Thoughts on Discipleship by Dr. W. A. Dillard - HTML preview

AND THEN SHALL COME THE END

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.” Joel 2:28-31.

From the halls of history echo the profound words of the prophet Joel, who spoke of the “Landmarks” of the church age. Hundreds of years later the apostle Peter, inspired by the same Holy Spirit that rested upon Joel took up these very words, quoting him thus, “ But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:” Acts 2:16-20.

The markers of the church age which Joel spoke and Peter quoted are of the entire age. The indicators are given for both the beginning and the ending of the age. The former signs were accomplished at Pentecost. The latter signs involving the sun, moon, stars, etc.have not been seen as yet, but will mark the close of the age. This is verified in Revelation Chapter Six at the opening of the sixth seal. The apostle John wrote: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” Rev. 6:12-14.

In dealing with prophecy, one must be alert to the fact that often great spans of time are covered in a few words without any indicators of a time break. One must be well versed in the scriptures to “rightly divide the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15. Then comparing scripture with scripture one finds the unity and harmony of the entire Word. Such coalescing of the precious Word of God brings unparalleled joy to the Bible student. It is nothing short of what Solomon described in Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” If your joy has not been full, it just may be that you are not searching out the things of God that will give you both wisdom and great joy! Divide it correctly!

FOR THOUGHT: Have you considered that one of Jesus’ harsh criticism of religious hypocrites was their failure to discern the time of their visitation? Matt. 16:3, Luke 12:56. Paul told the Thessalonians that God’s people are not children of the night that that day should overtake them as a thief. Are you watching and discerning the time of the end of the age?

ANOTHER FOREMAN’S FABLE

“Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.” John 21:22

The appearances and effects of sin in human life are myriad. In fact, Every bad thing in the universe of mankind is attributable directly or indirectly to sin. This is apparent in domestic disputes and their ultimate fruitions. Such is also the cause of unkind words and deeds directed toward brethren of the same faith and practice. (Biting and devouring is how the Bible puts it.)

Addressing this issue in another of his classes: Ministerial Practicalities, Dr. L. D. Foreman, former President of Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock, Arkansas shared yet another of his well thought out and grounded fables for his students to seriously consider. He said, “Students, all of you have witnessed a big dog trotting down the street. The dog has a destination in mind and continues steadily toward it. However, as he progresses down the street, every little dog on the block will come out to bark at him. Now if the big dog is distracted enough to stop and bark back at every little dog that barks at him, he will never reach his destination. Consequently, he ignores the little dogs, and their barking, and continues his journey.”

Foreman went on to make practical applications which by this time had become obvious. Any devoted follower of Jesus will not be treated better than Jesus in His ministry. He will be controversial on the basis of Bible convictions, and he will attract the attention of a number of “little dogs” who come out to bark. Like the literal big dog, the minister must know who he is, what he is about, and where he is going. With those things settled in place, it is very unwise to stop and bark back at those who cast objections, however frivolous those objections may be. The object is not to debate one another, but to serve the Master by carrying out his holy Will for your life.

Of course, it remains that there are those whose thrill of life, and apparent calling (not of God) is to object to everything, however holy, that may rub against their self-imposed comfort zone. Because this is true, one must determine early on to be on a mission, or to bark at everyone else who is.

FOR THOUGHT: How does Foreman’s fable apply to your life? Is not the principle applicable to everyone who seeks to be productive?