The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 1:20-26, “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘LET HIS HOMESTEAD BE MADE DESOLATE, AND LET NO ONE DWELL IN IT’; and, ‘LET ANOTHER MAN TAKE HIS OFFICE.’
21 “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us–
22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us– one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.
24 And they prayed and said, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen
25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’
26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.”

What do you do when someone you’ve trusted suddenly forfeits that trust? This was the dilemma in which the disciples found themselves when Judas Iscariot withdrew from the group. We’ve all lost friends. The saddest loss, however, comes when friends abandon clear, biblical teaching and align with those opposed to Scriptural truth. Add to that, Judas’ suicide; and the entire Christian group was in desperate need.

The position the group took was to stay with the Word of God. Peter pointed to the Psalm (69:25) that gave them both instruction and hope. Two of their finest men, Joseph (also known as Barsabbas and/or Justus) and Matthias were then nominated, whereupon the entire group went to prayer. It was not a political scramble with some arguing for one and some arguing for the other. They all looked to the LORD in prayer seeking His choice. Then they voiced the one for whom they believed to be the LORD’s choice. How blessed we would be if all churches followed their pattern.

One method of voting in those times was to write the names of the nominees on ballots and drop them into a container. They then shook the container to shuffle the ballots. The ballot that first emerged from the container was assessed to be the LORD’s choice. In this case, the choice was Matthias.

Interesting, too, is the fact that there was no negative outcry from those who voted for Joseph. Unity of the group under the leadership of the LORD was their strength. That’s the key to our strength, too. Pray for your church’s leadership. Pray for unity in all things, especially in the teachings of God’s Holy Word. The LORD is both pleased and glorified when we delve daily in His blessed Word!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom