THE NEW CREATION

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Volume 84, Numbers 5 & 6 May/Jun 2022

Contents
Page
Contents….....………………………………………………….….1
Editorial: The Lord Is My Shepherd..………………….……..….2
The Museum of the Permission of Evil……………...….…...….3
The Lord Will Provide….…....……………..…………….……….8
Stepping into Temptation…..….…..................................…....11
The Gospel of Christ…………………………………...………..14
Sifting……………………………………………………………...24
The Things Eternal (poem)…....………………………....…….25
The Holy Bible………...…..…………..….......……………...….26
Effectual Prayer…………….......……………………….....……29
A Portrait of Jesus: Bread of Life for All…….…..….………....33
Prayer List……………………………………………………...…35
Grads/Websites……….…..........…………………………….....36
Conferences and Conventions ...………..……………….........37

NOTE: The thoughts presented in the articles are those of the writer and
are not necessarily totally endorsed by the New Creation Staff. “Study to
show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15.
“Prove ALL things and hold fast to what is good.” – 1 Thess. 5:21.

The New Creation magazine and all of CDMI’s other publications are sent out
free of charge to all who request them. This magazine and all other publica-
tions are totally supported by the voluntary and generous donations of those
who wish to help us in this work for the Lord. Your support makes it possible
for CDMI to provide this magazine and booklets and tracts to the poor around
the world. All donations are tax exempt.

1
 The Lord Is My Shepherd
Editor’s
“My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” Page
“They will by no means follow a stranger.”
There are many voices in the world today, but
the voice of the good shepherd is the one to
earnestly listen for and obey. Jesus’ voice is
very heart-warming. Where do we find his
voice? There is only one source and that is in
the Holy Scriptures, recorded and preserved for us from the days
of the Apostles until now.
True, we are benefited by servants or ministers – apostles,
prophets, teachers, evangelists, and pastors – who in all humility
seek to bring to our attention the word of life from the Scriptures.
We do well to not ignore these, but we are responsible to exam-
ine their teachings in light of the Holy Scriptures and the learning
that the Lord gives through his holy spirit, remaining true to our
Lord – to hear his voice.
Since the understanding of the written word is interpretive, we
will understand the meaning of all Scripture only in part. We
know that our heavenly Father said to Israel that the things re-
vealed belong to us and our children (spiritual Israelites now) and
that which is hidden cannot be understood. We rightly spend
much time seeking to understand, but with so many translations
and shades of meaning to words, nobody is going to have the
same or full understanding of Scripture.
However, the Scriptures are uniformly consistent in their ex-
pressions of moral excellence. Although fallen humanity, includ-
ing ourselves, are in a weakened state, we should be attracted to
the moral magnet the Heavenly Father holds out, and being at-
tracted, rejoice in the moral rectitude that the Scriptures present
to our minds. Someday we will know as we are known, and
things which are so difficult to reason through will be made plain.
At that time we will see him as he is because we shall be like
him. Being like him, we will enjoy eternal fellowship, grateful that
our good shepherd led us day by day, strengthening us, encour-
aging us, speaking to us through his word, the words of life. So
let’s be courageous, following our good shepherd’s voice and
remembering the great inheritance reserved in heaven for us.

R. Whittaker
2
 The Museum of the Permission of Evil
“One generation passes away, and another generation comes;
but the earth abides forever.” Ecclesiastes 1:4 [NKJV]

Really? Does the earth really abide “forever”? There is no

Hebrew word meaning “eternity”, such as we have in modern
English.

The Hebrew word for “forever” is “olam” [ST 5769], which

means “open-ended” or “no specified ending”. Thus, the Law
Covenant [in its many ordinances] was stated to be “forever”
[olam] even though God knew that arrangement would come
to an end at some unstated point in time, and even specified
so in Jeremiah 31:31-34 when God through the prophet spoke
of a “new covenant”. The Hebrew Scriptures use this word
numerous times referring to the Tabernacle and its various rit-
uals; and that system has ended. But many other times the
word is used of God, His attributes, and His promises; these
are truly “forever” and “eternal”.

So, context and usage are important, as is a basic under-

standing of the plan of God.

But, specifically, what about the earth? The 2 nd Law of

Thermodynamics, simply stated, is that everything in the phys-
ical universe is “running down”, that “disorder” always increas-
es. There is no reason to think that this will ever change in the
future.

Still, there are many Scriptures which strongly imply that the
earth will be preserved forever.
“Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for a light by day, the
ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who
disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The Lord of hosts is His
name): ‘If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the
Lord, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a na-
tion before Me forever.’” [Jeremiah 31:35-36]

3
 See Genesis 8:22; Psalms 72:5, 17; 89:35-37; 148:6; Isaiah
60:21; 66:22; and other texts.

God will see to it that the sun does not burn out. As the sun
[with its solar system] speeds through not-so-empty space, it
will gather in all the Hydrogen atoms [and other materials] that
it needs to fuel its thermonuclear furnaces.

The earth will not run out of resources; the mountains will
not crumble until earth is simply a smooth ball; the oceans will
not cover the land; the atmosphere will not evaporate into
space. Other stars may burn out or explode; other planets
turn cold or hot. But not the earth; not the sun.

Any why will God do this? Because HERE, on this earth, is

where it all happened.

A New Marvel

It seems implied in Scripture, if not definitely stated, that Ad-

am was the very first human created anywhere in the uni-
verse. This was a new marvel to the angels.
“When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of
God shouted for joy.” [Job 38:7]
“And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living be-
ing.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” [1 Corinthians
15:45, 47]

But this new “marvel” failed and lost both the paradise-
garden home and life itself.

Paradise Lost -- HERE, on this earth.

But, also Paradise Restored -- HERE, on this earth.

Sin, evil, suffering and death were permitted HERE; restora-

tion was HERE; the wonder of salvation by Jesus was HERE.
This history, in all its details, will be preserved as an eternal
remembrance of the “Permission of Evil” and the Restoration
therefrom.
4
 Here is where Adam and Eve were created and placed in a
paradise-garden, and ultimately fell from God’s grace. Here
was the great flood of Noah. Here is the land where Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob walked. Here is the land of Israel. Here are
the Jewish people following God, or turning away from Him,
with appropriate results. Here are the lands of purer, and also
apostate, Christianity. Here are multitudes of false gods and
religions. Here are great wars, famines, plagues, the depths
of human depravity as well as some very noble heights. Here
Jesus lived and taught, died, and was raised from death.
HERE -- on this planet Earth.

THIS is where it happened, and it will be preserved for all

eternity as a monument to God’s wisdom, as well as His love,
justice, and power.

The vast historical information about the Permission of Evil,

and the Restoration, is too eternally important merely to be
remembered only in the minds of those who experienced vari-
ous parts of it. So, there needs to be a permanent repository
of ALL this information.

THIS earth will be the “Museum of the Permission of Evil”,

always open for instruction, and remembering.

