“Apples of Gold”

By Almon Bartholomew

 A word fitly spoken is like apples of Gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11).

 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14).

Words, words, words! Where do they all come from? There is an ocean of words in the English language. The Webster’s Third New International Dictionary has a vocabulary of more than 450,000 words. An average person uses 12,000-20,000 words in his vocabulary. A university graduate may use 20,000-25,000- Shakespeare used approximately 30,000 words in his writings and his vocabulary is estimated to have been 60,000 words. I wouldn’t want to have played scrabble with him!

One of our acquaintances was a very fast talker. She would speak 200 words per minute with gusts to 250! She was a little like the woman who wanted to get a divorce. In court the judge asked why she wanted to get a divorce. She said “Your honor, my husband hasn’t spoken to me in four years”. Judge to the man: “Is it true that you haven’t spoken to your wife in four years? He replied “Yes your honor”. Judge to the man: “Why did you not speak to her for four years”? He replied “I didn’t want to interrupt her”.

Words are powerful things. They can heal, they can hurt. They can bless, they can blight. They can lift, they can put down. They can motivate, they can devastate. They may clarify, they may confuse. It has been said, “Talk may be cheap, but you can’t buy it back”.

Out of all the torrent of words in our vocabulary, the writer of the Proverbs urges one to be very selective in his use of words. We are encouraged to use our tongues to speak words aptly chosen, and applicable to the particular circumstance thus giving them a gold like quality.

Most of us have, or had, valued treasures on display in our homes. To us, these were priceless. Silver frames hold golden gems that are not for sale at any price. Such are these special, fitting words. They are characterized by the message they convey, what is said, how it is said, and when it is said. Let us look at some of these treasured verbal messages.

High on that list are words of kindness we can speak. In Proverbs chapter 31:26, the honored woman is said to have spoken wisdom with her mouth and the law of kindness was on her tongue. In a desperately cruel world there is a need to speak, and show, kindness. We are admonished in Ephesians 4:32 to be kind, one to another. Kindness costs nothing, but it pays great dividends. Many people are caustic and sarcastic in their remarks, inflicting pain on others. Let us not be part of that crowd, but rather spread the healing quality of kindness shown to everyone. This a virtue you can practice every day right beginning in your dwelling place.

Guidance is essential in the midst of confusion. These words are also a treasure. Joseph gave wise counsel to the Pharaoh in Egypt when he faced a pending famine. This word, fitly spoken, has spared our nation and its surrounding neighbors. This world needs wise counsel. We certainly are not finding it in today’s government.

I have been thankful for wise counsel given to us in critical decision times in our life. There are a few very special people, blessed with divinely inspired wisdom that provide direction, sometimes advising us to go forward, sometimes to stand still, and, sometimes to take a different track. It is needful for us to pray, each one of us, even in our senior years, for God to impart to us wisdom so that we may be able to pursue the right path and influence others to do the same. Thank God for trusted counselors who still share gems of wisdom. Such people have helped us through the years.

Forgiveness is a great word. At times it is important for us to ask forgiveness and just as important to grant forgiveness. Many people carry a burden of guilt for wrongs they may, or may not have committed. When you grant unconditional forgiveness to a person who has harmed you in some way you free two people, the wrongdoer and yourself. God has forgiven us and we should forgive one another. In fact, this principle is embedded in the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us”. In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus said “If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses”. Grudges held, hard feelings harbored, and an unforgiving heart, if these are found in us they will bankrupt us spiritually. We can’t afford such loss. Forgiveness is a precious golden apple in this setting.

Comfort joins the parade of valued words. The broken hearted of this world, the persons pained by the passing of a loved one, those who are devastated by loss of home, or loss of friendships, all of these, and more, need a word of genuine comfort. ! Corinthians 1:3-4 speaks clearly in this exhortation: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we are comforted by God”. Many of us here have lost the nearest and dearest. God visited us in those dark hours. He also sends to us those special people who bring us comfort, sometimes with words, sometimes just by silently standing by.

