By Michael E. Brooks

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Romans 12:3

Not many of us are gifted as headline stars. That is not surprising, considering how few "first chairs" exist in this world. In an orchestra, the top billing is given to the first chair of each instrument. This is the best player of that instrument in the group. But there can by definition be only one per orchestra, and there are not that many orchestras in this world. So too, Biblical history records very few Davids or Peters or Pauls. Those few were wonderful, and God accomplished much through them, but God is not dependent upon a star for His work to be done.

Far more common in history, both secular and sacred, have been the "back-up musicians." They provide the support needed for the star to shine. They supply the harmony that fills in the sound and helps the lead musician's part be even more beautiful.

In non-musical terms, these are the people who make the arrangements, do the busy work, and enable the vast details of everyday ministry to be accomplished. The Bible is full of such figures, from Aaron and Hur "holding up Moses' hands" (Exodus 17:12), to the "other members" of Paul's missionary teams.

One such figure was Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe and assistant. Jeremiah spent much of his life under house arrest, with greatly restricted movement. Baruch not only wrote down Jeremiah's prophecies, he also went into the city and read them to the people.

"Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord's house" (Jeremiah 36:8).

The second Major Prophet of the Old Testament is called "Jeremiah," not "Baruch." It was Jeremiah who was inspired and called to be a prophet. It was Jeremiah who spoke God's word and who ministered to God's people. But without Baruch, how much would the people have heard? Without Baruch (or someone like him) would we have Jeremiah's words today? His role may have been secondary to Jeremiah's, but it was certainly not unimportant.

My work emphasizes the importance of assistants. I plan campaigns months in advance, into areas thousands of miles away. I cannot attend to the many small details needed to make the work come together successfully. But there are many local brothers and sisters who make those arrangements. Their names don't go up on the banners as the speaker, but their contribution is at least as significant as mine. None of us can serve alone. We all need the help of others. One of my favorite statements about the church is,

... the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:16).

There are many diverse parts to a body, with each having a particular role to play. The body is most healthy and effective when every part does what it is designed to do. So it is with the Church.

There are many Baruchs today in the world and in the Church. Secretary, executive assistant, intern, apprentice, and many other titles are simply other ways to spell "helper."

The vast majority of us are helpers, not soloists. And that is just fine. I am no musician, but one instrument I can certainly learn to play is "second fiddle." Baruch is a good model from which to learn. Put simply, to play that instrument one simply: (1) does as he is commanded and (2) remains faithful to his appointed role.

God gives us our instructions. Ours is simply to obey his word. God assigned to Jeremiah the role of inspired prophet, and to Baruch that of scribe and reader. Each used the gift (ministry) God had given effectively.

May we be as faithful in using our gifts as these Old Testament characters were in using theirs.

by Tim Hall

"You'll never find that color of paint," said Laurie. "This house must be eighty years old, and I just don't see that color anymore." "I wouldn't think so, either," said Bob, "but I saw an ad on TV about a paint store. They said they could match any color you bring to them."

Color matching is not a new phenomenon. Peter spoke of the idea in 1 Peter 1:6: "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials" (New King James Version). "Various" is from the Greek word poikilos, a word which can also mean "multicolored".

It's an interesting way of describing the different trials we face. Some people suffer due to ill health; others because of poverty, family strife or natural catastrophe. Your trials are navy blue; mine are mint green. No two people suffer in exactly the same way.

Such an observation leads to a quandary, though: "Can God help me with my problems?" There's no doubt He can help others. We've read and heard many accounts of how God has provided the answers others have needed. But what about mine? If my troubles are unique, will He be able to give me aid?

That question is answered in 1 Peter 4:10: "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." The word "manifold" is also translated from poikilos; it's the only other time Peter used that word.

This time, however, it does not refer to the problems people face, but to the grace God is able to provide. The same word is used by the apostle to speak of human trials and divine assistance. It's a perfect match!

Can we really count on God to send us such divine aid? Paul answers with an unequivocal "Yes". In 1 Corinthians 10:13, he wrote about temptations, another form of trials:

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

"God is faithful" -- what a wonderful fact to know! It means that He won't overlook us. When we bring our trials to Him, He will provide the grace to match our unique situation.

The paint store was as good as advertised. When Bob brought in his sample, they were able to mix a color that was virtually identical. Hundreds of thousands of Christians can attest to the truthfulness of God's advertisements, too. Every trial laid before Him is matched perfectly by grace that can only come from above. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

I bring my grief to Thee, the grief I cannot tell. No word shall needed be, Thou knowest all so well. I bring the sorrow laid on me, O suff'ring Savior, all to Thee, O suff'ring Savior, all to Thee.

--Frances R. Havergal, 1870

by Mike Benson

Maybe you've heard about the family that became fed up with life in the big city, so they decided to move to the country and try their hand at living in the wide open spaces. Intending to raise beef cattle, the family purchased a large, western ranch.

About a month later, some friends came to visit and inquired as to what they had named the new ranch. The husband said, "Well, I was partial to the Flying W. My wife wanted to call it the Suzy-Q. One of our sons liked the Bar-J, and the other insisted on the Lazy-Y. So we COMPROMISED and now we call it the Flying W, Suzy-Q, Bar-J, Lazy-Y ranch." When one of the friends asked, "Where are all of your cattle?" the man replied, "Uh...we don't have any...none of them survived the branding!"