Necessary To Be Humble

But first, God’s intention is to humble the inhabitants of

earth, and thus prepare them to be teachable in the Kingdom.
“The proud looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of
men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted
in that day.” [Isaiah 2:11, 17]

Present earth museums contain various artifacts such as

ancient bones, pottery, tools, machines, books, pictures,
sculptures, and so forth. But, to help in the restoration pro-
cess, it seems more is needed, information that is real, actual
and moving. So, it is likely that everything has been recorded
by God.
5
Jesus said everything hidden will be revealed:--
“For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything
hidden that will not be known and come to light.” [Luke 8:17]

Perhaps this is one method of how the revealing could be

done.

The various earthly scenes will possibly be available as 3-

dimensional holograms, in full color, with surround-sound and
perhaps smells. One could walk around such a hologram and
see it from all sides. Perhaps to see the crucifixion of Jesus;
or Lazarus walking from his tomb; the great Flood; the de-
struction of Sodom; and many more. The people of earth, in-
cluding the resurrected dead, could certainly profit by this. Not
only on the large scale, but also on the individual level.

The very thoughts and motives of individuals could be made

known, especially when a wrong-doer and his victim have to
face each other and be reconciled. Humility, repentance, and
forgiveness will go hand-in-hand, and that will be a real test on
both parties. Forgiveness must be asked for, and forgiveness
must be given, in order to progress in the Kingdom.

And many mysteries [that are not salvation issues] will be

solved, such as finally knowing what happened to people,
ships, and planes that simply “disappeared” without a trace.
And where Enoch was “translated” to; what the “star” of Beth-
lehem actually was; who built the pyramids; and numerous
other puzzles.

Beyond the Kingdom

Will there be future physical creations that could profit by this

museum? We are not told anything about the future arrange-
ments after the 1000-year Kingdom ends.

But we know that --

1. The physical universe is immense, and seemingly empty of
intelligent physical life.
6
2. We also know that God is a Creator.
So, it seems likely that creation will continue. If so, we [the
human race on earth] are at the very early days of creation.
God is dealing early on with sin and evil in His creation. When
that process is completed, it seems likely that creation will
eventually continue elsewhere.

These future beings will have to be taught about sin and its
evil results. They will not experience sin, but their instruction
could be enhanced by this recorded form of observation, by
viewing various incidents of earth’s recorded history.

Never Repeated; Never Forgotten

Sin and evil will never be permitted again; but this experi-
ence will never be forgotten.
“Affliction shall not rise up the second time”. [Nahum 1:9]

Human creatures [and angels, too] will each and all find that
God’s powers and abilities and wisdom simply overwhelm the
finite mind.

God [Yahweh] once said to Moses -- Tell the children of Is-

rael ”THE ETERNAL” has sent you [Exodus 3:14 Moffatt]. The
ETERNAL has had countless eons to formulate this plan, and
millennia to carry it out. The ETERNAL will be supremely suc-
cessful.

All creation, once reconciled, will be safe in the arms of the

ETERNAL.

“The ETERNAL shall reign forever --

Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!” [Psalm 146:10]

L. Schneider

7
 The Lord Will Provide
This article’s title may suggest that God may not always pro-
vide, but rather can or will, when in fact one with understanding
knows God does provide…. ALWAYS. It may not be a wanted
car, or even food enough to add pounds, or something within a
desired timeframe, but surely, all that is given, or the lack there-
of is from God, done whether or not realized, in our best interest.
One explanation for the above is shared in James 4:2-3, “Ye lust,
and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye
fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and
receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon
your lusts.” Let us explore what is entailed in these two verses
that seem pretty straight forward yet require some understanding
to appreciate.

First of all, faith is required, for we must not only ask, but be-
lieve that God will fill our needs. Remember the lack of faith giv-
en in 2Ki 7:1-2, “Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the
LORD; Thus saith the LORD, Tomorrow about this time shall a
measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of
barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. Then a lord on whose
hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Be-
hold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven (send rain
now), might this thing be? And he (Elisha) said, Behold, thou
shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.”

In this account, the drought made food so scarce that for hun-
ger, a woman boiled her child. Yet, the people were called on to
believe the words of Elisha, God’s prophet, even as we are
called on to believe God’s promises and instructions for life pro-
vided in His Holy Scriptures. We must believe in God’s ability to
provide what may seem to be impossible as in the case above,
where God’s promise was kept with food abundant the very next
day, which the unbeliever saw, but never tasted, being trampled
by the crowd.

No doubt, in the coming resurrection of the dead in God’s king-

dom for which we pray, this unbeliever will in what will seem like
the “twinkling of the eye,” awaken from the sleep of death and
remember the power of God that his eyes witnessed, and will be-
8
lieve, even as we are instructed to do in this life, that we may be-
come a New Creation in Christ, with our focus not on the tem-
poral, but spiritual. Give this some thought. Is there any differ-
ence between the past and now? The promises may be differ-
ent, but faith is required today as it was then, and by faith we
should never doubt the ability and promises of God.

So, what is it that we should ask in prayer that would be pleas-

ing to God? Is it long life, riches, a needed car, a job, safe travel,
or deliverance from a trial that may be working good in our life?
Should the focus of our prayer be on ourselves, or on the Lord as
a desired faithful servant? All the things listed above in this
paragraph have a focus on what we desire in the flesh, not in the
spirit of service to God, which should be our primary desire and
focus. If there is any doubt, listen to Solomon’s response when
God asked him what he wanted. Solomon answered in 1Ki 3:9,
“Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy
people, that I may discern between good and bad:….“ And
God’s response in 1Ki 3:10-13, “And the speech pleased the
Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him,
Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thy-
self long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast
asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself under-
standing to discern judgment; (to better serve the Lord) Behold, I
have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise
and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee be-
fore thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I
have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both
riches, and honor: “

Here, Solomon’s sole desire was God’s help that he may

properly serve the Lord in the position he was given as king. He
was not self-centered, but rather had his focus on better serving
the Lord. Should our focus be any less? And I would suggest
further that we should not take God for granted in our requests
but use what he has already given us to help ourselves. Re-
member what Paul said in 2Th 3:10, “For even when we were
with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work,
neither should he eat.”

9
 We are told in 1Th 5:17-18, “Pray without ceasing. In every-
thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus con-
cerning you.” Praying is an important demonstration of our faith,
for doing so acknowledges our firm belief that God is our Creator,
Master and Father, who indeed wants to give us every good gift
as His children. That would not exclude chastisements for our
good (Rev.3:19).

Jesus clearly told us that God knows our needs before we ask
(Matt 6:8), so our prayers should acknowledge that fact with
thanksgiving, come what may, acknowledging our faith in Him
and His promises, and that His will be done in our lives. Faith
must be built upon a solid foundation, rooted in God’s Word, with
obedience to that Word. Remember Job who demonstrated this
solid foundation of faith. Upon losing his family and his vast pos-
sessions, Job fell down and worshipped, saying in Job 1:21, “...
Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return
thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Job without fault suffered greatly, but through it all he loved the
Lord, and was able in the end to acknowledge his great blessing,
having grown spiritually, saying in Job 42:5, “I have heard of thee
by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.”

