Gethsemane Mission

A Series of talks with the married

G. Derksen, Germany

Now, here is another question. The husband walks after the flesh, but the wife walks after the spirit. Will they be one in the spirit? No. There are families like this in our churches. Both are the children of the Lord. Both have repented, but he lives by flesh and she by the spirit. What kind of a relationship will be in that family? I will bring up one example. I visit young families fairly frequently – up to forty a year, so that I can see the condition of the family and give help where needed. Once, I was in a young family and the wife started talking to me. She said, “Look at my husband. He is so lazy that he does not want to read the Bible, or to do anything in the family. He doesn’t have any interest in this and he doesn’t care.” Yes, he was a born again Christian and a member of the church, but he didn’t have an interest for anything. His wife said so in his presence. I talked with both of them at the time, but after that I did not hear anything about this family because our ways parted. I did not have contact with them for more than twenty years.

Questions – Answers

Question: Recently in your sermon you mentioned the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. You said that if the same works that were done in these cities, were done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. I was reading this spot again and was thinking about it. If Jesus said this, then it really could happen. So why didn’t God show his mighty works to Sodom and Gomorrah? Why didn’t He give them another chance, but instead He destroyed them? Why was mercy shown to some and not to others? It seems like these cities were more sinful that Sodom and Gomorrah because they weren’t moved by the miracles that would have moved the cities that were destroyed. If they just had that chance…

Little Quotes of Wisdom

To learn how to pray, one needs to not only try praying, but to dwell in prayer with constancy and to make prayer a habit.

If you share the burden of another, you will both walk straight!

If you are not as close to God, as you were before, ask yourself who distanced himself, you or Him?

The trials here on earth will seem insignificant, if we compare them to the grandeur of heaven.

Live every day as if it were your last!

Report from the Conference of Ministers

Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 20

Once, a long time ago, a group of brethren-ministers gathered together, by the invitation of the main minister. The conference was not open to everyone, but the report was left for future generations and was even placed in the canon of the Holy Scriptures, namely the Acts of the Apostles, chapter twenty.

In essence, this meeting was a monologue of the apostle to the gentiles, and the reactions to his words were the tears, embraces, and kisses of the elders in Ephesus.

The farewell speech of the apostle Paul is thoroughly permeated with fatherly warmth and care, and represents in itself significant instruction for those, who serve the Lord today.