Author: Sosthenes

Once the ruler of the synagogue at Corinth Then a co-writer of a letter by Paul - just a brother - no longer an official Now a blogger seeking to serve the Lord by posting some words that the Lord has given His Church.

God is satisfied with Jesus, We are satisfied as well.

1 On the Lamb our souls are resting,
What His love no tongue can say;
All our sins, so great, so many,
In His blood are washed away.

2 Sweetest rest and peace have filled us,
Sweeter praise than tongue can tell;
God is satisfied with Jesus,
We are satisfied as well.

3 Conscience now no more condemns us,
For His own most precious blood
Once for all has washed and cleansed us,
Cleansed us in the sight of God.

4 Filled with this sweet peace for ever,
On we go, through strife and care,
Till we find that peace around us
In the Lamb’s high glory there.

5 On the living Lord believing,
We have righteousness and peace.
By the Holy Spirit given
We have joys that never cease.

Little Flock 1962/1973 No 410
J. A. v. POSECK (1816-1896) 8.7.8.7.

J N Darby Hark! Ten Thousand Voices Crying

The Endless Song by John Nelson Darby

“THE ENDLESS SONG”

J.N. Darby  1800-1882

  1. J N Darby
    John Nelson Darby

    O the joy of the salvation
    We possess around the throne,
    Countless thoughts of admiration
    Mingling leave that joy but one. 

  2. Hark! ten thousand voices crying,
    “Lamb of God!” with one accord;
    Thousand thousand saints replying,
    Bursts at once the echoing chord.
  3. Long with free and glad devotion
    Universal praise prevails,
    Till, blest fruit of deep emotion,
    Voice by voice in silence fails.
  4. Now, in wondrous adoration,
    Dwelling on His matchless love,
    Sway’d with power of that salvation,
    Silence fills the courts above.
  5. Then their richest thoughts unfolding,
    Each to each with joy divine,
    Heavenly converse blissful holding,
    Tells how bright His glories shine.
  6. Some on God’s high glories dwelling,
    Brightly beaming in His face;
    Some His First-born greatness telling,
    Ordering all things in their place.
  7. These of Godhead’s counsels deep
    Him th’ Accomplisher proclaim;
    These how Jesu’s self could weep,
    Of Godhead’s love the Witness came.
  8. All on love surpassing rest,
    That clothed in flesh the great I AM:
    Till from a heart divinely prest
    Bursts forth at length the loud exclaim,
  9. “Praise the Lamb!”–at once awaking
    The gather’d hosts, their voices throng;
    Loud and wide each tongue partaking,
    Rolls renew’d the endless song.
  10. Grateful incense this, ascending
    Rises to the Father’s throne;
    Every knee to Christ is bending,
    All the mind in heaven is one.
  11. All the Father’s counsels claiming
    Equal honours to the Son,
    All the Son’s effulgence beaming
    Glory of His Father’s throne.
  12. By the Spirit all pervading
    Radiant hosts unnumber’d round,
    Breathing glory never fading,
    Echo back the blissful sound.
  13. Joyful now the wide creation
    Rests in undisturb’d repose ;
    Blest in Jesu’s full salvation,
    Sorrow now nor thraldom knows.
  14. Rich the streams of bounty flowing,
    Common blessings from above,
    Life and holy joy bestowing,
    Tell of God’s unwearied love.
  15. Hark the heavenly notes again
    Loudly swells the air-borne praise ;
    Throughout creation’s vault, “Amen,
    “Amen!” responsive joy doth raise.