Let us remember that God has endowed us with talents and

resources “according to our several abilities” that we must use to
serve Him as faithful servants, (Mat 25:14-30) as well as use to
provide for our daily needs. As Rev 3:3 reminds us, “Remember
therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and
repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come upon thee as
a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”

Let us not be like the five foolish virgins who were unprepared
(Mat 25:1-13) for the Lord’s return and judgement. Let us “watch”
by serving Him continually, and therefore not be found wanting at
His return.
J. DiCesare

10
 Stepping into Temptation
“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by
his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth
to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not
be deceived, my beloved brothers.” James 1:14-16 (ESV)

Temptation can be defined as an inducement to do some-

thing wrong or evil. Three powerful forces work together to try
to ruin a believer’s character and witness: Satan, the world’s
culture, and our own lustful fleshly tendencies. Being tempted
isn’t a sin, but yielding is. We commonly hear the expression
“falling into temptation,” but in reality, we walk into it, one step
at a time. It is important to realize that the battle against temp-
tation begins in the mind. Throughout our journey in this life,
we have choices we can make to stop a downward progres-
sion into the dangerous territory that temptation would lead us,
or we can choose to go ahead and thus suffer the conse-
quences.

The process starts in our thoughts. While it is impossible to

prevent every luring thought from entering our mind, we can
choose how long to hold on to each one. By entertaining an
idea, even briefly, we take another step downward. One of the
devil’s greatest deceptions is to convince us that experiencing
the pleasures of sin in our fantasies isn’t really that bad. After
all, we haven’t carried it out. But Satan knows the power that
thoughts have and by gaining this foothold, he has seized a
powerful motivator of the human will—desire. Those “harmless
imaginations” can easily turn into passions that crave satisfac-
tion. That’s just a small step away from uniting the desire with
action, at which point all opposition has vanished and sin has
won.

Resisting temptation becomes harder with each progres-

sive step taken by wrong thinking. Thus, we need to reject
tempting thoughts in the beginning; not dwelling on the prom-
ised pleasure, but considering sin’s result. The cost is always
far greater than sin’s fleeting enjoyment.
11
 Yielding to temptation can open the door to addiction. For
instance, pornography has become one of the plagues of our
day and has ruined the lives and marriages of countless peo-
ple. It is the result of giving in to the temptation of sexual per-
version. Lust of the flesh can lead to having an adulterous af-
fair which often ends in divorce and broken families, where the
children are severely hurt.
It is important to realize that no one is an island unto them-
selves. Almost all the ramifications of temptation reach out and
affect others around you. In some cases, it can have a rippling
effect down through time and even for future generations. A
prime example is when Adam and Eve succumbed to tempta-
tion and sinned in the Garden of Eden. It not only affected
them but also every person born since as Romans 5:12 (ESV)
tells us, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through
one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all
men because all sinned.” Since that day sin is crouching at the
door of all our minds, waiting for the opportunity to enter in.
In one of Aesop’s fables, the story is told of a donkey that
stuck his nose into a blacksmith shop. When the blacksmith
complained, the donkey said, “Don’t be stingy. You have the
whole shop and I only want to put in my nose. It is really
stormy outside, and my nose is so cold.” So, the blacksmith
said, “Oh all right.” But a little later, he noticed that the donkey
had put in his right foot also. When the blacksmith again pro-
tested, the donkey pleaded again how cold he was and how
little room he was taking up. Still later, he put in his other fore-
foot and little by little he gradually worked his whole body into
the shop and then turned on the blacksmith and drove him out
of the shop. He was now in control.
What a lesson for us! Satan at first tries to edge his way
into our lives a little at a time. If we give in to him, then he
gradually usurps more and more of our time, attention and
thinking, resulting in the new creature becoming weaker and
weaker and finally losing control to Satan’s evil schemes. Our
aim should be to see that we are aware of Satan’s tactics and

12
of our own weaknesses, and then watch and pray, which will
rob our enemies of their victory in our lives.

Sin will always influence a Christian’s sanctification and

their relationship with God. Unforgiven sin creates a barrier
between us and God and deters any further spiritual growth.
When we sin, and we will, let us immediately follow the advice
found in 1 John 1:8-9: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.” When we do this, we are free to progress
in our Christian walk.

It is important to know that in Christ we are no longer

slaves to sin. Christ has set us free. “So if the Son sets you
free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 – ESV). The Apostle
Paul in the 6th chapter of Romans stresses this wonderful
provision that is ours: “For sin will have no dominion over you,
since you are not under law but under grace” (vs. 14). “But
thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have
become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to
which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin,
have become slaves of righteousness” (vss. 17-18). “But now
that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves
of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end,
eternal life” (vs. 22). As it was with Paul, so it is with us, we
can say, “I can do all things through Him (Christ) who
strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13 – ESV). This is affirmed to us in
Romans 8:37-39: “No, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that nei-
ther death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any
thing else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” How can we not joyfully
exclaim, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!

E. Weeks

13
 The Gospel of Christ
“…I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God
for salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

One of the claims made by almost all religions in the world is

that through loyalty and faithfulness to their beliefs, one is able
to attain salvation, yet the concept of salvation varies greatly
from one religion to another. Let us look at a few:

To the American Indian, salvation means spending eternity in

a happy hunting ground; for Hindus, salvation means a reun-
ion with Brahma known as Nirvana; before attaining to this ul-
timate in salvation, the Hindu believes that he will come back
to earth several different times in what is called reincarnation.
He may come back at one time as an elephant, another time
as an insect. What he is when he comes back depends on
how well he has used his present life. On his final exit he will
find his Nirvana, which is in reality a condition of perpetual un-
consciousness. In Buddhism, Nirvana is the state of perfect
blessedness achieved by the extinction of individual existence,
being absorbed into the supreme spirit.

We cite these as illustrations of the fact that the idea of salva-

tion greatly varies. One thing common to all religions is that
faith results in salvation. That is what the Apostle Paul tells us
concerning the Christian religion when he says, “I am not
ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salva-
tion” (Rom. 1:16). The great difference is that the Apostle is
speaking of the true religion and true salvation via faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ.

Still, this does not give us a great deal of information. If we

should ask a dozen people what their idea was concerning the
Gospel and what Salvation means, we would probably get
many different and contradictory answers.

14
Simply because the Apostle says that the Gospel is the power
of God unto salvation does not bring before our minds what is
the great hope of the Gospel, in all its completeness, or what
Christianity really means, not only for us, but for the entire
human race. In the opening verses of this chapter, Paul gives
us some help along this line. He speaks of this same gospel
and calls it the Gospel of God. Then he goes on further and
says it is the Gospel of God which had been spoken in early
times by all the prophets. Thus, the Apostle is suggesting
here that if we wish to find out more about this Gospel, one
way to do it is to examine the testimony of all the Holy Proph-
ets of the Old Testament period. Going back to the testimo-
nies of God’s prophets, we find that they do indeed tell us
many wonderful things regarding the Gospel of God.

The word Gospel itself simply means glad tidings or good

news. We find the prophets make many wonderful statements
which, taken at their face value, sound good and are very de-
scriptive of good news. For instance, the prophet Isaiah in the
35th chapter tells us of a time when all the blind eyes will be
opened; all the deaf ears shall be unstopped; the lame man
shall leap as an hart and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.
The same prophet tells us of a time when there shall be a
highway, a way of Holiness, a roadway on which conditions
will be made so plain that “a wayfaring man, though a fool,
need not err therein.” He speaks of a time when the “ran-
somed of the Lord shall return with songs of everlasting joy
upon their heads,” and further states that these “shall obtain
everlasting joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee
away.”

