February 7
“You shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Some believers think the witness of the Church is only to be conducted by those gifted as evangelists. Was that what the early church did? In Acts 8, we are told that the persecution that arose under Saul of Tarsus drove the Christians across the Roman empire. And the result? “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching (euaggelizo, evangelizing) the word” (v 4). But the “they” in verse 4 does not include the men who were given...
Read MoreFebruary 6
“…Tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Rev 20:10). Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834) preached to more people than any other man of his time. During more than 30 years of ceaseless travel, mostly by foot, Dow preached in almost all parts of the U.S., as well as in Canada, England, Ireland and the West Indies. He wore one set of clothes till they worn out; his only luggage was a box of Bibles. Plagued with asthma, he was compelled to sleep on the floor or on bare ground. He was sometimes chased from one town to another, where he would simply begin preaching where he had left off. Often he could...
Read MoreFebruary 5
Luke wrote more of the New Testament than any other author, including Paul. There has been no shortage of critics to call in question the historical veracity of his writings. For example, he calls Iconium a city in Phyrigia. Scholars disagreed, saying that Iconium was in Lycaonia, not Phyrigia. They declared the Book of Acts unreliable. That was until 1910, when Sir William Ramsay (1851-1939), looking for evidence to support this long-held claim against Luke, uncovered a stone monument declaring that Iconium was indeed a city in Phyrigia. When reviewing the writings of Luke, British...
Read MoreFebruary 4
Joseph Scriven, the author of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” was born in Dublin in 1820 and moved to Canada when he was 25. Although born in wealth and refinement, he chose a humble path of service for Christ after the drowning death of his fiancée the eve before their wedding. One day he was seen walking down a street in Port Hope where he lived, dressed in work clothes and carrying a saw. One observer said to another: “Do you know that man? I need a sober, hard-working man to cut some wood for me.” “You can’t get that man; that’s Mr. Scriven.” “Why not?” “Because you’re able to pay for...
Read MoreFebruary 3
When asked to write a comment in someone’s album, C.H. Spurgeon would often write: “E’er since by faith I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die.” Early in his ministry at the Tabernacle he said: “I received, some years ago, orders from my Master to stand at the foot of the Cross until He came. He has not come yet; but I mean to stand there till He does. If I should disobey His orders, and leave those simple truths which have been the means of the conversion of souls, I do not know how I could expect His blessing. Here, then, I...
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