It can be a timely phone call. It can be a time of listening. It can be a card of greeting with a verse that will bring comfort. It can be a brief, but helpful visit. For those who have the freedom to do so, it can be a pot of homemade chicken soup. Whatever the venue may be, let us give an apple of gold to someone this week by extending to them God given comfort.

Hope is another golden apple. The Apostle Paul was a prisoner on board a ship which had set sail for Rome, the capital of the empire. Just south of the island of Malta an ultra severe storm battered their ship. The tempest continued for fourteen days. By all appearance a desperate tragedy was imminent. The scripture in Acts 27:20 reads “All hope that we should be saved would was taken away”.

But, one man, Paul, was visited by the angel of the Lord. While standing on the convulsing deck of a sinking ship he received a message that, in spite of the circumstances, and the loss of the ship and its cargo, every person on board would be saved. When he told the crew, the soldiers and the prisoners this promise of help and urged them to good cheer. They thought Paul was hallucinating. However, they were saved, no loss of life occurred as they were cast up on the island. Although the candle of hope had blown out, it was ignited once again. Hope was the golden apple in that bushel!

While strolling through the orchard of trees that yield apples of gold we find the tree which bears words of faith. We are told in Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”. When we read God’s word our faith is built up and we become stronger. As we assimilate these words into the fabric of our lives we can share this word with others and we will help them build up their faith. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews gives us an orchard full of golden apples; a litany of accomplishments achieved by faith. Why not share one of these golden apples a day and offer one of them to a friend?

Perhaps the golden apple that provides the most enduring health to the soul is love. The characteristics of this love are outlined in 1 Corinthians 13. Among the soul helping vitamins is patience, kindness, humility, good behavior, unselfishness, positive thinking, truthfulness, forbearance and endurance. This one a day vitamin will enhance our spiritual vitality and enable us to share it with others. The first Epistle of John tells us that God is love and that those who are possessed of that love know God. “Oh, Lord, please let me devour this precious fruit today and share some with my neighbors”.

Take a look at the golden apples harvested in this message; kindness, guidance, wisdom, forgiveness, comfort, hope, faith and love. What an orchard!!! These, words found in scripture, are worthy of meditation. As we utter them we discover them to be acceptable in God’s sight. In closing, Galatians 5:22-23 gives us an inventory of the Holy Spirit’s fruit made abundantly available to us. Here they are; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Take home a barrel full of these apples of gold, and have plenty to share with somebody else. As the old folks used to say when I was a kid;

“HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?” !!!!

Al & Joyce Bartholomew

Al Bartholomew spent many years as a pastor, and later nurtured other pastors and workers.

 

(Part One)

By Almon Bartholomew

“For I say, through the grace of God given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3, KJV.

“For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9, NKJV

Also Read: Hebrews 11:1-6; 32-40 And Jude 20-21.

At what price would you sell out your faith? Of what value is it to you? These are the questions for which we seek answers. What price FAITH? Some have valued it lightly. Others have literally died for their faith, not willing to make a bad bargain.

Years ago I ran across what I believe is a profound statement. “Faith is the currency of Heaven”. It is the medium of exchange. Even though the dollar is shrinking, it is still the medium of exchange for goods and services here in America. Those goods and services may be found in the yellow pages, but they are purchased with the green stuff! Heaven has no shortage of the things we most need. In exchange for our faith they are made abundantly available to us. Jesus advised us in Matthew 6:33 to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” and then all of these things on our “needs list”, not our “wish list”, would be provided for. Faith is the currency, the medium of exchange, by which we obtain these heavenly and earthly commodities.

But, we say, “We don’t have any faith”. The Bible says we do. According one of the verses in our text God has given every person a measure of faith. When we say we have no faith it is probably because we have buried it somewhere. It has not risen to the surface above all the” stuff” under which it is hidden. You see, what we don’t use, we lose. For lack of usage and personal reliance upon faith which comes from God, as a gift, it becomes dormant in the depth of our being. Get it out today. Retrieve it. Brush off the dust and decay. Begin to put it to work. We must stop denying its reality.

I am sure there is a deep desire in each of us gathered here today to please God. I am positive that no one wishes to displease him. That would have some dreadful consequences. How, then shall we, can we, please him?