Now all of these statements surely are descriptive of good

news, but they tell us little about all that is meant of the Gos-
pel. Turning to the 65th chapter of Isaiah, we find the prophet
gives us further good news. He describes a time when “they
shall build houses and inhabit them and plant vineyards and
eat the fruit of them.” Certainly, that is good news indeed, but
where will these houses be built and where will these vine-
yards be planted? Are we to understand this to mean that in
15
heaven people will be building houses and planting vineyards?
Just what does the prophet mean?

Isaiah again prophesies in the 25th chapter, telling us of the

time when “the Lord will make unto all people a feast of fat
things, a feast of wine on the lees, well refined, of fat things full
of marrow.” He tells us that at that same time the Lord will
“swallow up death in victory, and wipe away tears from off all
faces,” and that “the rebuke of His people will He take away
from off all the earth.”

In this same prophecy, Isaiah tells us of the hearty response of

the people when these blessings are dispensed to them, say-
ing, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him. We will be
glad and rejoice in His salvation.” (Isaiah 25:9)

All of these are wonderful promises of good news from the pen
of only one of God’s holy prophets. If we examined the testi-
mony of all the prophets, we would be equally thrilled by the
marvelous things they have foretold. But to put them all to-
gether to form a pattern of meaning that will teach the real
plan of God and how that salvation will be brought to all the
people takes much study and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In Galatians 8:3 the Apostle Paul gives us further insight when

he tells us that “God preached beforehand the Gospel unto
Abraham.” This statement is very revealing, for many of us
have held the idea that the gospel was first preached by the
angels on the night Jesus was born into this world. Indeed,
that was a wonderful declaration of good news concerning
God’s plan for the salvation of the world; nevertheless, accord-
ing to the Apostle Paul, this was not the first time the gospel
was preached. No, it was given to that faithful patriarch,
Abraham, with this promise: “In you and in your seed shall all
the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Surely
this promise was very good news and a wonderful part of the
gospel. The Gospel of God is surely not a narrow gospel, nor
is it a restrictive message. It is a blessing of “all the families of
the earth.”
16
As we trace this wonderful theme song of the Bible down
through prophetic testimony of the Old Testament, we find that
it never narrows down. It is always all-comprehensive, just as
was the statement made to Abraham, and also when Jacob
was on his deathbed he uttered prophecies concerning things
that would happen to the descendants of his twelve sons. He
said, concerning Judah, that out of his loins would come one
whom he designated as Shiloh, meaning peacemaker. This
was really one of the promises of the coming Messiah, for it
says, “unto him shall the gathering of the nations be.” The im-
plication is that all the nations would come in for blessings
through this prophetic One described as Shiloh.

Turning again to Isaiah, in the 9th chapter, we read another

prophecy concerning Jesus, the promised Messiah. “Unto us
a child is born and unto us a son is given, and the government
shall be upon his shoulder. His name shall be called wonderful
counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace.” Then it continues, “Of the increase of His govern-
ment and of His peace there shall be no end” (Isa. 9:6-7). In
other words, His government will ultimately reach and encom-
pass all nations, bringing blessings promised to Abraham and
to all the families of the earth. As the prophecies unfold per-
taining to this promised seed of Abraham, we find it becomes
associated with the setting up of a Divine government in the
earth -- the Kingdom for which Jesus taught us to pray: “Thy
Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

In Daniel 2:35 we have another prophecy concerning this

kingdom, one which likens it to a great mountain that fills the
whole earth. Daniel said this illustrated the wonderful kingdom
of the LORD which would one day fill the whole earth. We see
this Kingdom to be just as broad and all-comprehensive in
Daniel’s prophecies as when the promise was first made to
father Abraham.

Continuing on to the time when Jesus was born and the an-
gels announced His birth, we find it had not narrowed down at
all. They said to the shepherds, “Fear not, for behold, we
17
bring you glad tidings of great joy which shall be unto all the
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a
Savior which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10, 11). This was in-
deed glad tidings, the gospel or good news which was to be to
all the people.

In this announcement by the angels, the plan of God took an-

other step forward. Until this time, it was a matter of God’s
promises reiterated in various forms and expressed in different
ways by one after another of the prophets. Now, however, ful-
fillment began. It became more than a promise, for the Savior
was born!

When we consider this background of thought, with Jesus as

the central theme in this glorious Gospel of God (also called
the gospel of Christ), it is interesting to note some of the things
which Jesus said when He began His ministry some 30 years
after His birth.

A rich young ruler came to Jesus and said, “Good master,

what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16-
22; Mark 10:17-25; Luke 18:18-27). This man was interested
in salvation; he wanted to live. Jesus referred him back to the
law given to Israel at Mount Sinai which was epitomized in the
ten commandments. The reason Jesus did this was because
the law had promised that anyone who could keep it would
gain life. “To the man that does these things he shall live by
them” (Romans 10:5; Leviticus 18:5; Nehemiah 9:29) was the
promise.

This rich ruler answered, “All of these have I kept from my

youth up.” The account does not go into all the details, but
seemingly the young man realized he was aging just like eve-
ryone else, and there was no evidence that keeping the law
was benefiting him in the sense of preventing his growing old
and dying. Of course, no imperfect member of the fallen, dy-
ing race could keep that law. Then Jesus graciously said to
him, “Yet one thing you lack; go sell what you have and give to
the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come
18
follow me” (Matt. 19:16-22). With that, the young man went
away sorrowful. The account says it was because he had
great riches, implying that he wasn’t willing to pay the price.
Jesus was really giving him the qualifications for being a disci-
ple and not just for salvation. To give up his riches was to ‘de-
ny himself,’ something not required for salvation but for disci-
pleship. When this man left at this point, Jesus went on to say
how difficult it would be for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
heaven, that it would be easier for a camel to go through the
needle’s eye gate than for one rich to divest himself of his
wealth for Christ’s sake.

Much of what Jesus said about riches being a detriment to en-

tering the kingdom of heaven was also bewildering to the dis-
ciples, for at this point in time they had not been fully initiated
into the gospel with its invitation to a heavenly calling. Jesus
replied to them, “I realize this thing is impossible to you, but
with God all things are possible.” What Jesus was really doing
for the moment was putting them off, not giving them a direct
answer. But this did not satisfy the disciples, and they came
back to Jesus again with a statement which they thought
would compel Him to give a direct answer to their initial ques-
tion.

They said to the Master, “We have left all and followed you...”
In other words, we’ve done just what you asked this rich young
ruler to do -- now what is our reward? You can see what was
going on in their minds. These disciples believed and ex-
pected that by becoming associates with Jesus, they would
then have a part in His kingdom on earth. They also believed
that the kingdom promised in the Old Testament would be
immediately established in Judea by Jesus and that in some
miraculous way He would be enthroned as King of the Jews,
and they would be associated with Him.

Then Jesus did give them a direct reply: “He who has left all
and followed me, in the regeneration, shall sit with me on
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Now here, Jesus
is reassuring the disciples that He was not overlooking the
19
great objective of His coming to earth and of their being called
to be with Him. He describes that great objective as “the re-
generation.”

