Word for Wednesday
They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am He. And Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with them. John 18:5
In the middle of the night, a group of young criminals broke into a house to steal what they could. As they made their way up the stairs, they were confronted at the top by the owner of the house, who feared for the safety of himself, his wife, and his children. He ordered the thieves to leave, telling them that he had a gun. One of the thieves, instead of backing down the stairs, rushed forward toward the owner. The owner fired his gun, and the thief fell, mortally wounded. In the investigation afterward, the slain thief’s companions declared that the young man had just joined their gang, and had never been involved in a home break-in before. Nobody believed them, of course. The young thief had taken his place among criminals, and had suffered the consequences. Just like Judas Iscariot.
The picture that John paints of the mob that came to arrest Jesus includes this reference to Judas standing with them. The one-time disciple of Jesus had now taken his stand where his heart was, where his real character was, with the enemies of Christ. He stands as a warning to us that those who might appear to be with us could be against us; those who we believe to be faithful could be traitors; those who we expect to see in the Glory could be sealing their doom for hell. We don’t know when or where the traitors will come from. But they will come, and like Judas, will eventually take their stand with the enemies of Christ, after they have performed their treachery. Calvary would have occurred without Judas’ guidance to the temple mob. But his betrayal stands as a warning today for us to be careful, and for sinners to beware lest they share his fate.
The devil has his would-be traitors anxious to come in among God’s Assemblies, just as they have come in among the denominations around us to destroy testimony and to dilute the Gospel message. They have succeeded in reducing ‘worship’ to the playing of rock music with religious overtones. They have succeeded in replacing the Gospel with pledge cards and a ‘faith’ that knows nothing of repentance. They have succeeded in making a mockery of many of those things most surely believed by Christians. How long will it be until these traitors make inroads among us, mingling among us until their treachery does its damage and they can take their stand with our enemies?
Judas’ treacherous stand became his downfall. May God preserve us from his successors’ treachery. – Jim MacIntosh
Terminology which sometimes confuses Brethren and non-Brethren alike is the distinction between the Open assemblies, usually called “Chapels,” and the Closed assemblies (non-Exclusive), called “Gospel Halls.” Contrary to common misconceptions, those traditionally known as the “Closed Brethren” are not a part of the Exclusive Brethren, but are rather a very conservative subset of the Open Brethren. The Gospel Halls regard reception to the assembly as a serious matter. One is not received to the Lord’s Supper but to the fellowship of the assembly. This is important because the Lord’s Supper is for believers, not unbelievers.