Hebrews chapter one gives a definition of faith and then makes a declarative statement as to the proven benefit of its exercise. Faith is herein described as the substance which provides hope and the evidence of the reality of the unseen. Hope from a worldly source becomes a Russian roulette approach to life. It is a flimsy hope which has no substance upon which to stand. Our faith is in the power and reality of the unseen God. Faith, as a gift from God, provides for us the evidence of his presence, his nearness, his power, his unfailing love and His care for each of us. It is all the evidence we need.

Without that faith, we can not and will not please God. We must affirm that he is, that he exists. When we pray and seek him he will reward us as we diligently and determinedly search him out. He is there and He is here, above, among, and around us. His presence has come to indwell us, to live in our hearts. The song written by Ray price says it so well, “How big is God, how great and wide his vast domain, to try to tell my lips can only start. He’s big enough to fill his mighty universe, yet small enough to live within my heart.”

The Apostle Jude admonishes believers to “build up ourselves in this most holy faith”. We are enabled to do this by praying in the power generated by the Holy Spirit. So, we rely upon the Holy Spirit to help us to pray according the will of God in each matter of need and concern which may confront us. We are further encouraged by Jude to “keep ourselves in the love of God”, move by that divine impulse. It opens the door of mercy which leads to eternal life.

Now, for those of us who think that life is tough. In this 11th chapter of Hebrews we are given examples, one after the other, of God enabled achievements by individuals whose faith set a high bench mark for we who follow. After the recital of these great feats of faith, there is a grouping of people whose victories have been recorded which were all made possible by faith. Faith has been the common denominator, and the prominent factor as they encountered a legion insurmountable odds. Walk with me as together we march through Hebrews 11:32-38:

1. Through their faith they subdued kingdoms

2. Through faith they performed righteous works.

3. Through faith they saw God’s promises fulfilled.

4. Through faith they shut the jaws of lions.

5. Through faith they quenched the flames of fire.

6. Through faith they escaped the edge of the sword.

7. Through faith, they shed weakness & found strength.

8. Through faith they became valiant heroes in battle.

9. By faith they turned back alien armies.

10. By faith, women received their dead back to life.

11. By faith they endured torture.

12. By faith they endured scourging, mocking, prison.

13. By faith they endured stoning.

14. By faith they suffered bodily dismemberment.

15. By faith they fought against temptation.

16. By faith they endured destitution, affliction and tormenting.

17. By faith they dwelt in mountains, dens, caves and deserts.

18. By faith they kept a good testimony.

And we think we have problems. The truth is, we by comparison, have it pretty easy. This is not so in many parts of the world. In many places our Christian brothers and sisters are horribly persecuted for their faith. They are ostracized, jobless, beaten, jailed, and even put to death. Asian, Arabic and African countries have dealt fierce punishment to Christian believers. Europe has becoming increasingly unfriendly to the faith. And we face more threats in our country than we may realize.

A secularized, liberal society is trying to eliminate God from every public arena. They have done it in our schools. They have commanded our military chaplains to not pray in the name of Jesus. The ACLU seeks to strip “In God We Trust” from our currency and the Ten Commandments from our courthouses. Christians are more and more the subject of public humiliation. Yet we are reminded in Scripture we “have not yet resisted unto blood” Hebrews 12:4. We are getting a wake up call. Our faith and testimony is, and it will be tested more and more. We must not be the star actor in a self destructive, personal pity party. Let us rise up to the occasion which is before us in the eternal conflict between good and evil. “This is the victory which overcomes the world, even your faith,” I John 5:4.

Back to the beginning of this message; “What price FAITH? If you had a rare, original Rembrandt painting worth $10,000,000.00 you would do everything to protect and preserve this rare art treasure. We need no less diligence in preserving and protecting what the scriptures define as “precious faith”. This faith is precious and must be kept, must be exercised, must be practiced. It is absolutely irreplaceable!

Let us take up the challenge of Revelation 2:10, “Be thou faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.”

“YOUR FAITH; YOUR TREASURE”

PART TWO

By Almon Bartholomew

We begin today by reaching back to part one, and the question, “What price Faith”? Some have considered it to be of little or no value. Others have given their lives for it.