The Apostle Paul refers to this a little differently in 1 Corinthi-

ans 15, that wonderful chapter in which he tells us of the res-
urrection of (all) the dead. Paul speaks of Adam as the first
Adam and then speaks of Jesus as the last Adam, saying, “As
all in Adam die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthi-
ans 15:21, 22 & 45).

All of the promises which we have quoted, mostly from Isaiah,

describe a blessing of an earthly nature and are spoken of by
the Apostle Peter as being descriptive of what he calls the
“times of restitution of all things spoken by the mouth of all
God’s holy prophets“ (Acts 3:21).

In the Greek text, restitution has the meaning of reconstitution

or restoration, giving us the thought that the original plan of
God in the creation of Adam was for the earth to be man’s
home, and this will be carried out in the restoration or restitu-
tion. While the human race lost life in Adam, they will have life
restored in Christ. This restored life will be here on earth
which was God’s original plan. In both the Old and New Tes-
taments, various terms are used for this restoration process.
Restitution is the word used by Peter in Acts 3:21. Paul used
the word resurrection which means a re-standing. In the Old
Testament we find a re-turning, when “the ransomed of the
Lord shall re-turn from death” (Isaiah 35:10).

All these words emphasize the same thought, that the great
objective and hope of salvation for mankind in general is that
of being restored to life upon the earth. The word regeneration
is another one that gives us the same thought, with a shade of
difference in meaning, since it emphasizes the fact that those
to be restored will be the children of the first Adam who will
then become the children of the last Adam, the re-generated
race.

20
This is the thought that is brought to our attention in Isaiah 53,
where Jesus’ suffering and death are described prophetically.
In verse 8 we are told there that He would “be cut off from the
land of the living: and there would be none to declare His
generation.” But then in verses 10 and 11, it says, “He shall
see His seed. He shall see the travail of His soul and shall be
satisfied.” Thus it will be that His family, His seed, His genera-
tion will be the regenerated human family brought back to life.
This will be accomplished during the thousand years of His
reign on the earth.
Jesus is telling the disciples that He has not lost sight of this
great objective in the plan of God, and that there will indeed be
a time of regeneration. But, he says, they will NOT be among
the ones regenerated at that time, for if they follow faithfully in
His footsteps, suffering and dying with Him, they will have
treasures in heaven and be with Him and have the great privi-
lege and honor of sharing with Him as “heirs of God and joint-
heirs with Jesus Christ” in that work of regenerating the race to
life on earth (Rom. 8:17).

We see from this conversation, first between Jesus and the

rich Ruler, and then the larger and fuller explanation as He
talked with His disciples, that in the gospel of Christ there is
the free gift of Salvation and also an invitation extended to a
Heavenly Calling, an outgrowth of Salvation, and only extend-
ed to those who are willing to follow in His footsteps during the
present Gospel Age. “IF any man would be my disciple, let
him deny self, take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24).
This is an invitation to a High or Heavenly calling and distinct
from Salvation! During the earthly 1,000 year Kingdom of God,
salvation will be extended to the world. If they accept Jesus’
death for their sins and obey the righteous laws of the King-
dom, they will be given all the help they need to be humanly
perfected as was Adam before he sinned; but the opportunity
to be with Jesus and partake in this “heavenly calling” will not
be available then. That part of the Kingdom will extend salva-
tion only to life on earth…the life that was lost in Adam will
then be completely restored in Christ. As these are awakened
from the sleep of death, they will have the opportunity of living
21
forever on a perfected earth which was God’s intention from
the beginning of Creation.

In Galatians 3:8, we said how Paul tells us this gospel was

preached beforehand to Abraham. Then in verse 16 he identi-
fies Jesus as the promised seed of Abraham. In verse 27-29
he states, “For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ, and if you are Christ’s (if you are re-
ally or actually following in the footsteps of Jesus and belong
to Him), then are you Abraham’s seed (through faith, we have
Abraham as our father) and heirs according to the promise.”
Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” After
He heard the answers he asked again, “But who do you say
that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God.” Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-
jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my
Father in Heaven. And upon this rock (this great foundation
truth pertaining to Jesus being the Christ which Peter had just
uttered) I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

This is the foundation truth of the Bible. Jesus Christ is its

central theme and chief corner-stone, and the only means of
having this wonderful promise fulfilled, that all the families of
the earth will be blessed. But as we know, the families of the
earth who lived in Abraham’s day and before are all dead.
The families of the earth who lived from Abraham’s day on
down to Jesus’ time are in their graves; those who have lived
since Jesus’ time are also still all dead and buried, and dead
people cannot be blessed.

When this called-out company, (Acts 15:14) His Church, is

complete, being fully “conformed to the image of God’s dear
Son,” this preparatory work of the great gospel arrangement
will be finished; then nothing will prevent the complete fulfill-
ment of the promise to bless all the families of the earth. The
very gates of hell (Hades is used here, descriptive of the death
condition) will be thrown wide open. The prisoners of death will
be called forth by the power of God and given an opportunity
22
to receive the blessing of life through Christ and the Church,
His Bride. This is God’s Divine Purpose.

When we consider just how wonderful the gospel of Christ is,

no wonder the Apostle Paul could say, “I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ.” Neither are we ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, realizing how it portrays the great Love of our Heav-
enly Father and the Son of His Love, our Lord and Savior, Je-
sus Christ.

