Brief Responses Regarding I.T.D.D.

SOME BRIEF RESPONSES FROM THE SAINTS REGARDING

INTERNATIONAL TRACT DISTRIBUTION DAY

I am "posting" some lovely messages received from some of the many (countless, I hope!) saints who contributed to the above exercise on April 18. The only purpose for this "posting" is to encourage the people of God in their endeavours to reach the lost for His Son; and for the glory of Him who is our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

I am not aware of the location of a number of saints who replied to me, but one sister (Daniela) wrote from Inverness Florida U.S.A.

"Yesterday I left a grocery store, I saw a tract sitting there and prayed that the right person would pick it up!" She added most pertinently, "Each one, reach one."

A faithful brother (Edward) located in Newfoundland wrote very humbly of his consistent exercise in tract distribution. He also said, "I print quarterly double sided 8.5x11 gospel paper with local photos, short poems and gospel articles. It so happened that my purposed distribution this quarter falls on April 18." The day we proposed for the International effort!

Two messages were received from another godly sister (Marilyn) but I am sorry I do not know where she lives. One unusual suggestion was to carry tracts "in the pocket of your car door when going through a drive-thru for coffee!" But she also wrote that through GHF she had been in touch with relatives of a retired Hospice nurse working with missionaries. Marilyn was requesting that an article about a man in St. George in Sydney Australia, might be pulled from the archives and sent to her and them. She revealed that he "gave out at least one tract every day to passers-by," and there was "the resultant fallout because of his faithfulness."

Ros, a sister in Christ,now well known to my wife and I, who spends many months every year on the "mission field" in Zambia, told us that she "had shared the details of (your) commendable exercise with the local Assembly here in Wallingford (Oxfordshire U.K.) She added that the folk there in Zambia " distribute tracts regularly to the outpatients in the clinic line and to patients on the ward."

In connection with the above, I received another reply, totally independent of that one, from Zambia. (Margie) a dear sister there wrote, "My mother in Canada forwarded your email from GHF about the Tract Day, great idea! I give out Gospel literature regularly at the clinics I do. Will give out DOUBLE (my emphasis) on the 18th."

Finally I have copied and pasted this lovely message: "Dear Brother, To encourage you in your admirable effort to promote tract distribution, I would like to communicate to you that here in the little Chilean cities of San Felipe and Santa Maria, we are joining the effort to encourage each one to give out at least one tract on April 18. 

Yours in the service of our Lord Jesus,

Margaret."



Closure and Re-Opening

A CLOSURE AND A RE-OPENING

As very many of the Lords' people will testify, He lays a burden of care for His own Assemblies upon us. Not that He has no care for them Himself, (far be the thought,) for they are His Assemblies, but He loves us to love them and feel for them in all their varying needs.

I try to supplicate the "Throne" for a handful or more of Assemblies that have become dear to me, by His grace.

My purpose in this "post" is to seek the fellowship in prayer for just two little Assemblies in the County of Gloucestershire in the U.K.

An Assembly in Tetbury has decided to close! This causes me great sadness. There is no other Assembly witness there in that popular little town. Please pray, that if it please Him, He will not allow them to shut, for He openeth and no man shutteth! They purpose closing at the end of this month of April! If this proves to be the case, please pray that some of those saints will join themselves to the little Assembly at Dursley, which Assembly I would like to speak of next.

There is then this little company of saints who meet at Bethany Hall in Dursley. I am very well acquainted with each of them, having been privileged to preach the Gospel there are many, many occasions of a good number of years. The Hall is in very bad repair and not at all "attractive" for visitors, rather the reverse. It is not a failure of "house-keeping" but the fact that it has stood there for many years and appears to have been built as a temporary structure.

Being so numerically few it is very difficult indeed for them to venture great improvements; and the financial element is also formidable. (This is NOT an appeal for funds!) This is a cry for fervent prayer that the Lord will not only over-rule, but undertake.

The Assembly, (and I am not "representing" them, they know nothing of this posting,) met for prayer to discuss whether to close or not. Humanly speaking I feared the worse, but the Lord encouraged them to continue a testimony for Him there in Dursley!

They go out and distribute literature around the town and invite people to come to their gatherings including a "coffee morning."

Recently a lady was brought to trust in the Lord Jesus as her own personal Saviour and has continued to regularly attend the meetings. A brother from the "denominations" has been attending too, fairly regularly.

Such indications of the Lords' presence in the midst is surely deserved of our interest and care for this little remnant testimony.

I have just realised that it is not clear what I mean by "A Re-Opening;" but the Dursley Assembly have not been using their hall while they have been attempting to decorate it externally and refurbish inside.   

Gentle reminder

 

Now that the month of April has begun in the long-suffering goodness and grace of God, beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, please permit me to "stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance." 2 Peter 3:1.

TUESDAY 18th APRIL

(is designated to be in the will of the Lord,)

INTERNATIONAL TRACT DISTRIBUTION DAY

 

Please, if you are able, try to deliver/distribute at least ONE Gospel tract, magazine, or similar, bearing the written Word of God, on the above day.

We are hoping, praying, and longing for, a universal outreach to sinners with the Word of life resulting in salvation blessing to multitudes, and redounding to the glory of Gods' lovely Son and our Saviour.