Our Bible has much to say about this faith. On, at least, 33 occasions the New Testament refers to faith as “the faith”. By repeated emphasis, it has specific qualities. It is personal as reflected in many references such as “thy” faith, “his” faith, “their” faith, “her” faith, “our” faith. It justifies, it sanctifies and it enlightens. It saves, obtains promises, stabilizes when the going gets tough and gains Heaven’s favor. “It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”. It is described scripturally as most holy, precious, unfeigned, bold, common, effectual (effective), and as a gift from God. It proudly stands among the righteous trio of virtues, “now abides faith, hope. love, these three”.

Let there be no doubt about it, faith has a high intrinsic value supported by a solid body of truth which can, and does, translate into real life circumstances. It is the faith to which the apostles confirmed the early church. It is the faith the reformers brought the church back to. It is the faith which fired the age of revivalism. It is the faith the circles the globe through the message of countless missionaries. It is the faith resident in the heart of God fearing people, which gives passion to our message of hope in Christ and burns in the hearts Christian believers around the world and right here in us, right now.

Having identified that faith, how do we establish its worth? What gives it value? If we consider it to be priceless, what is the standard of measurement by which we make such an evaluation? Let us take a practical (empirical) approach.

The worth of a product or service is determined by a fivefold standard of measurement:

1. It’s rarity. Is it obtained from a single source or is it something found among many inventories?

2. What is the cost attached to providing the product or service; the cost of acquisition?

3. Does its performance match its promise?

4. It’s durability, its longevity. Is it designed for early obsolescence, or is it long term in nature?

5. What affect would the removal of such product or service have upon their users? Is it indispensable or can a suitable substitute be provided?

Let us look at the first criterion. How rare, and from what source is the product or service available? Our faith, our salvation, the gospel we preach comes from one supplier. God himself is the sole provider of Salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 declares “For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast”. Salvation comes from an exclusive source, God Almighty! Isaiah, the prophet, delivers God’s undiluted message:

“I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me”. (Isaiah 45:5)

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song: he also is become my salvation,” Isaiah 12:2.

The prophet Jonah adds “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving: I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord,” Jonah 2:9.

Secondly, a product or service has worth because of the cost of acquisition. It cost heaven a dear price to provide for our salvation. God did not take the cheap way out. When the Lord made available a “Pearl of great price”, He picked up the tab. Philippians chapter two reveals the price Jesus paid for our faith. Starting out with equality with God the Father, our Lord left heaven, descended to earth, became a man, and humbled himself. He died at cruel hands. His final suffering came by hanging on a cross between two thieves, and He was buried in a borrowed tomb.

“Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow”. If value is determined by the price paid to obtain it, then our faith, our salvation, is BEYOND priceless!

Not all products and services perform as promised. That is proven by the numbers of scam artists at work today. This brings us to our third test of worth. Can we bank on the promises made by this faith? ABSOLUTELY!

Since Jesus Christ died on the cross, and rose again in resurrection power, literally hundreds of millions of people have testified that he keeps his word! He has rewarded the faith these persons have placed in him with undeniable confidence. He gives salvation from sin, and the start of a new life. He has done what he said he would do. His performance matches his promise! The gospel of Jesus Christ is true, if for no other reason, it works. It makes a drastic difference in the lives of those who place their trust in him. Let me underscore this truth once more; the gospel is of great worth because it performs exactly according to its promise!

Fourth on this list is value linked to durability. This faith has withstood the ravages of time. Uncounted efforts have been made to stamp out the Christian faith. Hot persecution, including martyrdom, beatings, reprisal, and banishment could not kill this faith. Political pressure, governmental edicts, severe discrimination, destruction of Bibles and the outlawing of free assembly for religious services could not destroy it. This thing is built for rough usage and it was made to last. There is no planned obsolescence here. Evil will never triumph over Almighty God. He, and the faith He gives us, has enduring power.