Reprinted from the CDMI booklet of the same title

~~~~~~~
The Glory of the Gospel
Upon the Gospel’s sacred page
The gathered beams of ages shine;
For, as it hastens, ev’ry age
Fulfils its prophecies divine.

On mightier wing, in loftier flight,

From year to year the truth shall soar,
And, as it soars, its blessed light
Shall scatter darkness more and more.

More glorious still, as centuries roll,

Shall Truth’s fair banner be unfurled,
Until in strength, from pole to pole,
Its radiance shall o’er flow the world—

Flow to restore, but not destroy;

As when the cloudless lamp of day
Pours out its floods of light and joy,
And sweeps the ling’ring mists away.
Hymns of Dawn

23
 Sifting
“Simon, Simon, indeed Satan has asked for you, that he may
sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you.”
Luke 22:31-32 (NEB).
This verse implies that there is not merely one sifting, but
two distinct siftings. One is Satan’s; the other is Christ’s. One
is destructive, the other constructive. One is for the purpose of
blighting, the other for the purpose of blessing. When Satan
has done his sifting, no wheat will be left – nothing but chaff.
When Christ has done His sifting, no chaff will be left – nothing
but clean, pure grain. Satan wants people to make them his
tools; Christ wants people to make them His instruments.
A beggar, ragged and dirty, came one night to Dante Ga-
briel Rosetti’s home. He laid some sketches down on the table
and asked the artist, “Tell me, sir, what do you think of these?”
With one swift glance Rosetti answered, “They are excellent.
Who drew these?” No answer. The old man laid another group
of sketches on the table and asked a second time, “What do
you think of these?” “Very inferior,” was the reply. “Who drew
these?” The old man was silent for a moment, then said, “I am
the author of both sets of sketches. The first set I drew many
years ago. These others I tried to draw the other day.” And
then almost in terror he continued, “Sir, these represent what I
might have been. These others represent what I have come to
be.” A genius had gone down through drink. He had fallen into
Satan’s sifter and gone through.
Peter fell into Satan’s sifter for a brief while and got into se-
rious trouble, but then repented and came back to his Lord.
Christ put Peter into His sifter at Pentecost and through the
fire of the Holy Spirit burned up all the chaff and left only the
pure wheat. Peter became God’s chosen instrument to inter-
pret Pentecost to the crowd in Jerusalem, to the believers in
Samaria, and to the household of Cornelius. He became the
author of two of the most beautiful and precious letters of the
New Testament.
J.T. Seamands

24
 The Things Eternal
Eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor can a mortal mind
E'er grasp the glories far beyond the realm of all mankind.

We look about us day by day, beholding God's great power;

The miracle of new-born things, the fragrance of a flower.

Yes, we behold its beauty rare, as in our hand it lies

For one brief moment - then ‘tis gone, it fades before our
eyes.

Just temporary earthly things, our faith cries out for more,
Those wonderful eternal things God hath for us in store.

So seek ye first the heavenly things which never pass away

That you may see Him face to face in realms of endless day.

Alex Charcharos

“…but seek you first his righteousness and kingdom; and all
these things shall be super-added to you!”
Matt. 6:33 (Diaglott)

“William Hunt, a great artist, was coaching a class in land-

scape painting. It was in the late afternoon and he had sug-
gested that they paint the sunset. As the sun was sinking be-
low the horizon, he looked over the shoulder of one of his
most promising art pupils and noticed, to his dismay, that the
young man, instead of painting the glorious sunset, had spent
all his time painting an old red barn with decaying shingles. In
alarm, the great artist and teacher exclaimed, ‘Son, son, it
won’t be light long! You haven’t time for both shingles and
sunsets. You must choose!’ Let us not spend our days,
hours, energies, and purses on painting old barns and shin-
gles - the mundane earthly things of life - for it will not long be
light. Rather, splash the sun, the spiritual things on the can-
vas of your life while it still is light and yours will be the royal
life God intended. You will not merely be existing - you will be
truly living for that which is eternal.”
Selected

25
 The Holy Bible
The Scriptures are that collection of sa-
cred books generally known as the Holy
Bible. It is the bestselling book in the world.
Portions of the Bible have been published
in over 1000 languages and dialects. For centuries its enemies
have tried to suppress, prohibit or destroy it. Thousands of
Christians have died in its defense and are still being perse-
cuted, imprisoned, tortured and killed for their beliefs in some
countries today. Still the Word of God lives on. For those who
love the Author of its contents, the LORD God, it continues to
be a tower of strength and comfort even in the most adverse
circumstances.

In its large sphere of influence, the Holy Bible has been

described as “The Torch of Civilization.” Its teachings are in
opposition to intolerance and selfishness. It promotes sympa-
thy, liberty and good will toward all. Its moral principles have
been incorporated in the laws of almost all civilized nations. Its
moral influence has been recognized by many as the most
beautiful philosophy in the world.

But the Holy Bible is more than a book of philosophy and

morality. It is the Book of Books for all Christians. It reveals the
wondrous and harmonious plan of the Creator for the salvation
and redemption of all mankind. The first three chapters of the
Bible describe the creation of man, his fall from God’s favor
due to his disobedience, and man’s condemnation to death.
The last three chapters describe man’s restoration to God’s
favor and the destruction of sin, suffering, and death. The first
three chapters describe how, through Satan, sin, evil and
death entered into the world; while the last three chapters re-
veal how Satan and all his works will be destroyed. The Bible
reveals in Genesis how man was created perfect and given
dominion over all the creatures of the earth and how, subse-
quently, because of sin, he lost his home in Eden and life it-
self. Revelation assures us that all that was lost will be re-
stored to Adam and all mankind.
26
 The Holy Bible continually points to one prominent figure:
Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17; Luke1:32;
John 3:16.) Jesus is spoken of under many names and titles.
Some reveal that he came into the world primarily to be the
Redeemer of mankind. (See Luke 19:10; John 3:17) Others
reveal him to be the King and Ruler of all the redeemed that
he purchased with his precious blood on Calvary’s Cross.
(See Psalm 2:8; Daniel 7:13, 14; John 18:37.) The Old Tes-
tament prophets who wrote and spoke under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit prophesied the coming of a Messiah who would
come to earth, being rejected and crucified by his own people.
(See Deut. 18:15; Isa. 9:6, 7; John 1:45; Luke. 24:27.) The in-
spired writers of the New Testament confirmed that The Mes-
siah, our Lord Jesus Christ, did indeed come to earth and was
crucified as a ransom for all. (See Matt. 27:32-50; Mark 15:12-
39; Luke 23:33-48; John 19:17-37; 1 Tim. 2:5, 6.) They not
only described his death but also explained the purpose of his
death and the redemption that resulted from it. They point out
that according to the Plan of God, his death was in fulfillment
of Old Testament prophecies, confirming that Jesus arose
from the dead and is now sitting on the right hand of God.
(See Matt. 28:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; Mark 16:1-8; John 20:1-31;
1 Cor. 15:20; Acts 2:24, 5:31; Phil. 2:9; Heb. 1:3.)

The Holy Bible expounds upon teachings that cannot be

found in any heathen religions. It clearly shows that there will
be a resurrection of the dead. (See John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15.)
It shows that this resurrection is the only hope for man after
death. The harmonious testimony of the Holy Bible teaches
that the Lord Jesus Christ will return again to fulfill and com-
plete God’s glorious Plan of Salvation (Acts 3:19-21). Those
followers, during the Gospel Age in which we are now living,
who have faithfully followed in his steps, will arise in the First
Resurrection to live and reign with the Lord Jesus Christ dur-
ing the coming 1000-year earthly Kingdom for which Jesus
taught his disciples to pray. (See Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy
2:12; Rev.20:6.) During these thousand years, there will be a
resurrection of all mankind. The Holy Bible reveals that the
dead will arise to live on the earth, and that they will be given
27
the opportunity to live on a restored earth in perfection forever,
if they are obedient to the righteous laws of the Kingdom (See
Isa. 11:1-0, 25:6-9, 65:17-25; Rev. 21:1-4.)

These prophecies assure us that we are now living near

the dawn of that Millennial Age, when the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Prince of Peace, will rule the earth with justice, restoring
mankind to life and happiness and at-one-ment with their Cre-
ator. It will be during that time that God’s will shall be done on
earth as it is in heaven. It will be then that “the knowledge of
the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover
the sea” (Hab. 2:14). This will be a grand and glorious time! It
is truly a bright shining hope in these dark and uncertain days
in which we live.
CDMI Tract

The Word of God

OH, wonderful, wonderful Word of the Lord!

True wisdom its pages unfold;
And though we may read them a thousand times o'er,
They never, no never, grow old!
Each line hath a pleasure, each promise a pearl,
That all if they will may secure;
And we know that when time and the world pass away,
God's Word shall forever endure.

Oh, wonderful, wonderful Word of the Lord!

The lamp that our Father above
So kindly hath lighted to teach us the way
That leads to the arms of His love!
Its warnings, its counsels, are faithful and just;
Its judgments are perfect and pure;
And we know that when time and the world pass away,
God's Word shall forever endure.
Poems of Dawn

28
 Effectual Prayer
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails
much."—James 5:16

The purpose of this study is to review some of the promis-

es made by God to His people, to draw to the reader’s atten-
tion the necessity for a continuing prayer life, and to point out
that one must maintain a personal relationship with our heav-
enly Father if desired results are to be achieved. Promise and
prayer are so deeply intertwined in the Christian’s walk that
attention must always be directed toward a closer walk with
God by being devoted to His plans and purposes.

Prayers of Old Testament Servants

