The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians

This epistle, although not included in the canon of scriptures that we believe to be divinely inspired by God, is of great value to any minister desirous to study deeper the church of Philippi, or yearning to see the fruit of true discipleship. Polycarp is believed to have been the disciple of John the beloved, supposedly the last apostle to die. There is no mention of him in this epistle, however. The main saint that is mentioned in this epistle is Ignatius, the third bishop of the church at Antioch.

This epistle expresses the mind of a humble man who was devoted to Christ and the Word of God.

Our Forever Stamp

Tony Walden, one of the teenagers of Bible Baptist Church, gave an explanation of the doctrine of the priesthood of believers today in Sunday School. He compared our prayers to letters being sent to God. He made reference to John 14:14, where Jesus says, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” He then said that Christ is the stamp that pays for our prayers to get to Heaven. Without the stamp, a letter has not been paid for, thus it cannot reach its destination. Christ paid for all of our sins, and with His blood He has made a way for our prayers to get to God. Tony did a phenomenal job. This is one of the best illustrations on prayer I have ever heard!

It is meet to thank God

2 Thessalonians 1:3
We are bound to thank Go always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

Just as it is only proper to send a Thank You card to someone that has given you a gift or done something nice for you, it is also proper and necessary to say Thank You to God when He answers our prayers, increases our fruits, and provides for us as we have need.

Three main things that affect us

There are three main things that affect men in this world:

Where we come from: this cannot be changed by any of us.

What others or other things do to us: this cannot always be changed, but may be altered or protected against to by how we live our lives and what positions we place ourselves in.

The things that we do: this is entirely up to us. We determine the decisions that we make and the actions that we take.

Much of life cannot be changed or undone. Our circumstances are not always our fault. But much of life can be protected and sheltered against negative influences by what actions and decisions we choose to make.

Level complete

My wife and I enjoy playing a certain digital game. It has 150 levels to it. You start out with 20 lives. Throughout the levels, you can either lose lives or gain lives. As long as you don’t lose all of your lives, you can win the game if you pass all 150 levels. My wife is rather good at this game. She has figured out all of the tricks. She is currently at level 74 with over 90 lives accumulated. I, however, am currently at level 80-something, but I only have 20-some lives left to use. This is because I get impatient with the game, and so I move on ahead without trying to replay the level better and less risky. But my wife is more patient than I. If she loses a life in a level, she will restart the level (which the game permits you to do) and keep playing it until she completes it without losing any lives. In fact, she usually will gain a life or two in the process.

This made me ponder about our lives. Life has many levels. Many times we are in a rush to get through them. We just can’t seem to wait to get to the next level. We desire to see what lies ahead around. Usually, when we do this, we fail to perform correctly and completely the level that we currently in in. The world is moving fast enough without our help. Christians need to slow the game down and, instead of rushing to get to the top, be content right where they’re at in life. This will bring about a better attitude and perspective to daily living.

Be quiet

Proverbs 17:28
Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Sometimes people just need to learn to shut their mouth. Just because something is in the mind, it does not mean that it needs to be in the mouth!

I have known men that, although they may not line up with me in faith, I esteem them because of their temperament. They are simply silent men.

Magnify Him

Psalms 34:3
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

When you magnify something, you don’t actually change its size. Rather, you only make the object appear bigger in your own eyes.

God cannot be changed. He changes not. However, there are sinners in this world that have no perception of God. They see Him as small. They see Him as nothing more than an idea. His name has no loudness in their hearts. They have no concept of how big God is.

It is the duty of God’s people to magnify Him. We must sound His name louder! We must proclaim Him stronger!

Paul said that, whether in life or in death, he desired for God to be magnified in his body.

For some, the only preaching they will ever see is the Christian life that you live. Do not shame and shrink the name of Christ through your actions. Rather, submit yourself to God, and magnify Him in all that you do.

If you are a magnifying glass, then the closer you get to God, the larger He will appear to you and through you.

Magnify Him!

The 6 groups that Jesus identified with

There are 6 groups that Jesus identified with throughout His public ministry. As given by Walter B. Shurden in The Doctrine of the Priesthood of Believers:

The hungry
The thirsty
The stranger
The naked
The sick
The ones in prison

As He said Himself, The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.  Matthew 20:28

“The climax is not what the teacher says, but what the student does.”

This quote was made by Dr. Ed Snider of Shawnee Baptist Church in Louisville, KY. Dr. Snider is an excellent teacher himself. I thought that this statement revealed the true reason of teaching. That is, to produces some sort of personal change in the life of the learner, or hearer. Great quote!

Maintaining Order in Directing or Administrating

“Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.”  Proverbs 24:27

This proverb displays three principles:

1. Preparation - Prepare thy work without…
2. Organization - …and make it fit for thyself in the field…
3. Construction - …and afterwards build thine house.

Within any company or organization, these three principles will be witnessed at some point.  Whether it be organizing an event, preparing a dinner, or embarking upon a new building project, this biblical principle will aid any individual or group of people striving together to accomplish a specific task.

This proverb gives an ordered technique to wisely and properly accomplish a task.  This order must be followed as it is given.  Preparation of materials or ideas must first be collected.  Secondly, the collected materials or ideas must be organized in a manner that aids the director or administrator.  Lastly, the materials or ideas must be assembled or carried through in the predetermined order.

Decency and order are two biblical principles worth striving for in ministry.  This proverb gives clear and practical instruction on how to maintain them.