The Bible Standard - Re-Discover the Truth.

A small group of young Christadelphian brothers have taken the time to produce this valuable resource for the brotherhood and beyond, they are using the Bible reading planner developed by Brother Robert Roberts called The  Bible Companion. The Bible Companion (or Bible Reading Planner) is a guide developed by the Christadelphians to aid reading the Bible. It was first produced by Robert Roberts when he was just 14 years of age, in about 1853, and revised by him over a number of years into its current format. 

 Most Christadelphians use this plan each day and it was designed to help you read the old testament once and the new testament twice each year.

 These readings which we feature are recorded using the KJV or the NKJV of the Bible and we hope will be helpful to those who may struggle with time or who have poor eyesight.

“YOU ACTED IN IGNORANCE"  April 27

In contrast to his denial of his Lord on the night of his arrest Peter is now possessed of total conviction and power. He and John heal a man who is more than 40 years old and lame from birth who was “laid daily at the gate of the Temple … to ask alms” [Acts 3 v.2] Everyone who frequented the temple knew him, he had never walked! His healing resulted in him entering “the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him … and they were filled with wonder and amazement…” [v.8-10]

As a result, “all the people ran together to them … astounded.” [v.11] This gave Peter a wonderful opportunity to tell them it was through Jesus “whom God raised from the dead … by faith in his name – has made this man strong” [v.15,16] This was the cause of this incredible healing, Peter’s total faith and God given power...

Peter then says, “and now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your rulers …” [v.17] So many things are done out of ignorance, many are wilfully ignorant! But such is the tendency in human nature that there is no genuine awareness – and resultant awe - of God – and His son. Today the refusal to believe in God is the result of wilful belief that we are just the highest form of evolved life that needed no designer and creator.

Peter’s challenge to them is the same challenge as his words make to all people today! “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom the heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of the holy prophets long ago.” [v.19-21]

If you fail to “turn again” and be baptised – you are telling God you prefer to remain “in ignorance.” But it is better to remain that way if we have no conviction about how these events turned the people and nations of nearly 2,000 years ago upside down in their thinking. The conviction of Peter and others led them to “speak the word of God with all boldness” [4 v.31] How can we claim today we have “acted in ignorance” in whatever decision we make!?

The last verse of our Ecclesiastes reading (ch. 6) puts the matter frankly, “For who knows what is good for a man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow?” Then, as we will read in 9 v.5 “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward …” unless they respond to the message of God through such as Peter “that times of refreshing” will come at “the time for restoring all things” at the return of Christ. Let us admit – we are not making our decision – one way or the other – “in ignorance”

One of the things we have a hard time fully convincing ourselves of is that life in Christ is so much better than life in the world. We cling onto the world just as the children of Israel clung onto Egypt throughout the wilderness. In our reading from Deuteronomy 11 Moses tells the new generation that the land they’re about to enter is so much better than anything they remembered or were told by their parents and grandparents, about Egypt. Notice how the contrast is put in verses 10-11 – “For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated it, like a garden of vegetables. But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven”. That’s an interesting contrast. Egypt is a land that doesn’t get much rain, so they had to irrigate it, or as the Hebrew literally says, water it with their feet. Not so the land of promise – a land which drinks water by the rain from heaven. So, in Egypt, they needed human ingenuity and labour to survive but God was leading them to a new land where instead they needed to trust that God would provide. Richard Morgan

A small group of young Christadelphian brothers have taken the time to produce this valuable resource for the brotherhood and beyond, they are using the Bible reading planner developed by Brother Robert Roberts called The  Bible Companion. The Bible Companion (or Bible Reading Planner) is a guide developed by the Christadelphians to aid reading the Bible. It was first produced by Robert Roberts when he was just 14 years of age, in about 1853, and revised by him over a number of years into its current format. 

 Most Christadelphians use this plan each day and it was designed to help you read the old testament once and the new testament twice each year.

 These readings which we feature are recorded using the KJV or the NKJV of the Bible and we hope will be helpful to those who may struggle with time or who have poor eyesight.

"THOSE WHO RECEIVED HIS WORD ..."  April 26

Our chapter in Acts (2) contains the dramatic message of the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost. This day is the same as the Old Testament “Feast of Weeks” (Exod.34 v.22; Lev.23 v.15,16] ‘Pentecost’ is the Greek word for ‘fiftieth’ – it occurred 50 days (7 weeks) after the Passover, it was at the start of harvesting.

The climax of Peter’s message is to declare to those assembled, from a vast range of countries, the great significance of what had happened at the Passover. These people, obviously Jews, had come from a vast range of places to worship – it is evident they had not been there for the week or weekend as happens these days.

At Passover time the jealous Priests had whipped these visitors (and others) into a frenzy to reject Jesus as a false Messiah. Remember that in the “forty days” (Acts 1 v.3) after Jesus’ resurrection Jesus was only appearing to his followers. The last 2 chapters of John we have just read illustrated this was not on a daily basis. Paul was aware there was one occasion when “he appeared to 500 brothers at one time” [1 Cor 15 v.6] We can reasonably imagine that all sorts of what would be called today, ‘unconfirmed reports’ were in circulation.