Selected verses Hymns for the Little Flock 1962 and 1973 and in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs 1978 – No 14

A note from Sosthenes

Years ago, Percy Lyon, a servant of the Lord well known for his colourful (in the right sense) language and intonation said to my father,  “We won’t be praising the Lord all the time, we’ll have reading meetings too!  Then he quoted JND’s lines ‘Each to each with joy divine, Heavenly converse blissful holding,  Tells how bright His glories shine Some on God’s high glories dwelling, Brightly beaming in His face; Some His First-born greatness telling, Ordering all things in their place.’ “

ADOSS Newsletter – February 2014

publication of hope of the Church, Faith once delivered to the Saints

Not the ruler of the synagogue but a brother - depiction from an icon in a Russian Orthodox Church
Sosthenes

Σωσθένης Ὁἀδελφὸς – Sosthenes the Brother

sosthenes@adoss.co.uk – 

ADOSS Newsletter – February 2014

 

Dear Christian Friends

Another month gone by – another month nearer to the Lord’s return – and we are still here!  Our times are in our Father’s hands.

What to do next

I have finished the summaries of both ‘Faith once Delivered to the Saints’ and the ‘Present Hope of the Church’.  I am now counting on what to do next.  The summaries need to be checked – by me, and at least three others (Offers of help required!), and then I want to move to publication, see below.

But then what?  I would welcome suggestions for the next series of Darby Simplified.  I do not have anything planned at the moment, and am waiting on God for guidance.

 

Publication of Darby Simplified

When the two series have been thoroughly checked I want to move to publication – first electronic, and then hardcopy.  A couple of my dear Christian friends have publishing facilities, and have indicated their willingness to help when the books are ready.

I have already made ‘Present Hope of the Church’ into an eBook, and it can be downloaded in .pdf, Apple (.epub), and Kindle (.mobi) formats.  This is currently a draft and not ready for widespread distribution, so I would like to know who has received it, not least so that I can send him/her the final version when available.

As I have said, any help in going though the summaries with a critical, and spiritual eye would be much appreciated.  Any who wish to help should e-mail me and I will send a ‘parallel version’ in Word format with both the JND original and the summary.

The Sad State of the Church

What a mess the Church is in!  I don’t want to down any sect – not even the Roman Catholics.  Indeed I have been in correspondence with an old colleague of my wife’s, who resigned his vicarship over the question of women priests, became a Catholic.  We had plenty of areas of disagreement – but two things we were in agreement on – the saving grace of our God and the efficacy of the blood of our Lord Jesus.

There are problems everywhere, and the more I think of it, the more we have to be humble about.  This side of the glory there will not be any group who is not affected by wrong judgments, worldliness, legality and the desire of people to promote themselves and their own ideas.

By faith we have to lay hold of the truth of the One Body.  There is no breakdown in the bride of Christ.

Pre-Trib

I am pleased to make contact with many who, like me, acknowledge that the only scriptural outlook is that the church will be raptured, then there will be tribulation on earth, and then the Lord will return to take up His rights in the place where He was rejected.

Of course JND’s writings were very influential in the 1800’s and the effect of them is still recognised.  So, I would be glad if you could tell others with this sure and glorious outlook about ADOSS.  I would be glad to hear from them

May you be blessed, awaiting our Lord’s near return!

Your brother

Sosthenes

PS – Thanks to many prayers my shoulder is progressing well.

 

 

 

The Proverbs, Classified By Subject and Topic

Not really on the ADOSS theme, but we were reading Proverbs at home this morning, and of course they jump about from subject to subject.  The Holy Spirit indited the sequence, but I am not spiritual enough to understand it.

I thought – has anybody classified the Proverbs by subject – and a bit or research led me to

