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TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE

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TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE

10 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

(No. 5)

April 19, 1949

2 East 20th St.,

Paterson 3, N. J.

My Dear Friends:

Another Easter has passed away, and, may we ask, what benefit have you received for your soul, young friends ? Have you received an undeserved blessing? It certainly would be a great blessing, if you were indeed favored with such an experience, that you might be enabled to say: during the Easter season of 1949, I have been brought to understand something of the blessing which the disciples received of which we read in John 20:20: “Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.” Yes, those same disciples were assembled behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. They were much perplexed, for they found not the body of the Lord Jesus. See how much they loved Him, they had bid farewell to everything for Jesus, but alas! now he is dead. . . . That was a bitter disappointment for those disciples because they did not only have a natural love toward Him, which is a fruit of the common grace, but they also had seen by faith that He was the promised Messiah, who was to come. But alas, things have turned out so different from what they had expected. This was because they still thought too much about their earthly anticipations. They did not want to submit to the suffering and death of Jesus.

That, my friends, is the experience when true saving grace is wrought in the soul. The Lord indeed must bring the truly regenerated person into a proper knowledge of the mediatorial work of the Lord Jesus. However, there was yet another thing that sorely grieved the disciples, as they were gathered behind locked doors! It was the malice of the enemies; they had gained the victory; Jesus is dead, oh the fear for the Jews was so great. Do you know anything about that dreadful fear for the Jews? Oh, how fearful it may then be, the doors bolted shut, also during the Easter season. Oh, my poor dejected and oppressed reader, who may be living in such solitude, oh how dark and dismal it is at times, everything lost, no relief in sight; however, the jubilant Christians exult and rejoice in these days, while you can find no deliverance, and are filled with such fear, and bitter opposition within, the doors being shut. And now that great wonder, they had no faith in exercise, still the Lord did not forsake them. Do you know what was so wonderful? Amidst all their sighs and groanings they were nevertheless assembled together. Oh those people that are tossed with tempest and not comforted certainly seek the company of each other. Oh, my young people, ever esteem the people of God. But was it right that the doors were shut? We certainly do not have to strive for unbelief, for, the people of God are no strangers to it. Notwithstanding, the women, the two travellers to Emmaus, and Peter, had indeed seen Jesus, like we read of in the Gospel of Luke about the appearance of Jesus to the women. Nevertheless those disciples who were assembled behind closed doors, did not believe the report. Truly, doubt and unbelief were so great in them that they could not believe the women. The true Church of God is certainly in perplexity and sore distress sometimes when shut up behind closed doors.

What then was the reason, that they could not believe that message from those women, which were also children of God? It had to become a personal matter with them, they could not understand it of themselves, it is indeed a work of God that in the glorious resurrection they were also favored to experience the exceeding blessedness of real personal faith. The poet of Psalm 35, also -possessed a knowledge of those riches, “say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.”

Nevertheless, they had to declare their testimony of that great matter. The people of God sing by turn, for rest assured, that neither those women nor Peter could remain silent, but they had to tell of the glorious appearance of Jesus unto them, then the soul has to speak of the riches of that grace, and then for a moment they may also adopt the cry of the two travelers to Emmaus, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.”

Yet, notwithstanding the fact, that they lived in fellowship with those who had actually experienced that blessing, it was nevertheless a great want to them, there was something which they did still lack for themselves. Oh, it was that personal knowledge and experience! “O Lord, say unto my soul,” reader, is that also your experience? Oh that you may indeed obtain a knowledge thereof in the days of your youth. May there indeed be found in America, young people, who do also sigh and groan after such a personal knowledge, convinced of having lost everything and truly humbled before God at the bar of justice, as a lost, ruined and condemned sinner, as guilty in His holy sight. And, if you may know something of that life of grace in your soul, even as those disciples did, oh how great can the fear of the Jews then be at times. So great that time and again you will have to exclaim, it will avail me nothing! Friend, did you perhaps steal it? Now then, it is just those kind of people who do so complain, that seek each other. It may even be in places where there is no .truth, assembled together as forlorn and forsaken and shut up behind closed doors. Then too, the one may rejoice through the grace of God while another is mourning and in tears, crying, oh! I thought that I really possessed something since I have become a sinner before God, but alas everything is now cut off. Behold the disciples assembled on the day that Christ arose, they cannot remain silent, they now have to open their heart. Can you remain silent under all your grief and sorrow of heart ? But now that wonder, Jesus came and stood in their midst, oh, what a wonder! we now say, what a wonder!

All doubt, fear, and unbelief are now vanished away, they certainly must have been filled with joy and gladness immediately! But consider well, my young friends, it was not so. It is true that in these days men cry out, you must believe, you must accept Jesus as your Saviour. However, that is not the experience of God’s people, neither is it founded upon the Word of God, it is a false doctrine friends, beware that you do not drift into such errors, young people, and be careful

that you do not forsake the Truth for the creature. God will certainly visit man for such a despising or forsaking of the Truth. Young people abide by the Truth and search it diligently and sincerely. Be assured that .this is. the true and actual experience of all God’s people and also of the disciples, namely, that true faith from the very beginning, as well as when the soul advances from step to step in the grace and exercise of faith, is indeed the gift of God. Have you ever considered what the disciples thought? They thought or supposed that they had seen a spirit.

But, let us now consider the love of Jesus. He proved that He was not a spirit, for He said: “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” Well, one would think, now they will certainly believe it, now it was indeed manifest that it was Jesus, their risen Lord and Master. However, we read in God’s Word, that they could not yet believe it, for joy. It was too great a wonder for them.

There is indeed a certain enlightened people upon this earth who are no strangers of such exercises of soul. In their very soul they certainly do groan under the question: oh, is it indeed possible for such a one as I am to receive or experience a gracious revelation of Christ to my soul? Ah, it is too wonderful for such souls; truly, for such a sinner as I am? for such a doubting, unbelieving soul as I? oh, that wonder is really too great! Yes, but the Lord Jesus will certainly depart from them, if they still do not believe it! Nay, beloved, He will not depart. But consider again the one sided or single love of Jesus: “He said unto them, Have ye any meat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And He took it, and did eat before them,” proving in all this, that He was the very same person with whom they had dwelt before. Behold! from that moment things changed, from then on it was an actual truth’ and reality unto them: “Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.” Now they no longer see Him as a spirit, but they now see Him to be the Promised Messiah, Jesus, the Saviour. Oh what a joy and gladness that is. May you be favored with the exercises thereof in your’ very hearts young friends. This is my sincere desire for you. While we are writing, we would desire to continue, especially about that glorious revelation to the soul how that the Lord opens the door of the heart of God’s people in a spiritual manner. What do we effect by our unbelief? We thereby close the doors, yea bolt them! But behold the wonders of Grace, the Lord Jesus cames to open them. He comes into the midst of that fearful, doubting, and struggling people, yea, into their very heart, and He says in such endearing words “Peace be unto you.” Dear friends, Jesus still liveth!

We were privileged to testify thereof in our Easter services, and it was a wonder to us to see so many young people in our midst. Which reminds me of a young man (_______) whom we had asked whether he had received an Easter blessing. . He answered, before I can enjoy an Easter blessing, I will certainly have to know of a Good Friday blessing in my soul. Reader, do you understand that? Ponder over it my young friends. Jesus is the Prince of Peace for His people. He has accomplished all that the Father had commanded Him to fulfill for a condemned people.

It is now time to close. Thanks for the letters received. May the Lord grant that we may be enabled to remember each other in prayer, which will indeed be a great blessing. But the greatest of all blessings will be if the Lord might remember us in grace.

Sincerely yours,

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