees. Rather, He is distinct and separate from it. Just as the light of the sun fills the air but it is not mixed with the air, so God fills all the universe without mixture.

At the time that Lindley offered his services to the American Board of Foreign Missions, the famous David Livingstone had not yet set foot on the African continent, and the vast interior of Africa was still a blank spot on the map. But if God was truly the omnipresent Lord of the universe, He was Lord over the vast, uncharted African continent too.

Traveling chess players from Germany and France would call upon Ridley in London to test their skills against his sharp, active mind. After reading and studying the Scriptures, Ridley usually spent an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening conversing with guests and playing chess. His mastery of chess matched his mastery of the Word of God, and his skill was attested by his opponents.

Finally, the time for the sermon came. Henderson leaned forward in his pew. Bruce ascended the pulpit, opened his Bible, and announced his text. He read aloud the first verse of John 10. The words of the text pierced Alexander Henderson’s heart! Did the preacher know that he, the pastor of Leuchars, was there? More importantly, did God know Henderson’s thoughts, his ambitions, his motives, and his very heart?

The young missionary and his wife settled down into a long dugout canoe. The canoe, skillfully oared by area tribesmen, would transport them to their new home deep in the swampy jungles of Indonesia. The young couple, Don and Carol Richardson, had no idea of the unknown dangers that lurked in the dark recesses of the swamps. But they knew that their omniscient Lord was fully aware of all that lay ahead.