Dear friend, some things should never be compromised. That's especially true when it comes to our morals. The Bible says,

      "Teaching us that denying ungodliness and
      wordly lusts, we should live soberly, righteous-
      ly, and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:12).

Think about it.

by Mitchell Skelton 1 Corinthians 11:17–34

Priscilla Larson, of Lexington, Mass., tells of the time her brother-in-law (a preacher) had been away from home one afternoon donating his blood at the Red Cross. The preacher's son was concerned when his father didn't come home at his usual time, so he asked his mother, "Is dad going around visiting all the sick people?" His mother replied, "No honey, he's giving blood." He paused in deep thought for a moment and then as his eyes lit up he exclaimed, "But we know it's really grape juice, don't we, mom?"/1

At a tender age, this little boy knew what many of us, far advanced in years, should know: the cup of communion represents the blood of Jesus. The very mention of blood reminded him of the Lord's Supper.

In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul seeks to correct some serious problems the Christians at Corinth had with the practice of the Lord's Supper. Paul reminds them of Jesus' institution of this sacred emblem and instructs them concerning: (1) It's Practice; (2) It's Purpose; and (3) It's Perpetuity.

The Practice of the Memorial Supper

The Lord's Supper was meant to be partaken by the assembled church. Paul's language in 1 Corinthians leaves no doubt that the memorial supper was to be eaten when the church "comes together." By implication, we know that Paul is speaking of the God-ordained assembly of the church on the first day of the week. Scripture states that the Lord's Supper was taken on the first day of the week. "On the first day of the week we came together to break bread" (Acts 20:7a).

Christ gave the implements of the Lord's Supper. In all four gospel accounts, we can read of the inception of this meal by the Lord himself. The three elements to be used in this memorial meal are shown to us by Christ's example: unleavened bread, fruit of the vine, and prayer. (Matt. 26:26–30)

The Purpose of the Memorial Supper

The Lord's Supper is a memorial of Christ's death. Most people understand that, as we eat the bread, which represents Christ's body, and as we drink the fruit of the vine, which represents his blood, we remember those moments on the cross where he gave his all for us. However, the significance of the meal goes much further in its meaning.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup (1 Cor. 11:23–28).

The Lord's Supper looks forward to Christ's second coming. This is evident by the command to partake of it "until he comes." The Lord's Supper is evangelistic in nature. When we partake of the supper, Paul says, "You proclaim the Lord's death." Each time we eat the Lord's Supper we show to those around that we care that Christ cared. The Lord's Supper is a cause for self-examination. The serious nature of the individual's state of mind when he eats the memorial meal is seen by Paul's statement against eating "in an unworthy manner." Participation in the memorial meal should help us to take a personal inventory of our faith.

The Perpetuity of the Memorial Supper

Christ intended for His memorial to be observed "until he comes" (1 Cor. 11:26; Matt. 26:29). Scripture implies that the Lord's Supper was to be observed on the first day of every week. In each incident of Christians meeting on the first day of the week in the New Testament we also see a reference to "breaking bread" or the Lord's Supper. Early church and secular history show that Christians came together on Sunday for the purpose of worship with the central element of their worship being the Lord's Supper.

The Lord's Supper is a God-ordained part of our worship to him. Jesus Christ gave us the practice we follow. The purpose is to remember Christ and proclaim his death. Christ intended for us to keep it in perpetuity or "until he comes."

Most people would not dare to ridicule Christ by changing its practice nor would they substitute its purpose for any other reason than that which Christ intended; neither should we fail in observing the supper as Christ intended.

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1/Illustration taken from Jeff Strite at SermonCentral.com

by Barry Newton

Perhaps you will remember several years ago a lot of talk about "junk DNA." At that time it was common to hear that a large part of human DNA was simply worthless genetic material which had been accumulated over a long evolutionary process.

When scientists first analyzed DNA, they discovered it was composed of both protein coding sequences (genes) and non-protein coding sequences (introns). The long non-protein coding information sequences called introns exist both between genes and within genes.

As far as scientists knew, only the genes were of any value. Since genes make up about only 2% of our DNA, what this meant for human DNA was that 98% of our DNA was considered to be junk.

Because introns did not produce proteins, they "'were immediately assumed to be evolutionary junk.' That assumption was too hasty. 'Increasingly we are realizing that there is a large collection of "genes" that are clearly functional even though they do not code any protein' but produce only RNA."/1

In the words of an article in November's issue of Scientific American, "'What was damned as junk because it was not understood may, in fact, turn out to be the very basis of human complexity.' ... there is good reason to suspect that is true."/2 The article also admits, "The failure to recognize the importance of introns 'may well go down as one of the biggest mistakes in the history of molecular biology.'"/3

Why have scientists overlooked the non-protein coding information sequences? "For decades, pseudogenes have been written off as molecular fossils, the remains of genes that were broken by mutation and abandoned by evolution."/4 The article goes on to point out that in mice one of these pseudogenes "controls the expression of the 'real' gene ... even though the two lie on different chromosomes. There is nothing pseudo about that."/5

For those of us who know that life is the creative handiwork of God, this recent discovery is not surprising. It is exactly what we would expect to be true.

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1/W. Wayt Gibbs, "The Unseen Genome," Scientific American (November 2003): 49. 2/Ibid. p. 53. 3/Ibid. p. 50 4/Ibid. p. 50 5/Ibid. p.50

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