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<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">“<b>TWO
ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Jim
& Marie Watt</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Tel:
253-517-9195 - Email: <a href="mailto:jmbetter@gmail.com">jmbetter@gmail.com</a></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Web:
<a href="http://www.2rbetter.org/">www.2rbetter.org</a></b></p><p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">January 24, 2012</p><p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><br></p><p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">
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<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;text-decoration:none" align="CENTER"><b>APR 17 - ACTS 13-14 - CHURCH EXTENSION: SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES</b></p>
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<b>1. 13:2 (13:1-3) CHURCH AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. “And as they
ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy :Spirit said, Separate
me then :Barnabas and Saul for the work unto which I have called
them” (NNT). Ministry</b><span style> to You
Father, with fasting prayer and no preconceived ideas: </span><u><span style>this</span></u><span style>
releases Your Son to build His church through us! In this way we
acknowledge You in Christ as </span><u><span style>King</span></u><span style>
of Your Kingdom. </span><b><i>Hallowed be your :name.</i></b></p>
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<b>2. 13:12 (13:4-12) RESULTS THROUGH SUPERNATURAL JUDGMENT. “Then
the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished
at the teaching of the Lord.” </b><span style>This
was not Paul; this was really </span><u><span style>You</span></u><span style>
Father in Christ revealing Your displeasure with Elymas. Help us
always to see You in Your apostles and prophets. </span><b><i>Your
:kingdom come.</i></b></p>
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<b>3. 13:19 (13:13-41) PAUL: MAJORS ON THE RESURRECTION. “When
he had destroyed seven nations in Canaan land, he gave <i>them</i>
their :land for an inheritance for about four hundred and fifty
years.” </b><span style>This is bold
preaching! Father, it is Your Spirit in Paul giving him this holy
boldness! Yes, and You give us </span><u><span style>all</span></u><span style>
good things according to Your good pleasure. </span><b><i>Your :will
be done, As in heaven, so on earth.</i></b></p>
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<b>4. 13:48 (13:42-52) THE GOSPEL: JEWS VERSUS GENTILES. “And as
the nations heard <i>this</i>, they were glad, and glorified the word
of :God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”
</b><span style>All who the Father gives Me
shall come unto Me, Jesus said. Father, we bless You that You have
opened our hearts, and given us to Your Son Jesus, that we might
exercise the gift of repentance and come to You! O forgive us that we
fall so short in understanding, and fail to magnify You as we ought
for Your great grace! </span><b><i>Our :daily :bread</i> Give us
this day!</b></p>
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<b>5. 14:3 (14:1-7) ICONIUM: SERIOUS THREATENINGS. “Long time
therefore they tarried <i>there</i> being bold in the Lord, who
witnessed unto the word of his :grace, granting signs and wonders to
be done by his :hands.” </b><span style>The
clearer the message of the Good News of the Kingdom of God, the
sooner the persecution! Is our Gospel so far removed from the
apostolic understanding and proclamation, that it has lost its teeth,
Father? </span><b><i>And forgive us our :debts, As we also have
forgiven our :debtors.</i></b></p>
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<b>6. 14:14-15 (14:8-18) HEALING: WRONGLY EXALTS APOSTLES. “But
when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard <i>it</i>, they rent
their own :garments, <i>and </i>sprang forth among the crowd, crying
out <font style="font-size:8pt" size="1">15</font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">
and saying, Men, why do you these </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>things?
</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">We also are men of
like passions with you, </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>and</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">
bring you good tidings, that you turn from these :vanities unto a
living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and that
in them </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>are.” </i></font></b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style>If
not through persecution, then through worship of man would Satan
pervert the Gospel. Truth walks the razor edge of heresy! </span></font><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>And
bring us not into temptation!</i></font></b></p>
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<b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">7. 14:23 (14:19-28)
STONING, ORDAINING, REPORTING. “And when they had appointed for
them elders in every church, </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>and</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">
had prayed with fastings, they commended them to the Lord, on whom
they had believed.” </font></b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style>Within
</span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><u><span style>months</span></u></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style>
following conversion, elders serving as overseers and shepherds were
appointed! How different from today! </span></font><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>But
deliver us from the evil </i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">one!</font></b></p>
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<u><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">NOTE</font></b></u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><b>:
13:38-39 (13:13-41) THE CENTRALITY OF JESUS. “Be it known unto
you therefore, men </b></span></font><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none">and</span></i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">
brethren, that through his </span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none">man
</span></i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">is
proclaimed unto you remission of sins: </span></font><font style="font-size:8pt" size="1"><span style="text-decoration:none">39</span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">
and by him every one that believes is justified from all </span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none">things</span></i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">,
from which you could not be justified by </span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none">the</span></i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">
law of Moses.” </span></font></b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>This
is a </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style>clear</span></font></u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>
word. This word glorified You and Your Son, Father!</span></span></font></p>
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<font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>Acts
13:48 above is for some one of the most difficult verses of the Bible
- while for others it is the most blessed! With my background as
first a Presbyterian and then a Baptist, I have like George Muller
tended to the latter view. </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style>Apprehension
of Truth</span></font></u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>
comes from learning to meditate upon the Word of God. Our new
Outlined Interlinear NT about to come out - will make this much
easier. See some points which God began to show Mr. Muller while at
Teignmouth, England in 1829:</span></span></font></p>
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<font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>1.
