Category: Writings by W. Ross Rainey

  • Obituary –George Rainey (1898-1987), by W Ross Rainey

    Born on July 14, 1898, in Ballymena, Ireland, Mr. George Rainey (the editor’s father) was born again in Brantford, Ontario, in 1912, a few years after the family immigrated to Canada. At 17 he responded to the Lord’s call to service, having been greatly influenced by the life and testimony…

  • “Precious In The Sight Of The Lord Is The Death Of His Saints”, by W Ross Rainey

    (Psalm 116:15) By now most of our readers, if not all, know that Mrs. Mayse Gunn, the beloved wife of our esteemed associate editor, Mr. James Gunn, passed into the presence of Christ-on July 9, 1979 (we would have published this in our last issue, but the printing schedule did…

  • “He Brought Me”, by W Ross Rainey

    In the Word of God there are three particular occurrences of this brief but blessed clause, or its equivalent, “He brought me,” which are especially instructive and meaningful to the Spirit-illumined heart and mind. Related to its separate contexts, the clause brings before us a Divine activity in each of…

  • Why Study Prophecy?, by W Ross Rainey

    To anyone who knows anything at all about the Bible, it should be evident that we are living in prophetic times wherein the stage for God’s future program is rapidly being set for the fulfillment of long-promised events. One look at this restless, warring, sin-sick world around us is evidence…

  • Who is Great?, by W Ross Rainey

    Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Psalm 48:1 In 1715, King Louis XIV of France died after a reign of 72 years. He called himself “the Great”, having made the famous statement, “I am the state”! His court…

  • To Have and to Hold, by W Ross Rainey

    As part of a letter to the family of God, the Apostle John was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen the following words, wherein is revealed one of the several reasons why he wrote his First Epistle: “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not…

  • The Will of God, by W Ross Rainey

    A missionary summed up his desire for the uncertain and unknown future as follows: “to be in the centre of God’s perfect will.” Indeed, the cry often goes up from the heart of those who really love the Lord, “I want the will of God done in my life, but…

  • The Tears of the Lord Jesus, by W Ross Rainey

    The shortest verse in the English Bible is John 11:35, “Jesus wept” (in the Greek text the shortest verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16). What an exquisitely simple statement, “Jesus wept”! Just two drops of speech in the English language, yet possessing an ocean of meaning. From the standpoint of the Greek New…

  • The Divine Visitor, by W Ross Rainey

    Our Associate-Editor, W. Ross Rainey, has favoured us with another interesting article, an article to challenge all of us, to alert us. How often we have failed to recognize the presence of the Lord! Scripture Reading: Genesis 18:1-15 Guy H. King in his little book entitled, Salvation Symphony, relates a quaint…

  • The Christian as an Athlete, by W Ross Rainey

    Scripture Reading 2 Timothy 2:5 Continuing to pen his Spirit-inspired instructions to Timothy, his young “son in the faith,” the Apostle Paul takes us from the military world to the sports world; from the rugged routine of the battle-ready soldier to the rigorous requirements of the contesting athlete. Whether it be…

  • The Christian as a Vessel, by W Ross Rainey

    Scripture Reading, 2 Timothy 2:20-21 Passing from the classroom and the serious-minded student the Apostle Paul is led by the Holy Spirit to the metaphor of “a great house” and the variety of vessels within. This brief passage poses a problem of interpretation, out of which two schools of thought have…

  • The Christian as a Student, by W Ross Rainey

    Scripture Reading 2 Timothy 2:15 The strenuous nature of the Christian life is by no means lost sight of as the Apostle Paul turns from the farm and the hard-working husbandman to the classroom and the serious-minded student. Continuing his personal letter to young Timothy, his “own son in the faith”…

  • The Christian as a Son, by W Ross Rainey

    Have you ever thought much about portraits? No, not about such portraits as Leonardo di Vinci’s celebrated Mona Lisa, which presently hangs in the Louvre at Paris, France, but about God’s portraits in His precious Word. In 2 Timothy 2 there are seven portraits of the Christian, and in relation to…

  • The Christian as a Soldier, by W Ross Rainey

    2 Timothy 2:3-4 Led by the Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul passes from the subject of Sonship (2:1, 2) to that of Soldiership (2:3, 4); from the family of God to the army of God. How do we become soldiers in God’s army? The answer is simple. We must enlist. Only by voluntary…

  • The Christian as a Servant, by W Ross Rainey

    2 Timothy 2:24-26 In this seventh and final portrait of the Christian in 2 Timothy 2, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul passes from the theme of “a great house” and the various “vessels” therein to that of “the servant of the Lord” and his ministry. The Lord Jesus…

  • The Christian as a Farmer, by W Ross Rainey

    These portraits of the Christian to which Ross Rainey calls attention have created an exercise in a number of hearts, a longing to make life more conformed to the high spiritual standards of the Word of God. The author, after graduating from college, was called early like Timothy to the…

  • The Child With The Seven Names, by W Ross Rainey

    Scriptures: Isaiah 9:6, 7:14Matthew 1:21 What a mysterious, miraculous, awe-inspiring and joyous event it is when the first baby, the second, and also the third come into the home! The happy question so often asked is, “What shall we call him?” “What name shall we give her?” Many months before our first…

  • The Bible, by W Ross Rainey

    How To Read The Bible The story is told of a young lady who was lent a book by a close friend. She tried very hard to read it through, understand and enjoy it, but failed completely. Then one day she met a young man. They became acquainted, fell in…

  • Messengers of Mercy, by W Ross Rainey

    W. Ross Rainey, Plymouth, Michigan, ministers the truth of God in both the U.S.A. and Canada. He also is associate editor of Ministry in Focus. This is his second study in the life of Abraham. Scripture Reading: Genesis 19:1-16 In his book, Abraham; or, the Obedience of Faith, F. B. Meyer entitled his comments…

  • Jabez, by W Ross Rainey

    More Honourable Than His Brethren A list of the descendants of Judah appears in 1 Chronicles 4. However, the list is interrupted about one-fourth of the way through by a brief but blessed revelation concerning one who is mentioned only here in the Bible — Jabez, a man of singular…