http://fridaysunset.net/Articles/ClassifiedProverbs.pdf

Thanks to Hugh Buchanan for his efforts

Here is the table of Contents

The   Proverbs,   Classified   By   Topic

CONTENTS

Introduction………………………………….………………………………..            3

Adultery…………………………………….……………………………………         5

Adversity…………………………………………………………………………          6

Anger……………………………………………………………………..………          7

Associates,  Friends  and  Neighbors…………………………….………                8

Blessings  and  Curses………………………….……………………………               10

Child  Rearing…………………………………………………………………             11

Contention……………………………………………..……..………………            12

Counsel…………………………………………………………………………          13

Covetousness  and  Envy………………………………………..…………                14

Diligence  and  Sloth…………………………………………………………              14

Eyes………………………………………………………………………..……          16

Faith………………………………………………………………………..……          18

Faithfulness……………………………………………………..……………             18

Fear  of  God……………………………………………………………………            19

Folly.  Fools,  Foolishness………………………………….………………               20

Generosity  and  Greed…………………………………….……….………                 23

Gluttony  and  Drunkenness………………………………………………                  24

God’s  Commands……………………………………………………………             25

God  Hates/Loves……………………………………………………………              26

Happiness………………………………………………………………..……            27

Hatred………………………………………………………………….………            28

Heath…………………………………………………………………..………            28

The  Heart…………………………………………………….………………              29

Honey……………………………………………………………….…………           32

Honor…………………………………………………………….…………….           32

Hope  …………………………………………………………….……….……           33

Humility  and  Pride…………………………………………………………                34

Justice  and  Judgment…………………………………………….………                 35

Knowledge,  Wisdom,  Understanding  and  Instruction…………        36

Mercy……………………………………………………………….……..……          42

The  Mouth…………………………………………………………………….            43

Poverty  and  Prosperity…………………………..……………….………                 47

Promises,  Protection  and  Deliverance………………………………                   51

Relationships  Between  Parents  and  Children……………………                         53

Reproof  and  Correction……………………………………….…………                  54

The  Righteous/The  Evil,  Their  Rewards……………………………                  56

Rulers,  Kings  and  Authority………………………………….…………                  62

Seduction………………………………………………………………….…             64

Strength……………………………………………………………….………            65

Surety……………………………………………………………….…………           66

Truth  and  Falsehood……………………………………..………………                 66

The  Virtuous  Woman…………………….………………………………                68

The  ways  of  Man  and  God………………………………………………                  69

The  Wise  Contrasted  With  the  Foolish………………………………                72

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christ took me in!

You will never enjoy “Christ in you” unless you enioy you “in Christ”. And how did l get into that place? He took me in! He forgave my sins, He gives me help day by day in the exercises that come up,

Satan tempting me at every quarter, but l have a place in Christ, that
nothing, dear brethren, – nothing – can disturb. lt is a settled place of
favour in Christ. Then if l dwell on that the Holy Spirit is here that there
may be an expression of Christ in me. l think that is the great work of
the Holy Spirit, to form Christ in our affections.

From a Bible reading with our brother Bert Taylor, Glasgow, 5 October 2013

Published in ‘A Word in its Season,  January 2014

A Letter on Separation – By John Nelson Darby

I write rather because of the importance of the point than for any immediate occasion of circumstances: I mean leaving an assembly, or setting up, as it is called, another table. I am not so afraid of it as some other brethren, but I must explain my reasons. If such or such a meeting were the church here, leaving it would be severing oneself from the assembly of God. But though wherever two or three are gathered together in Christ’s name, He is in the midst, and the blessing and responsibility, of the church are, in a certain sense also, if any Christians now set up to be the church, or did any formal act which pretended to it, I should leave them as being a false pretension, and denying the very testimony to the state of ruin which God has called us to render. It would have ceased to be the table of the people and testimony of God, at least intelligently. It might be evil pretension or ignorance; it might call for patience, if it was in ignorance, or for remedy, if that was possible: but such a pretension I believe false, and I could not abide in what is false. I think it of the last importance that this pretension of any body should be kept down: I could not own it for a moment, because it is not the truth.

On the other hand, united testimony to the truth is the greatest possible blessing from on high. And I think that if anyone, through the flesh, separated from two or three walking godlily before God in the unity of the whole body of Christ, it would not merely be an act of schism, but he would necessarily deprive himself of the blessing of God’s presence. It resolves itself, like all else, into a question of flesh and Spirit. If the Spirit of God is in and sanctions the body, he who leaves in the flesh deprives himself of the blessing, and sins. If, on the contrary, the Spirit of God does not sanction the body, he who leaves it will get into the power and liberty of the Spirit by following Him. That is the real way to look at it. There may be evil, and yet the Spirit of God sanction the body (not, of course, its then state), or at least act with the body in putting it away. But if the Spirit of God, by any faithful person, moves in this, and the evil is not put away, but persisted in, is the Spirit of God with those who continue in the evil, or with him who will not? Or is the doctrine of the unity of the body to be made a cover for evil? …