We are exultant and thrilled by the response of saints from different parts of the world and hope that many others will join in this simple task for the Lord of the harvest.

Please support this humble service for Him!  Only ONE tract or one hundred and one, and any number in between or above, please beloved!

 

In HIM, Tom.

Esther and Mordecai

ESTHER and MORDECAI

In my morning devotion today I read, along with other Scriptures, a little portion from the beautiful Book of Esther. Two phrases lodged in my heart and called for a little meditation on my part.

Beloved brethren and sisters in Christ we have a responsibility for our children throughout our life-time. Not an exclusive one of course, because when they attain to independence and leave the family home, their personal accountability becomes much greater. But our responsibility for them is never fully discharged in this scene.

Mordecais' attitude most surely and clearly demonstrates this aspect of truth.
Esther 2:11.

Next we have the subjection and obedience of the orphaned Esther. It is exquisite, and reminds one of the Lord Jesus as a boy, when seen in lowly subjection to His mother and adoptive father. What divine condescension! What moral perfection!
Esther 2:20; Luke 2:51.

Finally there is the commendation of the parental role assumed by Mordecai. For his godly uninterrupted care and concern for his charge was rewarded by Esthers' subsequent appropriate behaviour and modest deportment in the palace of Shushan. Esther 2:9,15. 
She was a credit to her benefactor, and an evidence of the masterly way he had brought her up, his influence still holding sway in her manner of life; unlike that of the profligate son! Luke 15.

Would that all the children of believers enjoyed such an upbringing that it would be reflected in their lives after leaving the family home. Would that every believer had their children ever upon their hearts and always in their prayers!  



The Psalms: A New Version by Lord Congleton

The Psalms: A New Version by Lord Congleton

Some years ago I foolishly sold a considerable part of my "library" consisting  mainly of Brethren works; I think I mentioned this in an earlier "post" on this Blog. I have regretted it ever since. I decided to try and replace as many of my books as possible. It has proved to be almost impossible, certainly very difficult and expensive. Works written by Brethren, and those written from similar points of interpretation have become very desirable and inflated the cost beyond reasonable measure. Almost any book of a dispensational, pre-millennial and/or pre-tribulation character are now very collectible and expensive. I have no real idea why; but it has made purchasing of any of them, if, and when found, in many cases well beyond my finances.

Recently a copy of the above very rare title became available at auction. It was an extremely poor copy and as such really did not interest me other than to see how much it was valued at by the eventual buyer. It was ridiculously over-valued I felt as being at best in "acceptable" condition, however "rare."

Now I am in possession of a really nice copy, perhaps even slightly better than the previous one I owned! It is the same 1875 edition as the other two I have written about, i.e. my earlier copy and the auctioned one.

Nowadays it is nigh impossible to share such "finds" with anyone, as there is so little interest in these writings, certainly when it comes to "physical" books! But as I am so elated, and only paid a fraction of the cost realised by the poor copy, I had to unburden myself on Blogger.

I trust that some of you who read this will understand the thrill of such a find!



International Tract Distribution Day (1)

National/International Tract Distribution Day

TUESDAY 18th APRIL 2017

Today, as I moved along from door to door posting "Via Magazine," I began to muse, as believers are apt to do! I felt an exercise that became clearer the longer I dwelt upon it. "What if every believer who was physically able,"pledged" to distribute at least one, (if only one,) tract or magazine, or indeed any divine "missive" on the same chosen day all over the world? What if those who use "social media," those who have access to various means of publicising events, those who "give out the notices" in their local Assembly or congregation, what if they all agreed to nominate a particular day as "International Tract Distribution Day?" How many souls would be given the opportunity to believe the Gospel of the grace of God concerning His Son, and thus come into all the blessings of salvation. I dare to suggest it would be an unnumbered multitude! And what if we knew it would be a "day"which pleased our God, and was to be etched upon records kept in Heaven, and that for eternity! Would you not, would I not, love to be associated with such a privilege?

Today is the 16th day of March 2017; if we arranged such an "exploit" for our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,"giving ourselves one calendar month from now to organise it, if He will, we could announce the 18th day of April, just two days after the universal celebration of Christs' resurrection, to be the marked out "Day."

If the Lord will, I will begin to proclaim this personal exercise to all with whom I have "links," and would lovingly request others to do the same, please.

May God be pleased to bless this effort for His own glory, and for the glory of His only-begotten Son; may there prove to be such satisfaction for Him in answer to the travail of His soul.

"Poundland"

"POUNDLAND"

A strange subject for a "Brethren blog" no doubt! A little light-hearted too!

Yesterday I "shopped" in Poundland: for those overseas, it is a retail "chain" selling (basically) everything for one pound per item. As a poverty-stricken "brother" it is a boon, and I frequent these stores.

So then, what of yesterday? Well, I espied a wooden plaque bearing this inscription:

"The best

   memories 

  are made

   gathered

around

 the table"

It immediately caused me a wry smile and a definite desire to purchase one! It only needs some artist to "burn" a little picture of a "loaf" and a "cup" in the respective top corners of the plaque and it would be complete! 

I warned you it would be light-hearted, but go on rush out and buy one for yourself!