Why did Jesus send the disciples out two by two?

It was done for legal and
practical reasons. In the divine
order every word is established
in the mouth of two or three
witnesses (CP Nu 35:30; De 17:6;
19:15; Mt 18:15-16; Jn 8:16-18;
2Cor 13:1; He 10:28 with Ac
13:1-2; 15:27, 32, 37-40; 19:22).
Jesus also sent out other
disciples two by two in scripture
(CP Mk 14:13; Lu 10:1). Scriptures
also teach that two are better
than one in many other respects
as well. When one falls the other
can lift him up; when one is
discouraged the other can
encourage him; when one is
weak the other can strengthen
him; when one is prevailed
against the other can stand with
him (CP Pr 27:17; Eccl 4:9-12; Ro
15:14). Two can also prevail with
God in unified prayer (CP Mt
18:19-20). There are many other
passages in scripture dealing
with the two by two principle (CP
Lu 7:19; Jn 1:35-41; Ac 9:38;
10:7; 15:36-41; 19:22; 1Ti 5:19;
Rev 11:3-6, 10-12).

Do Not Awaken Love Until It So Desires

*Is It Really Love?*
He [Satan] is busily
engaged in influencing
those who are wholly
unsuited to
each other to unite their
interests. He exults in this
work, for by it he
can produce more misery
and hopeless woe to the
human family than by
exercising his skill in any
other direction.
Many marriages can only
be productive of misery;
and yet the minds of the
youth run in this channel
because Satan leads them
there, making them
believe that they must be
married in order to be
happy, when they have
not
the ability to control
themselves or support a
family. To this extent
some
have even dubbed it
*AIDS* * (Acquired
Intelligence Deficiency
Syndrome)*for the youth.
Those who are not willing
to adapt themselves to
each other’s
disposition, so as to avoid
unpleasant differences
and contentions, should
not take the step. This
question of marriage
should be a study instead
of a
matter of impulse.
*Is It True Love?*
True love is a high and
holy principle, altogether
different in character
from that love which is
awakened by impulse and
which suddenly dies
when
severely tested.
True love is not a strong,
fiery, impetuous passion.
On the contrary, it is
calm and deep in its
nature. It looks beyond
mere externals and is
attracted
by qualities alone. It is
wise and discriminating,
and its devotion is real
and abiding.
Love is a precious gift,
which we receive from
Jesus. Pure and holy
affection is not a feeling,
but a principle. Those who
are actuated by true
love are neither
unreasonable nor blind.
Mildness, gentleness,
forbearance, long-
suffering, being not easily
provoked, bearing all
things, hoping all things,
enduring all things–these
are the fruit growing
upon the precious tree of
love, which is of heavenly
growth. This tree, if
nourished, will prove to
be an evergreen. Its
branches
will not decay, its leaves
will not wither. It is
immortal, eternal watered
continually by the dews
of heaven.
*Love, A Tender Plant*
Love is a plant of
heavenly growth, and it
must be fostered and
nourished.
Affectionate hearts,
truthful, loving words,
will make happy families
and
exert an elevating
influence upon all who
come within the sphere of
their
influence.
While women want men
of strong and noble
characters, whom they
can respect
and love, these qualities
need to be mingled with
tenderness and affection,
patience and forbearance.
The wife should in her
turn be cheerful, kind, and
devoted, assimilating her
taste to that of her
husband as far as it is
possible to do without
losing her individually.
Both parties should
cultivate patience and
kindness, and that tender
love for each other that
will make married life
pleasant and enjoyable.
{LYL 31.1}
Those who have such
high ideas of the married
life, whose imagination
has
wrought out an air-castle
picture that has naught to
do with life’s
perplexities and troubles,
will find themselves sadly
disappointed in the
reality. When real life
comes in with its troubles
and cares, they are
wholly unprepared to
meet them. They expect
in each other perfection,
but
find weakness and
defects; for finite men and
women are not faultless.
Then
they begin to find fault
with each other, and to
express their
disappointment. Instead
of this, they should try to
help each other, and
should seek practical
godliness to help them to
fight the battle of life
valiantly.
*The Power of Love*
Love is power. Intellectual
and moral strength are
involved in this
principle, and cannot be
separated from it. The
power of wealth has a
tendency to corrupt and
destroy; the power of
force is strong to do hurt;
but the excellence and
value of pure love consist
in its efficiency to do
good, and to do nothing
else than good.
Whatsoever is done out of
pure love, be it ever so
little or contemptible in
the sight of men, is
wholly fruitful; for God
regards more with how
much
love one worketh than
the amount he doeth.
*Love is of God.* The
unconverted heart cannot
originate nor produce this
plant of heavenly growth,
which lives and flourishes
only where Christ
reigns….
Love works not for profit
nor reward; yet God has
ordained that great gain
shall be the certain result
of every labor of love. It is
diffusive in its
nature and quiet in its
operation, yet strong and
mighty in its purpose to
overcome great evils. It is
melting and transforming
in its influence, and
will take hold of the lives
of the sinful and affect
their hearts when every
other means has proved
unsuccessful.
Wherever the power of
intellect, of authority, or
of force is employed, and
love is not manifestly
present, the affections
and will of those whom
we
seek to reach assume a
defensive, repelling
position, and their
strength of
resistance is increased.
Pure love is simple in its
operations, and is distinct
from any other
principle of action. The
love of influence and the
desire for the esteem of
others may produce a
well-ordered life and
frequently a blameless
conversation. Self-respect
may lead us to avoid the
appearance of evil. *A
selfish heart may perform
generous actions,
acknowledge the present
truth,
and express humility and
affection in an outward
manner, yet the motives
may
be deceptive and
impure*; the actions that
flow from such a heart
may be
destitute of the savor of
life and the fruits of true
holiness, being
destitute of the principles
of pure love. Love should