Suppose clericalism so strong that the conscience of the body does not act at all, even when appealed to; is a simple saint who has perhaps no influence to set anything right, because of this very evil, therefore to stay with it? What resource has he? I suppose another case. Evil goes on, fleshly pretension, a low state of things on all sides. Some get hold of a particular evil which galls their flesh, and they leave. Do you think that the plea of unity will heal? Never. All are in the wrong. Now this often happens. Now the Lord in these cases is always over all. He chastens what was not of Him by such as separation, and shows the flesh in detail even where, in the main, His name was sought. If the seceders act in the flesh, they will not find blessing. God governs in these things, and will own righteousness where it is, if only in certain points. They would not prosper if [they act in the flesh], but they might remain a shame and sorrow to those they left. If it be merely pride of flesh, it will soon come to nothing.

“There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest” (1 Corinthians 11:19). If occasion has been given in any way, the Lord, because He loves, will not let go until the evil be purged out. If I do not act with Him, He will (and I should thank Him for it) put me down in the matter too. He loves the church, and has all power in heaven and earth, and never lets slip the reins.

I have not broken bread, nor should do it, till the last extremity: and if I did, it would be in the fullest, openest testimony that I did not own the others then to be the table of the Lord at all. I should think worse of them than of sectarian bodies, because having more pretension to light. “Now ye say we see”. But I should not (God forbid!) cease to pray continually, and so much the more earnestly, for them, that they might prosper through the fulness of the grace that is in Christ for them.

Brethren do not Divide

charles-coatesI am indebted to our dear brother Bill in Wheaton Il for drawing my attention to the second of the following extracts from Charles Coates’s Outlines.  If we had more of the spirit of the overcomer in Philadelphia with us, we would, in brotherly love (‘Philadelphia’ means ‘brotherly love’), labour with one another so that we would be of one mind in Christ.

The first passage was one I alighted on myself whilst looking up the second.

1. Division among saints is the fruit of self-will.

Division among saints is the fruit of self-will. If no will is at work, brethren would never divide. If we are really brethren we shall never divide, but there are those among us who do oppose the truth, as we find in 2 Timothy 2:25. If they are not really bad they will be recovered by the servant “in meekness setting right those who oppose”. If there is nothing bad at the bottom of a man’s heart he will be recovered, but if self-will is working he may be allowed to go on and fall over the precipice.

CAC Vol 33 p 57

 2. Brethren do not Divide

The word to the overcomer gives it all a bearing on the individual conscience. We must never allow our personal exercises to diminish even though we might be surrounded by most devoted and spiritual Christians.

Philadelphia is a beautiful name — it suggests a company bound together in brotherly love. If you get a company in accord with Christ because Christ is formed in them, that company must be bound together in love. Brethren do not divide; it is because people are not truly brethren that they divide; there is something else at work rather than divine love. If brethren could not agree about some matter of truth or discipline, they would say, ‘We do not see alike on this matter, but we must see alike, and we will pray until we do see alike’.

Everything for God hangs upon Christ, and if nothing had place with us but His word and His name, we should be wonderfully bound together. If our coming together today has the effect of bringing us in that direction it will be a blessed thing.

CAC Vol 33 p 450

Excerpts From: Charles Coates, “CAC 033 Volume 33 – Miscellaneous Ministry on the New Testament Thessalonians-Revelation.” – Downloadable from goodteaching.org

 

ADOSS Newsletter – January 2014

Σωσθένης Ὁἀδελφὸς
– Sosthenes the Brother

Email: sosthenes@adoss.co.uk 

Not the ruler of the synagogue but a brother - depiction from an icon in a Russian Orthodox Church
Sosthenes

I’d like to thank everybody for the many prayers about my shoulder operation.  It was a major job, performed by one of Britain’s eminent shoulder specialists – but little did he know of the many prayers for the op on 23 November.  That included two fellowship meetings!   I am now progressing well, and should be back to normal in a few weeks.  Meanwhile this gives me more time for ADOSS.