This is the faith that believers have carried into every experience in life. It is good in the good times and it is good in the bad. The undeniable sense of God’s sustaining grace abides through all of life, through death itself, and frees us to enter into His glorious, unrestricted presence in heaven. We sing with ever increasing faith, “The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows. The more that I love Him, the more love He bestows. Each day is like heaven, His love overflows. The longer I serve

Him, the sweeter He grows“.

Number five in this standard of measurement considers what affect would it have upon the users if such product or service should be removed from them. It focuses on the indispensable quality of the Christian faith.

Had it not been for this faith this world would be an ugly place in which to live. Unregenerate hearts would still be unregenerate. Christian influence upon morals, the quality of life, civil law, music, the arts, the sciences, and the sense of community would leave an unfillable void. And, should all the years of its impact upon mankind be removed, society would be devastated. This faith, this gospel; this vital, essential Christianity, has absolutely no substitute. Its worth to the world of mankind and each individual believer is incalculable.

When cannibals first received the gospel in the South Sea Islands, a French trader visited one of their islands. As an unbeliever, he chided them for accepting Christianity. He asked them what the gospel had ever done for them. They replied, “We don’t know what it has done for us, but it sure has helped you. Without it, you would have already been boiling in our pot”! A world absent this gospel is unthinkable.

For some, the faith has come and gone cheaply. Esau exchanged his birthright for a pot of chili. Judas traded an apostleship for thirty pieces of silver. A rich young ruler preferred worldly wealth to eternal life. Demas forsook the world to come for the world that now is.

While this may be fact, many have been willing to die for their faith. Those who have died for their faith in the past hundred years are more than those martyred since early church history. The book titled “By Their Blood” written by James and Marti Hefley recounts the record of those who have given their lives in behalf of the gospel in the 20th century. There were more who made the supreme sacrifice for Christ in the 20th century than in all of those who laid down their lives in the previous centuries combined.

People among our own great fellowship and throughout the immense missionary movements of the world have paid an awesome price to share the gospel. I have been moved to tears while reading the book written by the Hefleys. I want to refer to one of the accounts, that of a woman missionary who gave her life while sharing this worthy, workable faith.

During the Boxer rebellion in China 1900-1905 there were 153 missionaries and 13 of their children who were slain. Beyond this tens of thousand of Chinese national believers were slaughtered. One of the noblest testimonies I’ve heard is recorded in this book:

“Anti-foreign mobs continued to lengthen the trail of blood of the Christian missionaries. Dr. Eleanor Chestnut an orphan girl from Waterloo, Iowa was among them. Raised by a poor aunt in the backwoods of Missouri, she skimped and starved to get through Park College.

“After studies at Moody Bible Institute, Dr. Chestnut was appointed by the then American Presbyterian Board to China in 1893.She started a hospital in Lien-Chow, Kwangsi, the Province adjoining Hong Kong. She lived on $1.50 per month so that the rest of her salary could buy bricks to build a clinic. Her board learned what she was spending on bricks, and insisted on paying her. She refused the sum offered, saying, “It will spoil all my fun”.

“While the building was under construction, she performed surgery in her bathroom. One operation involved the amputation of a coolie’s leg. The surgery was successful, except that the flaps did not grow together. Eventually the problem was solved, and he was able to walk with the aid of crutches. Someone noticed that Dr. Chestnut was limping. When asked why, she responded, “Oh, it is nothing”. One of the nurses revealed the truth. Using only a local anesthetic, the doctor had taken skin from her own leg for immediate transplant to the one whom nurses had called “a good for nothing coolie”.

“On October 23:1905, Dr. Chestnut and other missionaries were busy in a hospital when an anti-foreign mob attacked. She slipped out of the hospital to ask for protection from Chinese authorities, and might have escaped had she not returned to help her fellow workers. Her last act was to tear strips from her dress to bandage a wound in the forehead of a boy in the crowd. She was slain along with four other missionaries.”

Friends, now is the time to determine what this faith is worth to us. Let us declare, “Our faith; our treasure”! This is our eternal heritage. Don’t sell your birthright for a bowl of chili as did Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. Check out the difference between the temporal and the eternal. Your faith, your treasure is priceless. We must make it the number one, non-tradable possession of our lives.

Rev. Al Bartholomew was, for many years, a pastor in western New York.