PAUL’S PERFORMANCE

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith!” (2 Tim. 4:7 NKJV).

The Apostle Paul is in prison under the sentence of death for preaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. Soon he will be beheaded at the order of Nero the wicked Roman emperor. As Paul nears the end of his life, he makes a statement regarding his devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. It speaks of his fight, his finish, and his faith.

Fight – “I have fought the good fight.” This does not mean the apostle Paul was a prize fighter in the athletic games. Rather, it describes his life in opposition to sin and evil. Most people make peace with sin. And instead of condemning it, they are compromising with sin. On the other hand, the apostle Paul was at war with sin and evil; he boldly opposed it. We need more folk like that in our churches and society today.

Finish - “I have finished the race.” Here Paul is using the language of a runner. Many start on their course but never finish it. It is exciting to start, but it requires much effort to finish. The church is plagued with quitters which is another way of saying the church is plagued by unfaithfulness. “Finished” also reminds us that the Lord Jesus was able to say, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He completed His work. Let’s not be quitters, but stick with our job until the work is finished. It is good to start, but it is even better to finish.

Faith – “I have kept the faith.” The word “kept” means to guard. Paul was a staunch defender of the faith. He fought satanic error faithfully and fervently. He had kept his message from error. He did not depart from the truth when the going got tough and persecution resulted. Today many in our churches are slipping away from the faith. They have buildings and finances, but they do not have fidelity regarding the faith. Like Paul, we need to be true to the faith and guard it from error. Our faith may not be popular, but it is right. 

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Loyalty to Christ may produce a cross on earth, but it brings a crown in eternity!”

William Barclay (1907 – 1978)

Scottish Minister, Author, and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism

Word Study

Flock

In John 10:16 we read, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (NKJV).

“Flock” is the Greek word poímnē (ποίμνη = poym'-nay) and literally means a flock, especially of sheep. Figuratively, poímnē refers to the Lord Jesus’ band of disciples (cf. Matt. 26.31) and then to the church or followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. In classical Greek, poímnē is related to a herd, especially sheep. In the Septuagint, poímnē refers to literal sheep (cf. Gen. 32:16), but also to God’s people (cf. Zech. 13:7). The concept of God’s people as a flock is very common. And as God is the Shepherd of Israel in the Old Testament, so the Lord Jesus, God incarnate, is the Shepherd of a spiritual flock in the New Testament. In context, the “flock” of the Lord Jesus is destined to extend beyond the disciples and beyond the boundaries of Israel. The Lord Jesus’ mission is to gather all His sheep and join them to His one flock, following the one true Shepherd.

Did You Know…

According to the Book of Proverbs, “A continual dripping on a very rainy day” is likened to a contentious woman (Prov. 27:15).

Bible Quiz

Why did the Israelites want Samuel to appoint a king over them?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

How was the Red Sea parted? Moses stretched out his hand and God used the wind (Ex. 14:21).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

He was to preach the Righteousness in Israel (Psalm 40:9; cf. Matt. 4:17)

"I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know” (Psalm 40:9 NJKV).

When we experience God’s goodness, we cannot help but declare it to the world. David joyfully proclaimed God’s righteousness and the good news of His salvation to the entire congregation of Israel. He did not keep to himself all that the Lord had done for him. He told everyone assembled for worship just how faithful and full of unfailing love the Lord is, that they too might put their hope and trust in Him. Here also, David foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Christ, who did not keep God’s righteousness hidden in His heart, but freely preached it throughout His earthly ministry. With great power, the Lord Jesus proclaimed God’s faithfulness, salvation, lovingkindness, and truth.

Did You Know – Christian History

What’s in a Revised Version? - February 10, 1899

The Revised Version (RV) or English Revised Version (ERV) of the Bible is a late 19th Century British revision of the King James Version. It was the first (and remains the only) officially authorized and recognized revision of the King James Version in Great Britain. The work was entrusted to over 50 scholars from various denominations in Great Britain. American scholars were invited to cooperate, by correspondence. The best known of the translation committee members were Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hor.

The New Testament revision company was commissioned in 1870 by the convocation of Canterbury. Their stated aim was “to adapt King James’ version to the present state of the English language without changing the idiom and vocabulary,” and “to adapt it to the present standard of Biblical scholarship.” To those ends, the Greek text that was used to translate the New Testament was believed by most to be of higher reliability than the Textus Receptus. Further, the revisers were charged with introducing alterations only if they were deemed necessary to be more accurate and faithful to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. In the New Testament alone more than 30,000 changes were made, over 5,000 on the basis of what were considered better Greek manuscripts. The work was begun in 1879. Its New Testament was published in 1881, its Old Testament in 1885, and its Apocrypha in 1894.

At the time of the RV’s publication, the nearly 300-year-old King James Version was the main Protestant English Bible in Victorian England. But the RV became the first modern English Bible to gain popular acceptance. It was used and quoted favorably by ministers, authors, and theologians in the late 1800s and throughout the 1900s. Other enhancements introduced in the RV include arrangement of the text into paragraphs, formatting Old Testament poetry as indented poetic lines instead of prose, and the inclusion of marginal notes to alert the reader to variations in wording in ancient manuscripts. The Apocrypha in the Revised Version became the first printed edition in English to offer the complete text of Second Esdras. The Revised Version, therefore, is regarded as the forerunner of the entire modern translation tradition. It was also considered more accurate than the King James Version in a number of verses.

On February 10, 1899, the Church of England authorized the Revised Version (RV) or English Revised Version (ERV) for Anglican liturgy and public worship. In the United States, the Revised Version was adapted and revised as the American Standard Version in 1901. The 1885 Revised Version and the 1901 American Revision are among the Bible versions authorized for use in services of the Episcopal Church.

A Little Humor

A man visiting a cemetery on Easter saw a grave with fresh flowers. Curious, he asked the caretaker why. The caretaker said, “About 2,000 years ago, a man died and was buried here. Three days later he rose from the dead; I can’t take that chance with this one!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“New life begins at the empty tomb!”