What an impact the ability to speak in other languages would have had! The “mighty works of God” [v.11] were being declared to each in their own language. Peter brings his speech to a climax, declaring, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” [v.36]

A great many of the hearers were “cut to the heart” [v.37] They “said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do?” and are told, “Repent and be baptised … save yourselves from this crooked generation. So those who received his word were baptised …” [v.40,41] about 3,000 of them.

What is it to “receive” the message? It is a very common word in the Greek, the repentant thief on the cross with Jesus acknowledged, “we are receivingthe due reward of our sins” [Luke 23 v.41] The Gk word is often translated as “accept” Paul was told when he returned to Jerusalem, “”make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly , because they will not accept your testimony about me.” [Acts 22 v.18]  Today, the main attitude is either scoffing or indifference. Few are like those of Berea who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” [Acts 17 v.11] How have you “received” God’s word, what effect is it having in your life?

What is the point of life? In Ecclesiastes the Preacher asks that same question and the answer for those who live under the sun is not very encouraging: “I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.” (Ecc. 3:18-20). Notice the echo here with the garden of Eden where God first put man to the test, found that he thinks just like the animals, and so will return to the dust of the ground. The Preacher seems to imply that our lives are just a repetition of that same Edenic test. If we were in the garden of Eden, we would do the same thing as Adam and Eve. Adam is us – the representative man.

 Richard Morgan

 Read more... https://bibletruthandprophecy.com/its-the-thought-that-counts-what-does-god-want-2542020/

A small group of young Christadelphian brothers have taken the time to produce this valuable resource for the brotherhood and beyond, they are using the Bible reading planner developed by Brother Robert Roberts called The  Bible Companion. The Bible Companion (or Bible Reading Planner) is a guide developed by the Christadelphians to aid reading the Bible. It was first produced by Robert Roberts when he was just 14 years of age, in about 1853, and revised by him over a number of years into its current format. 

 Most Christadelphians use this plan each day and it was designed to help you read the old testament once and the new testament twice each year.

 These readings which we feature are recorded using the KJV or the NKJV of the Bible and we hope will be helpful to those who may struggle with time or who have poor eyesight.

"JESUS ... WILL COME IN THE SAME WAY AS YOU SAW HIM GO"     April 25

These words should be familiar to all Bible readers: they are the words of the “two men … in white robes” (a common way of describing angels) - it is what they said to the disciples as their astonished eyes watched their Lord ascend upwards “and a cloud received him out of their sight” [Acts 1 v.9-11].  We suspect it was no ordinary cloud, but like the cloud that Moses climbed up into on the mountain. (Exodus 24 v.16)

Countless generations of Bible believers have looked for their Lord to descend from heaven in their lifetime.  The disciples had asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” [v.6] and were told by their Lord they were to be “my witnesses in Jerusalem” - but ultimately that the witnessing was to be “to the end of the earth” [v.8]  He had said this earlier, also on the mount of Olives, “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” [Matt. 24 v.14]

The other sign which Jesus gave, which Luke also recorded, was that “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” [21 v.24]  Today, Jerusalem is constantly a centre of world attention – and the returned Jews have made it the capital of their resurrected country.  The evidence is plain that the climax of the ages is near. But we know, and must emphasize that it was not for his disciples, then or now, to know exactly when.  Notice again the answer of Jesus’ when the disciples asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” [v.6]  They were commissioned to be “my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria” [v.8]. It is for true believers today to complete that commission  “…and to the end of the earth.”

Are you his disciple?  Are you helping this commission to be carried out?  If you are, you will be really looking for his return “in the same way (as the disciples) saw him go into heaven.”

As his disciple you will be following the examples given in the book of Acts ,which we have now started reading. Notice the way in which the Old Testament is often quoted as an essential part of that message. It tells us many details of the Kingdom Jesus will set up, also giving us examples of faithful service (and failures) as we are reading in the book of Deuteronomy.

The book of Deuteronomy is written in the form of an ancient covenant treaty that were commonly written up between a Suzerain (a ruling state in Old Testament times that had control over other internally autonomous states) and vassal (a state ruled by the Suzerain). Those covenants began with a preamble illustrating the historical dealings between the Suzerain and his vassal. What followed were the stipulations of the covenant – what the vassal was required to do – and ended with a list of blessings should the vassal keep the terms of the covenant, and curses if they did not.

A small group of young Christadelphian brothers have taken the time to produce this valuable resource for the brotherhood and beyond, they are using the Bible reading planner developed by Brother Robert Roberts called The  Bible Companion. The Bible Companion (or Bible Reading Planner) is a guide developed by the Christadelphians to aid reading the Bible. It was first produced by Robert Roberts when he was just 14 years of age, in about 1853, and revised by him over a number of years into its current format. 

 Most Christadelphians use this plan each day and it was designed to help you read the old testament once and the new testament twice each year.

 These readings which we feature are recorded using the KJV or the NKJV of the Bible and we hope will be helpful to those who may struggle with time or who have poor eyesight.