The Church is under Attack!

Satan knows his days are short.  Every true Christian company is under attack.  We read of our brethren suffering for the Lord’s Name in the Middle East, North Korea and elsewhere.  Islam hates true Christianity.  It can work with Christendom – and we will see things moving together.  Not fully – the Lord will have come first.

But there is a more insidious movement.  Paul said “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”  (2 Corinthians 11:3) .  The enemy gets in through wrong doctrine, through the ambitions of an able leader, human organisation, excitement – all well intentioned but not of God – and not guided by the Holy Spirit.  True ministry leads to Christ – that is the test.

The genuinely no-name group of Christians I break bread with (no-name as the PBCC has taken the Plymouth Brethren name – which we should not have accepted anyway) is not immune.  A few brethren, concerned about an issue, act independently, separate from their own and there are some siding with one and some with the other.  It is sad.  We need to pray for one another.

When Paul said “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:13) – who are the ‘we all’?

The Hope of the Church

5 down, 6 to go in my Darby Simplified series.

I have just completed lecture 5 – The Progress of Evil on the Earth and its Judgment.  These are good papers – looking at the Lord’s return, and our outlook in this world racing on to apostasy.  I am reminded of Daniel Otsing’s (who ended up I believe in Siberia)  delightful hymn.

O Lord, with our Ears and Hearts Open,
Awaiting Thy shout would we be,
The summons that calls us to heaven,
Forever to be, Lord, with Thee

With the Lord’s help I will try to finish them in the next few weeks.  Is there any demand for producing them, and the Faith once Delivered series in pamphlet form? I am having interesting correspondence, and there is genuine interest in the truth.  I commit the whole exercise to God.

JND’s Advice for when Things get Difficult amongst Brethren

I am grateful to our brother Ben in Bristol for drawing this letter of JN Darby to my attention.  It was current in 1881; maybe it is current in 2014!

This might be a shorter newsletter than usual.  But it comes with a simple desire that we might be abounding in the work of the Lord.

Your brother

Sosthenes

 

Daniel Otsing – O Lord, with our Ears and Hearts Open

Little flock hymn No 131.

The Lord is coming very soon

new-jerusalem-2sI’ve just seen a video put up by Gregory Miller –  I Don’t Believe That You Don’t Believe In The Pre-Trib Rapture – 

Most Christians are really not waiting for the Lord’s coming – but are not planning for the tribulation either.  Through God’s mercy we will be saved out of that – See the letter to the Church at Smyrna (modern day Izmir)

But His coming is the Hope of the Church – so every Christian should be waiting for it.  Jesus says “I come quickly”  (Revelation 22:20)

I love this hymn, written by a Godly Russian, Daniel Otsing.

 

Daniel Otsing

1. O Lord, with our ears and hearts open,
Awaiting Thy shout would we be,
The summons that calls us to heaven,
Forever to be, Lord, with Thee.
Thy word and Thy Spirit, blest Lover,
The earnest, are giv’n to Thy bride;
Thou’rt near to faith’s vision, O Saviour,
But soon she will be at Thy side.

2. O come then, Lord Jesus, we’re watching!
And take now Thy spouse home to Thee!
Thine absence awakens deep yearning,
The bride her loved Bridegroom to see.
Thou art, O Lord Jesus, still waiting
With love deep, eternal, we know;
Our hearts in response, with love’s burning,
Await Thee with lamps all aglow.

3. The Spirit and bride are united
And now with one voice would say “Come”!
Throughout the long night she has waited
To see Thee, her faithful Bridegroom.
Gross darkness the earth doth now cover,
And night like a pall shrouds the land;
Thy flock is still here, Shepherd Lover,
The sheep Thou hast kept by Thy hand.

4. Midst darkness faith clearly sees beaming
The light of Thy coming afar;
We watch for the dawn of the morning,
And hail Thee, the bright Morning Star.
The word of Thy patience we’re keeping,
Thy radiancy draws us apart –
A beacon us heav’nward attracting –
To meet Thee, the Hope of our heart!

