These two parables are meant to teach us, that men really convinced of the importance of salvation, will give up everything to win Christ, and eternal life. What was the conduct of the two men our Lord describes? The one was persuaded that there was a "treasure hidden in the field," which would amply repay him, if he bought the field, however great the price that he might give. The other was persuaded that the "pearl" he had found was so immensely valuable, that it would compensate him to purchase it at any cost. Both were convinced that they had found a thing of great value. Both were satisfied that it was worth a great present sacrifice to make this thing their own. Others might wonder at them. Others might think them foolish for paying such a sum of money for the field and pearl. But they knew what they were about. They were sure that they were making a good bargain. Behold in this single picture, the conduct of a true Christian explained! He is w...
Matthew 13 The Great Separation Why would God allow this sowing of tares among the wheat to happen to the kingdom between Christ's first coming and His second coming? Why does God permit the "mystery of lawlessness" to work its way through the church (2 Thes. 2:7)? Like the dutiful workers in the master's field (Matt. 13:28), we're understandably anxious to jerk out every one of the evildoers, confront every devious act, and put a stop to every attempt to thwart and harass the work of God. Yet the parables seem to suggest that such a spread of wickedness and deceit among the people of God is inevitable. When Jesus finally got out of the boat, made His way through the crowd, and returned to the house in Capernaum where He was staying, His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field" (13:36). Notice that they didn't ask about the mustard seed or the leaven. They were troubled by the fact that God...
Sam Tamata wrote Hunt was a remarkable man. He was formerly a plough-boy in Lincolnshire. He had not trained as a linguist (unlike Aberdonian David Cargill), yet he quickly learned the Bauan dialect (which later became the standard for written Fijian). By the time of his early death, aged 36 years in 1848, he had translated the whole New Testament into Fijian and had begun translating the Old Testament. In 1845 an important breakthrough occurred. A formerly bloodthirsty and treacherous man named Varani became a Christian. He was nephew of the high chief of Viwa and comrade-in-arms of the feared Cakobau. It happened like this. Hunt was reading aloud one day the account of the crucifixion of Jesus from the newly translated Gospel of Matthew. He noted that Varani was visibly stirred. He then taught Varani to read the Bible for himself. Soon Varani began to follow Hunt's example of going into the bush to pray alone. Important convert Varani told his friend Cakobau that he was going to ...
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