First there was Adam: he had a close relationship with his
Creator until it was severed by his disobedience (Gen. 3:8).
Noah did all that God instructed him to do and was saved from
the deluge (Gen. 8:20). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had fel-
lowship with God, in spite of their weaknesses and short-
comings. The faithfulness of Joseph and Moses was retold
through the centuries (Heb. 11). Even after David’s grievous
actions, when he repented, he was forgiven.
When Hezekiah was being threatened by the invasion of
the Assyrian army, at first he paid the tribute demanded by
Sennacherib’s messengers; but after Sennacherib sent a
message to the people telling them not to listen to Hezekiah
when he told them that the "Lord will deliver us," he went to
the LORD in prayer. "O Lord God of Israel, You are God,
even You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; You have
made heaven and earth. Lord, bow down Your ear, and hear:
open, Lord, Your eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sen-
nacherib …to reproach the living God…Now therefore, O Lord
our God, I beseech You, save us out of his hand, that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God,
even You only" (2 Kings 19).
Hezekiah acknowledges God as being the only One to
whom he can turn in his time of need. He remembered that
God was the source of power in all the earth, not Sennacherib.
29
God heard Hezekiah’s prayer and sent him an answer: "That
which you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of As-
syria I have heard. . . . He shall not come into this city…By the
way that he came, by the same shall he return. For I will de-
fend this city, to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant
David’s sake" (2 Kings 19:20, 32, 33, 34).
How did all of those who served God’s purposes communi-
cate with Him? Their contact was through prayer. So it has
been with all those to whom God has spoken. Those who
would serve God learned the necessity for keeping a close re-
lationship with Him. They learned through their failures that
having the ability to accomplish the tasks given them was
completely dependent upon their strength and guidance
through prayer. We have notable examples in Jacob, Moses,
Job, David, Solomon, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

The Pattern of Prayer

A careful study of the scriptures shows that Jesus set the
example for His disciples; He was always in communication
with His Father immediately before events of major importance
occurred. Possibly the disciple who requested our Lord to
teach him to pray in Luke 11:1 had made such an observation.
But there are requirements before prayers may be heard and
answered. A proper relationship must exist with the Father; a
righteous relationship. And only God may make that determi-
nation.

Ingredients of Effectual Prayer

Scriptures teach us that in addition to having a right rela-
tionship with the heavenly Father, the one offering prayer must
believe and have faith. "Without faith it is impossible to please
God; for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and
that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. By faith
Noah prepared an ark to the saving of his house…and be-
came heir of the righteousness which is by faith" (Hebrews
11:6,7). By faith Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses all
prayed to God and received strength necessary for their tasks.
Faith may be evidenced in tasks, but it may also be ex-
pressed in "waiting on the Lord" (Ps. 27:14). If we believe,
30
then we have faith that our prayer will be answered and that
gives us the patience to wait; we will be positive that an an-
swer will come according to God’s will -- "Wait, I say, on the
Lord."
Unanswered prayer is often because of unbelief. A doubt is
evidence of unbelief. "And all things, whatsoever you may ask
in prayer, believing, you shall receive" (Matt. 21:22). "Accord-
ing to your faith be it unto you" (Matt. 9:29). The cardinal rules
for prayers of request are believing that one will receive an
answer and knowing why.

Texts of Promise
In Prov. 10:24 we are told that the "desire of the righteous
shall be granted." Even before Jesus came the righteous peo-
ple of God were given promises that would help them expect
answers to their petitions. God wants us to receive all that He
has in store for us. Only our lack of belief hinders this. "Ask,
and it shall be given you; Seek, and you shall find; Knock, and
it shall be opened unto you" (Matt. 7:7, 8). Remember, the
answer is there for the asking, but you must first ask, believing
that whatsoever you ask of the heavenly Father will be granted
unto you according to His will. "The Lord is near to all that call
upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the de-
sire of them that fear him: he will hear their cry” (Psa. 145:18,
19).
We have these texts of promise, but do we claim them? Do
we believe that these promises are for us as well? Do we think
of ourselves as being unworthy and so they must be for
someone else? "No good thing will he withhold from them that
walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11,12). ‘That could not possibly
mean me!’ one might say to himself. How easily one might be-
lieve the subterfuge of the Adversary, but consider these
words: "Delight thyself also in the LORD and He shall give you
the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).

Praying "Amiss"
"You lust, and have not; you kill, and cannot obtain: you
fight and war, yet you have not, because you ask not. You ask
and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may con-
31
sume it upon your lusts" (James 4:2,3). Praying amiss is the
result of not knowing how to ask or for what. To know how to
pray and what to ask, one must study the Word of God. Solo-
mon prayed that he might have wisdom and the Lord granted
his plea and said, "Because you have asked this thing, and
have not asked for long life; neither asked riches for yourself,
but have asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
behold, I have done according to your words: lo, I have given
you a wise and an understanding heart…and I have also given
you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor:
And if you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my
commandments, ... then I will lengthen your days" (1 Kings
3:11, 12, 13, 14). "Seek first the kingdom of God . . . and all
these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33) is an-
other scripture that gives a similar lesson.
Here we find instruction that will help us to avoid praying
amiss. What God is saying is that He will give us every single
thing we can find in the Bible. If we can find it and ask for it,
He will give it to us. There are so many gifts we could receive
if we only knew how to ask. So the relationship between study
and prayer is this: If you find one verse dear to you because it
is something you want, start praying about it. As you find (seek
and you shall find), ask (ask and it shall be given unto you),
and receive (knock and it shall be opened unto you). You will
become much more intense and careful; careful because we
realize the power of our prayer, and intense because we see
the relationship between study and prayer.
Take the Book; find the promise; show it to the Lord. Heze-
kiah showed God the letter from Sennacherib. God knew what
was in the letter—before it was written he knew—but this act
of Hezekiah demonstrated a real and honest faith and humility
before the Lord. He was acknowledging that what God prom-
ised to do, He would do and he was claiming that promise.
Study and prayer enhance each other so much so that one
would suggest that it be one subject—study prayer. Prayer
brings the soul into the very Presence of the Lord and pre-
pares the way for divine blessings and superlative joy.

Francis Earl
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A Portrait of Jesus:
Bread of Life for All
"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me
will never be hungry again.” John 6:35

In reading through the Gospels, we come

across many miracles. It is curious that two
very similar miracles took place during Jesus
ministry and seemingly very close in time. The feeding of the
5000 and a few chapters later both Matthew and Mark record
the feeding of the 4000. It is interesting to note that only the
men were counted, but there were most assuredly many more
women and children there who were not counted. Have you
ever wondered why there are two accounts of a similar story?
Let’s look at the Mark account.

“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to
heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave
them to his disciples to distribute to the people…they all ate
and were satisfied.”-- Mark 6:41-42
“When he had taken the loaves and given thanks, he broke
them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the peo-
ple…the people ate and were satisfied.”--Mark 8:6-8

It was an extraordinary feat that could only be accom-

plished by the power of the Son of God. The people had never
seen anything like this before. It is interesting to note that Sa-
tan tried to trick Jesus into using this power when He was
tempted in the wilderness and He hungered. (Matthew 4:1-4)
Jesus knew that His power was to be used only for the glory of
God and to help others. It is incredible to think that he fed so
many people with so little and then had 12 and 7 basketsful
left over at the end of each miracle.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus fed 5000 and then a
short time later he fed 4000 and why both Matthew and Mark
recorded both miracles? The reason Jesus performed this
miracle twice was because his audience was different. First,
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we need to look at Luke 9:10, Luke tells the same story of the
feeding of the 5000, but adds the detail that it took place on a
hillside outside the town of Bethsaida. Bethsaida was a town
on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. If we look at the con-
text of the feeding of the 4000…a few verses earlier in Mark
7:31, Mark tells us that Jesus and his disciples crossed the
Galilee and went to the region of the Decapolis. The Decapolis
was located on the south side of the Sea of Galilee and con-
sisted of 10 Gentile cities. So why is that significant?

Jesus came to satisfy the hunger of ALL people. Jesus

was showing his disciples that he came not just to the Jews,
but to the Gentiles also. Jesus had compassion on both
groups of people. Both accounts tell us that the people in both
locations ate until they were satisfied. This is significant be-
cause John tells us that Jesus declared that He is the bread of
life and whoever comes to Him will not be hungry again. Je-
sus is the bread of life for both Jew and Gentile and only He
can satisfy the hunger in the hearts of all people. This was true
when He preformed these miracles and it is still true today!

D. Mathewson