be cherished and
cultivated, for its influence
is divine.
*When Love Is Blind*
Two persons become
acquainted; they are
infatuated with each
other, and
their whole attention is
absorbed. Reason is
blinded, and judgment is
overthrown. They will not
submit to any advice or
control, but insist on
having their own way,
regardless of
consequence.
Like some epidemic, or
contagion, that must run
its course, is the
infatuation that possesses
them; and there seems to
be no such thing as
putting a stop to it.
Perhaps there are those
around them who realize
that,
should the parties
interested be united in
marriage, it could only
result in
life-long unhappiness. But
entreaties and
exhortations are given in
vain.
Perhaps, by such a union,
the usefulness of one
whom God would bless in
His
service will be crippled
and destroyed; but
reasoning and persuasion
are
alike unheeded.
All that can be said by
men and women of
experience proves
ineffectual; it
is powerless to change
the decision to which
their desires have led
them.
They lose interest in
everything that pertains
to religion. They are
wholly
infatuated with each
other, and the duties of
life are neglected, as if
they
were matters of little
concern.
The good name of honor
is sacrificed under the
spell of this infatuation,
and the marriage of such
persons cannot be
solemnized under the
approval of
God. They are married
because passion moved
them, and when the
novelty of
the affair is over, they will
begin to realize what they
have done. In six
months after the vows
are spoken, their
sentiments toward each
other have
undergone a change. Each
has learned in married life
more of the character
of the companion chosen.
Each discovers
imperfections that, during
the
blindness and folly of
their former association,
were not apparent. The
promises at the altar do
not bind them together.
In consequence of hasty
marriages, even among
the professed people of
God, there are
separations,
divorces, and great
confusion in the church.
When it is too late, they
find that they have made
a mistake, and have
imperiled their happiness
in this life and the
salvation of their souls.
They would not admit
that any one knew
anything about the
matter but
themselves, when if
counsel had been
received, they might have
saved
themselves years of
anxiety and sorrow.
But advice is only thrown
away on those who are
determined to have their
own
way. Passion carries such
individuals over every
barrier that reason and
judgment can interpose.
Weigh every sentiment,
and watch every
development of character
in the one
with whom you think to
link your life destiny. The
step you are about to
take is one of the most
important in your life, and
should not be taken
hastily. While you may
love, do not love blindly.
I hope you will have self-
respect enough to shun
this form of courtship. If
you have an eye single to
the glory of God, you will
move with deliberate
caution. You will not
suffer lovesick
sentimentalism to so
blind your vision
that you cannot discern
the high claims that God
has upon you as a
Christian.
Consider the letter below.
Several challenging
questions are raised in
this
letter. Do you think the
mother’s advice was
worthwhile especially for
the
present age?
*Dear John:*
*I am sorry that you
have entangled yourself
in any courtship with
Elizabeth. In the first
place, your anxiety upon
this question is
premature.
*
*I speak to you as one
who knows. Wait till you
have some just
knowledge
of yourself and of the
world, of the bearing and
character of young
women,
before you let the
subject of marriage
possess your thoughts.*
*Elizabeth will never
elevate you. She has not
in her the hidden powers
which, developed,
would make a woman of
judgment and ability to
stand by
your side, to help you
in the battles of life. She
lacks force of character.
She has not depth of
thought and compass of
mind that will be a help
to you.
You see the surface
and it is all there is. In a
little while, should you
marry, the charm
would be broken. The
novelty of the married life
having
ceased, you will see
things in their real light,
and find out you have
made
a sad mistake.*
*Love is a sentiment so
sacred that but few know
what it is. It is a term
used, but not
understood. The warm
glow of impulse, the
fascination of one
young person for
another is not love; it
does not deserve the
name. True
love has an intellectual
basis, a deep thorough
knowledge of the object
loved.*
*Remember that
impulsive love is perfectly
blind. It will as soon be
placed on unworthy
objects as worthy.
Command such love to
stand still and
cool. Give place to
genuine thought and
deep, earnest reflection. Is
this
object of your
affection, in the scale of
intelligence and moral
excellence,
in deportment and
cultivated manners such
that you will feel a pride
in
presenting her to your
father’s family, to
acknowledge her in all
society as
the object of your
choice?*
*Give yourself sufficient
time for observation on
every point, and then
do not trust to your
own judgment, and let
the mother who loves
you, and
your father, and
confidential friends, make
critical observations of the
one
you feel inclined to
favor. Trust not to your
own judgment, and marry
no one
whom you feel will not
be an honor to your
father and mother, one
who has
intelligence and moral
worth.*
*The girl who gives over
her affections to a man,
and invites his
attention by her
advances, hanging around
where she will be noticed
of him,
unless he shall appear
rude, is not the girl you
want to associate with.
Her
conversation is cheap
and frequently without
depth.*
*It will be far better not
to marry at all, than to be
unfortunately
married. But seek
counsel of God in all these
things, be so calm, so
submissive to the will
of God that you will not
be in a fever of
excitement
and unqualified for His
service by your
attachments.*
*We have but little time
to lay up a treasure of
good works in heaven; do
not make any mistake
here. Serve God with your
undivided affection. Be
zealous, be whole-
hearted. Let your example
be of such a character that
you
will help others to take
their stand for Jesus.
Young men do not know
what a
power of influence
they may have. Work for
time and work for
eternity.
*
*Your adopted
mother.*
*[image: Your
browser may not support
display of this image.] *