That the word of God alone is our standard of judgment in spiritual
things; that it can be explained </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style>only</span></font></u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>
by the Holy Spirit; and that in our day, as well as in former times,
</span></span></font><u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style>He</span></font></u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>
is the teacher of His people. The office of the Holy Spirit I had not
experimentally understood before that time. Indeed, of the office of
each of the blessed persons, in what is commonly called the Trinity,
I had no experimental apprehension. I had not before seen from the
Scriptures that the Father chose us before the foundation of the
world; that in Him that wonderful plan of our redemption originated,
and that He also appointed all the means by which it was to be
brought about. Further, that the Son, to save us, had fulfilled the
law, to satisfy its demands, and with it also the holiness of God;
that He had borne the punishment due to our sins, and had thus
satisfied the justice of God. And further, that the Holy Spirit alone
can teach us about our state by nature, show us the need of a Savior,
enable us to believe in Christ, explain to us the Scriptures, help us
in preaching, etc. It was my beginning to understand this latter
point in particular, which had a profound effect on me; for the Lord
enabled me to put it to the test of experience, by laying aside
commentaries, and almost every other book, and simply reading the
word of God and studying it. The result of this was, that the first
evening that I shut myself into my room, to give myself to prayer </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style>and
meditation over the Scriptures</span></font></u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>,
I learned more in a few hours than I had done during a period of
several months previously. </span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>But
the particular difference was, that I received real strength for my
soul in doing so. </span></span></i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>I
now began to try by the test of the Scriptures the things which I had
learned and seen, and found that only those principles which stood
the test were really of value.</span></span></font></p>
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<font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>2.
Before this period I had been much opposed to the doctrines of
election, particular redemption, and final persevering grace; so much
so that, a few days after my arrival at Teignmouth I called election
a devilish doctrine. I did not believe that I had brought myself to
the Lord, for that was too manifestly false; but yet I held, that I
might have resisted finally. And further, I knew nothing about the
choice of God's people, and did not believe that the child of God,
when once made so, was safe for ever. In my fleshly mind I had
repeatedly said, If once I could prove that I am a child of God for
ever, I might go back into the world for a year or two, and then
return to the Lord, and at last be saved. But now I was brought to
examine these precious truths by the word of God. Being made willing
to have no glory of my own in the conversion of sinners, but to
consider myself merely as an instrument; and being made willing to
receive what the Scriptures said; I went to the Word, reading the New
Testament from the beginning, with a particular reference to these
truths. To my great astonishment I found that the passages which
speak decidedly for election and persevering grace were about four
times as many as those which speak apparently against these truths;
and even those few, shortly after, when I had examined and understood
them, served to confirm me in the above doctrines. As to the effect
which my belief in these doctrines had on me, I am constrained to
state, for God's glory, that though I am still exceedingly weak, and
by no means so dead to the lusts of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, as I might and as I ought to be; yet, by
the grace of God, I have walked more closely with Him since that
period. My life has not been so variable, and I may say that I have
lived much more for God than before. And for this have I been
strengthened by the Lord, in a great measure, through the
instrumentality of these truths. For in the time of temptation, I
have been repeatedly led to say: Should I thus sin? I should only
bring misery into my soul for a time, and dishonor God; from being a
son of God for ever, I should have to be brought back again, though
it might be in the way of severe chastisement. Thus, I say, the
electing love of God in Christ (when I have been able to realize it)
has often been the means of </span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>producing
holiness, instead of leading me into sin.</span></span></i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>
It is only the notional apprehension of such truths, the want of
having them in the heart, while they are in the head, which is
dangerous. (pp. 387-8 from “George Muller of Bristol” by Dr.
A.T. Pierson, 1899).</span></span></font></p>
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<font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>Our
Psalm for the day: </span></span></font><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">107:42-43
(107:1-43) LET THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD SAY SO. “The upright see
it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. </span></font><font style="font-size:8pt" size="1"><span style="text-decoration:none">43</span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">
Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider
the steadfast love of the LORD” (ESV). </span></font></b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>Not
unto us, not unto us belongs praise; but unto </span></span></font><u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style>Your
Name</span></font></u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>
does praise belong, Father! For we forfeit all right to blessing by
our rebellion, disobedience and hard heart; but in Your grace You
deliver us when we repent and call on Your Name. </span></span></font><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none">Hallowed
be your :name!</span></i></font></b></p>
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