preacher. It is a small wonder that some called him Mercury, “messenger of the gods.” Through Paul’s writings there is a forthtelling ef coming events, apostasy, the anti-Christ, the second coming of our Lord and the accom panying resurrection from the dead. The third trinity of gifts is a little more difficult to understand. It is the discerning of spirits. Paul had the abil ity to discern between the false and true in religion. He saw through the Galatian heresy of salvation by works and ceremonies. Immediately he wrote "Crowned or Crucified" I stood alone at the bar of God, In the hush of the twilight dim, And faced the question that pierced my heart; What will you do with Him? Crowned or crucifed? Which shall it be No other choice was offered me. I looked on the face so marred with tears, That were shed in agony. The look in His kind eyes broke my heart, 'Twas filled with love for me. The crown or the cross, it seemed to say: “For or against Me . . . Choose thou today." I knelt in tears at the feet of Christ, In the hush of the twilight dim, And all that I was, or hoped or sought, Surrendered unto Him Crowned, not crucified, my heart shall know No King but Christ, who loves me so! a letter clearly condemning this matter. He saw the evil spirit working in Demetrius the sorcerer. He used divine power to strike him blind temporarily. There is no need of God’s people being deceived as they are today by the cults and “fly-by-nights” with clever phases and gimmicks. Let us seek the gift of true discernment. Paul is perhaps the first human who has ever possessed all of the nine gifts of the Spirit. This
apostle to the Gentiles stands in unique supremacy. You and I, however, need not be barren. Every child of God has some gift. I believe if we would exer cise the gifts we have God would give us more. Paul’s deepest experience was found in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. In Philippians 3:10, 11, “That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death if by any means I might attain uhto the resurrection of the dead.” To the Galatian church he declares, “From henceforth let no man trouble me for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” His body was scarred with the marks of his sufferings for the cause of Christ. In these things he gloried. We must suffer with our Lord. It is in the dark room that we are developed into the likeness of God. J o h n Bunyon through experiences while he languished in Bedford Jail wrote the immortal allegory “Pilgrim’s Progress.” Millions of souls have trav eled the pilgrim way with renewed confidence and power because of Bun- yon’s close fellowship and communion with the Lord Jesus. David Livingston must have had sweet and unusual fel lowship with his Lord as he traveled the tangled jungle paths of Africa. Sometimes delirious wracked with fever. Perhaps in heaven he will tell us of the joy which came to him in those final hours when upon his knees, he died praying for the souls of the Africans. 0, that we might be filled with the fulness of God, that these experiences which the Apostle entered into so fully might be ours in such a way as to backround our trivial sufferings behind the glories of God’s blessed presence. These are hard days. The way is going to be hard if we don’t have the Light within us. The Lord Jesus said “I am with you.” “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” May this joyous abiding experience be yours each day till Christ comes again. 31
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