Another verse, not in the Little Flock Hymn Book

How sweet is Thy word, “I come quickly”.
“Amen!” answer Spirit and bride;
Responsive to love, faithful, holy,
That never has once turned aside.
Thy promise is sure; blest Protector,
“Not one shall be lost”, is Thy word;
Of the “men given” Thee by Thy Father,
We praise Thee; we bless Thee O Lord.

Tunes: 449 Willenhall   447 Petrograd   448 Russian Air
B419 Morning Star   R235 Mansewood

Daniel Otsing and his Wife

Daniel Otsing (1850-1937) lived in St Petersburg/Leningrad, Russia, and was in a small brethren meeting there. He was exiled to Kazakhstan where he died in appalling conditions..  The meeting suffered a lot of persecution after the Bolshevik Revolution and many faithful souls were transported to Siberia where they continued to witness to the Love of God.  His niece Alice Mutton was taken to be with the Lord in January 2015.  Some ‘Russian Nuggets’ are being issued by Saville Street Distribution, Walton, Essex.  Contact e.mutton1462@btinternet.com .

June 2020 – Edwin Mutton has written a book ‘We Despaired even of Life’ , a collecton of correspondence with and accounts of visits to brethren in Russia from the Bolshevik Revolution in 1916 to the Stalin purges of the late 1930’s, with further sstories up to the home-going of Daniel Otsing’s daughter-in-law Jenny Otsing in 1975?.  Daniel Otsing was a key figure.  Edwin’s mother, Alice was the daughter of Paul and xx Cooper (originally Kubler).  Xx was sister to  yy, Daniel Otsing’s wife.    The book is available from Saville Street Distribution (above) or from Bibles Etc, Wheaton IL, wsc@bibles-etc.com

JND’s Advice for when Things get Difficult amongst Brethren

Considerations for brethren when difficulties arise.

I am grateful to our brother Ben for drawing this letter of JN Darby to my attention.  It was current in 1881; maybe it is current in 2014!

    • The first fruit from this bad root is, that brethren are occupied with themselves to the exclusion of other Christians who are equally members of the body of Christ: they think of themselves more than of the Lord. They do all they can to keep the gathering together, losing sight more or less of the great truths which have acted upon hearts individually”

 

    • We must have patience, and help each other: a lack of patience has caused some to act too quickly, and though they acted with the best possible intentions, of separating themselves from evil, the result has been unsatisfactory. We are quick at seizing the reins when we see danger ahead; but the Lord knows better than we do what has to be done: in due season He will deliver all who look to Him. But this must be real not trying to escape the test, or to delay the time of action when the evil is clearly manifest. Another valuable lesson the Lord would teach us is, I think, to occupy ourselves more before Him with the state of individual consciences. It is easy to neglect pastoral work. One is inclined to act by means of outward pressure, instead of waiting for the inward action of the Spirit, who would lead the assembly by the healthy and spontaneous action of all who form part of it. This ought always to be the aim, but alas! very often it is not possible on account of a corrupt influence which has been already too active, and for too long a time, so that morally, many have become incapable of a spiritual judgment; thus division is inevitable when the test comes to the door. But in any case we ought to wait until God sends the test. A man cannot be hung because he intends to kill me. We must wait until the act is accomplished before taking action, doing all we can, at the same time, to raise the spiritual standard by a healthy ministry of the word, as the Lord in His grace may give us. Then when the test does arrive, some, at least, will be able to act according to God.

 

  • The present struggle is between intelligence and the Spirit. It is a subtle thing which exercises the heart to its depths — must I be guided by my intelligence according to the things that I know, or must I walk in dependence on the Lord. Some pretend to be an expression of the assembly of God when their acts prove that they have no sense of the Lord’s presence in their midst. To admit their pretension, would evidently be to deny the presence and action of the Spirit of God, for such walk by human intelligence, and override conscience

JND Letters (Vol 3 p 201 – 26/11/1881) – Originally in French – Downloadable here

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