~~~~~~~

“There is only one way by which the tempter can be met. He

laughs at our good resolutions and ridicules the pledges with
which we fortify ourselves. There is only One whom he fears;
One who in the hour of greatest weakness conquered him;
and who has been raised far above all principality and power,
that He may succor and deliver all frail and tempted souls. He
conquered the prince of this world in the days of His flesh and
He is prepared to do as much again in each of us if only we
will fully surrender ourselves to His gracious and mighty
indwelling.”
F. B. Meyer
34
Prayer List
“Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by
failing to pray for you.” (1 Samuel 12:23)

Let us be Prayer Warriors for our Brethren!

Allen Family – VT (d) Jones, Arlene - VA

Ammerman, Shirley & Family – NJ (d) Karavas, Anna - CA
Anderson, Family– WI (d) Knapp, Jamie – NH
Bews, Sandra and Family TX (d) Knapp, Joseph – IL
Boswell, Arlene – IL Leavitt, Denise & Richard – ME
Buxton, Jean & Family - UK Lepitre Family - IL
Carpenter, Gloria – KY Howes, Paul & Carla - UK
Cline, Ruth – MO Mazzotta, Eva – VA
Cooper, Carmela – NJ Miller, Alain – Canada
Csutor, Judith – CT Moore, Ralph & Maryellen – CA
Day, Ronald – PA Orsburn, Judi – CA (d)
Dewys, Mary & Family – MI (d) Ostwald, Dick - WI
DiCenso, Shirley Anne & Family - (d) Parker, Geraldine – CA
Dickson, Roberta Jo – CA Penton, Jim – Canada
Duhaime, George & Family – CT (d) Phillips, Stella – OK
Dunn, Kim - IL Riggio, Fran – NH
Fantuzzo, Tony – NY (d) Rowe, Bryan - UK
Feliciano, Carmen - NY Schultz, Becky & Family – MN (d)
Fischer, Mike & Liz – WI Schwartz, Ruth – TX
Foster, Jean – IL Seminoff, Brenda – CA
Hauslein, Karen – MD Thomassen, Sandi – NM (d)
Hawk, Barbara – PA Tuscia, Priscilla – FL
Hildebrandt, Lois - FL Weeks, Jeannie (Mitchell) (d)
Hogrebe, Joan – MO White, Ken & Joan - NY
Hopkins, Linda & Andrew – TX (d) (d) = death in the family
Iannaccone, Marie & Family – IL (d)

Entered into rest:

Ruth Kline, MO – Dec 2021
Ed Weaver, NY – Feb 2022

Important: If you know anyone in the names listed above whom no longer needs
special prayers, please advise us so we may remove their names. Also, if any of
the information is incorrect, please let the editor know. Thank you.

35
Bible Correspondence Course New
Graduates & Websites
Congratulations to the following students who
have completed their course and have been
awarded a Certificate.

Colin Larose of Montreal, Canada

completed the Advance Course

Lloyd Walters of Sierra Vista, Arizona

completed the Basic Course

You are invited to view the following websites:

http://www.cdmi.org (Christian Discipling Ministries International)

https://www.christianbelieversconference.com/

http://www.cbfchurch.com (Christian Believers Fellowship in New

Hampshire)

http://www.biblefellowshipunion.co.uk (Bible Fellowship in UK)

http://www.bbschurch.org (Lombard, IL)

https://sites.google.com/site/quietwatersdevotions/home

http://www.cartyorkshire.co.uk (CART)

http://www.campblessing.com (Camp Blessing)

http://www.newcovenantfellowship.org.au (New Covenant News,

Australia)

https://e-biblia.org/ (Os Estudantes da Bíblia, The Bible Students,

Brazil - Portuguese/Span) email: [email protected]

36
 Conferences & Conventions
The 113th Christian Believers Conference is to be held at
Gordon College in Massachusetts this summer, Thursday,
August 4-Sunday August 7. The theme is Magnifying the
Word of God. For information as it becomes available, go to
the website www.cbconference.com

The Berean Christian Conference is planning an in-person

conference for July 2-9, 2022.
Note: If you would like to have your Convention, Conference, Camp, or
Seminar published in The New Creation Magazine, send information or a
program at least three months in advance of the issue month of the maga-
zine to the editor, Bob Whittaker.

Notice: If you know of Christian friends who would benefit

from receiving the bimonthly New Creation Magazine via mail,
send their names and addresses to the CDMI main office, care
of Bruce Blake. The address is inside the front cover. Re-
member, the magazine is given at no cost. Also, please realize
you can read the current or past magazines online at
CDMI.org or subscribe there.

Donations
Many people around the world appreciate the New Creation maga-
zine. For many, it is their only source of Christian communication.
Also, for many, they only have it through the generous contributions
of others. If you feel moved to help them in continuing to get the
New Creation, please consider a donation to CDMI.

Article Contributions
Please send articles for possible publication to Dennis Gorham,
4 Alicia Street Somersworth, NH 03878
email: [email protected]

Any information published in this magazine that you know is incor-

rect should be brought to the attention of the editor at his email ad-
dress: [email protected]. We strive for accuracy but do
not have full knowledge.

37