Last of a Breed
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The Bible
Transcends Culture
The Bible
transcends culture, is rooted in
eternity, and yet is cast in
history and time. Most of the
culture in which it is cast is an
extremely slow-paced culture,
moving at the pace of a slow walk
as Jesus moves along the
thoroughfares of Galilee, jostled
by milling throngs, moving at the
pace of camels crossing deserts,
of camp fires, of caravans, tents
pitched to keep out the sun with
the patriarch sitting in the tent
door as the Lord as two angels
approach, and a pace at times
going at the breath-taking speed
of a galloping horse.
And yet…
Gabriel travels at a speed so
much faster than the speed of
light that the speed of light is
slower than a snail’s pace.
That too, is in the Bible, in
Daniel 9.
The Bible’s
truths are eternal. They speak of
a better land that is coming, of
a Messiah who would save from
sin. They speak of a depth of
relationships unknown to
today’s society.
An Art
and Science Almost Unknown Today
However, to study
the Bible has become an art and
science almost unknown to
today’s speed-oriented
society, where if a computer does
not boot up at a record speed it
has to be sold for one that does.
A Whole New
World
When one enters
the Bible, he enters a whole new
world, a world that is anchored
in eternity and grounded in time
and history-a world that of
necessity moves slowly, even in
the comprehension of its deep
truths. It is a world of
patriarchs, of prophets who wore
camel’s hair garments, girt
about with a leather girdle, of a
man who spent 120 years
building a massive ark. It is a
time in which things are repeated
over and over, something that is
an abomination to current
practice.
It is hard
slogging for many, for the truths
are beneath the surface, and
finding this gold, these jewels,
requires the miner’s
strength, patience and fortitude.
It requires strength and patience
to dig deeply, to plow slowly, to
find treasure. It is not a
six-second program to instant
Bible knowledge. It carries its
own pace. It bows to no man. It
requires time, patience, power,
strength, and will-a will that
will not be daunted, a will that
will press on to the knowledge of
God, to a knowledge of the truth,
and that quality of soul
possessed by God’s own
children, if one is to find that
treasure called salvation.
Those who find the
treasured truths of God, of
eternity, become part of the
“last of the breed,”
“the remnant of her
seed,” the last generation
that still serves and honors the
God of the universe…
The
“Called Out Ones”
The church is the ekklesia,
the “Called Out Ones.”
The ones whom Christ has called
into discipleship.
Called out
to Whom, or what? Called out to
Christ. Called out from what?
Called out from the world and all
that is opposed to Christ.
Come, Take Up
the Cross, and Follow Me
Christ calls,
“Come, take up the cross,
and follow Me.” Mark 10:21.
We are called out
of this world to follow Christ
alone. This is the condition of
discipleship. We come, hating
father, mother, wife, children,
brothers, sisters, and even our
own psyche, our own life,
our own soul. Luke 14: 26. Christ
is above all, and demands
complete and undeviating loyalty,
faithfulness, and commitment.
Christ is the Cornerstone Who
determines and shapes and directs
all else.
Forsaking All
For Christ is the disciple’s
Security
The forsaking of
all else for Christ is the
disciples’ security from
satanic attack. The
insulation provided by meeting
the conditions of discipleship
laid down by Jesus-If any come
to Me, and hate not his father,
and mother, and wife, and
children, and brethren, and
sisters, yea, and his won psyche
also, he cannot be My
disciple-protects us from satanic
power and influence. We are
in the protected zone of
Christ’s protection due to
absolute self-surrender.
We cannot be
Christ’s disciples until we
have completely given ourselves
to Him without any reserve,
without any tie of influence that
may bind us to human influence
alien to Christ-be it father,
mother, sister, wife, children,
or our own psyche.
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