1 June, 2011 18:14

THERE’S A
LIGHTHOUSE ON
THE HILLSIDE
THAT OVER LOOKS
LIFE’S SEA.
WHEN I’M TOSSED IT SENDS OUT
A LIGHT,
THAT I MIGHT SEE.
AND THE LIGHT THAT SHINES IN
DARKNESS NOW
WILL SAFELY LEAD ME ON.
IF IT WASN’T FOR THE
LIGHTHOUSE,
MY SHIP WOULD SAIL NO MORE.
EVERYBODY THAT LIVES AROUND
US,
SAYS TEAR THAT LIGHTHOUSE
DOWN.
THE BIG SHIPS THEY DON’T SAIL
THIS WAY ANYMORE,
THERE’S NO NEED OF IT
STANDING ROUND.
BUT THEN MY MIND GOES BACK
TO THAT
STORMY NITE, WHEN JUST IN
TIME I SAW THE LIGHT,
OH THE LIGHT FROM THAT OLD
LIGHTHOUSE
THAT STANDS UP THERE ON THE
HILL.
~Refrain~
AND I THANK GOD FOR THE
LIGHTHOUSE,
I OWE MY LIFE TO HIM
FOR JESUS IS THE LIGHTHOUSE,
AND FROM THE ROCKS OF SIN;
HE HAS SHONE A LIGHT AROUND
ME
THAT I COULD CLEARLY SEE
AND IF IT WASN’T FOR THE
LIGHTHOUSE,
WHERE WOULD THIS SHIP BE?
AND IF WASN’T FOR THE
LIGHTHOUSE,
WHERE WOULD THIS SHIP BE?
~by Ronnie Hinson
“I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall not
walk in
darkness, but shall have the
light of life.”
John 8:12
“The Lord is my light and my
salvation; whom do I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge; of
whom am I afraid?”
Psalm 27:1