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Zeal: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly (Keith Green)

timharris777 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:58:44 +0000

“And [Jesus] found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple… His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Thy house will consume me.’” (John 2:14,15,17)

Imagine how the disciples felt watching their Master upsetting the lovely decorum of the temple. The noise, the dust, the shouting, the money spilling, the tables upturned – how dare He do such a thing! The disciples were probably shocked at first, then elated. That’s how I would have felt. “Good job, Jesus! Show everyone who’s boss!” When it was over, the disciples thought back to the Scripture that says, “Zeal for Thy house has consumed me.” (Psalm 69:9) They thought, Now we see what that means. Jesus loves His Father’s house so deeply that He won’t tolerate sin in it.

No doubt Jesus’ action that day excited everyone. The common people were thrilled to have a hero who could kick around all the religious windbags and money-grubbing scum. If it meant popularity – or flexing their muscles – the disciples were all for it. The only problem was, they didn’t understand one fundamental fact about human nature: our zeal lacks direction.

Right and Wrong Zeal

Zeal is simply earnestness or fervor in advancing a cause. But that cause can be good or bad, focused or misguided. And as we read throughout the Gospels, we see that the disciples’ zeal was often misguided.

The Pharisees were zealous, too – and often misguided. No one could say these guys didn’t have zeal. Everything they did involved religious duties and doctrines. But their zeal was founded on legalism, not on knowing God. They promoted a cause that was cold and lifeless – a cause that made their hearts proud and arrogant.

We love to poke fun at the Pharisees. We like to read the rebukes that Jesus used to level them. But we’re just as capable of misdirecting our zeal to useless religious activities. Things that are all for outward show – stuff that generates heat but not light.

That’s how I was when I first became a Christian – I had lots of zeal. I never gave too much thought about where my energy was directed, and I did a few things that were pointless, ungodly, and unproductive. They didn’t advance my relationship with the Lord, or the Kingdom of God here on earth. We can all misdirect our zeal at times.

But some of us, like the Pharisees, get trapped by our own zealousness. We replace our relationship with the Lord with our “righteous” activity, and end up trying to earn our salvation by proving how zealous we are.

There are four ways Christians commonly misuse their zeal. They are: fighting causes that aren’t God’s causes, judging others, arguing over the Bible, and seeking blessings more than the Giver of those blessings. I want to focus on these areas because they cause destructiveness and havoc in the body of Christ. Let’s take a look at each of these four areas and see what true zeal for God is not.

Zeal Of the Flesh

First, we can be zealous for God yet totally miss His big picture. If we’re not careful we can be zealous for causes that aren’t God’s at all.

Peter seemed to be the most zealous of the twelve disciples. Wherever there was trouble he was ready to jump in and save the day – at least in the flesh.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter provided us with a perfect example of misplaced zeal. As the soldiers came to take Jesus away, Peter pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant.

Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:52,53)

What did Peter think he was doing? The same thing many of us think we’re doing – protecting the Lord’s reputation with ungodly methods, and hurting innocent people in the process. Peter, like the other disciples, totally missed God’s big picture – His plan to send Jesus to the cross.

Peter had another plan. He still hoped Jesus would be the conquering hero. Sure, Peter had a lot of zeal for that. But he lacked the same zeal when it came to being a spiritual companion to Jesus. Peter, who was so courageous about swinging his sword in public, was the same guy who abandoned Jesus at the moment He took on His most difficult spiritual mission -humbling Himself and going to the cross.

How is it that we’re so zealous to put on outward, heroic shows of loyalty for our faith -and so reluctant to set aside our own agenda and do what Jesus wants us to do? Our zeal is misdirected. We need to transfer our zeal from outward things to inward spiritual things. We need to be less willing to cut off ears in Jesus’ name, and more willing to humble ourselves, go into our prayer closet alone with Him and get His agenda for our lives.

Paul reminds us: “The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom. 8:7,8)

Much harm has been done to God’s name by so-called spiritual battles waged in the flesh. Look at all the religious wars that have been fought, the crusades that have been carried out. All the blood and destruction. How could zeal be so misdirected? How could people think they were committing such atrocities in the name of God? But before standing in judgment of anyone else, we’d better realize we’re all capable of pushing our own agenda ahead of God’s agenda.

Zeal In Judgment

Second, we Christians have to admit that we have a problem – a bad habit of judging each other. In Luke 9, it says, “[Jesus] sent messengers on ahead of Him. And they went, and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make arrangements for Him. And they did not receive Him, because He was journeying with His face toward Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But He turned and rebuked them.” (vv. 52-55)

I doubt that James and John were expecting a rebuke. Here was a whole village of people who had rejected Jesus – they deserved to be fried. They’d blown their chance to welcome Jesus. As far as these zealous disciples were concerned, it was time for this village to see the power of God.

How many times have you acted like James and John? How often do you become a judge, and bring down the gavel on someone who’s obviously in the wrong? Some people have a lifelong preoccupation with sitting in judgment over every ministry, every elder, every pastor and every Bible study leader. They call down fire – bringing down the gavel of judgment hard and heavy. They say they’re trying to bring correction, but they crush, kill, and destroy.

When I was a new Christian I opened up my Bible, then set myself up as judge. I’d go into ministries and get loud about their need for correction. Worse than that, within six months of my conversion I was on stage performing. Thousands of people came to hear me, and I really got into letting them know what I thought – judging things publicly.

One day God grabbed me by the collar and showed me something: Judgment comes out of spiritual immaturity. Mature Christians will pray, discern, love, and counsel. If need be they’ll rebuke, but never in a critical, destructive spirit, and never publicly to shame and punish. That’s the godly way. Immature Christians can have a lot of zeal but little wisdom. They can put fire and noise into things that harm rather than help the cause of Christ. I fell into that trap and, like James and John, the Lord rebuked me for judging others.

You see, when we judge we step into the place of God. God alone is the judge of the motives of our hearts. If Jesus had wanted to call down fire on that Samaritan village, He could have done it Himself without the help of His disciples. These guys wanted to usurp Jesus’ authority, and so He had to set them straight.

I’ve come to see that my zeal as a disciple – as someone who knows God’s Word - has to be directed at me first. The inconsistencies and sin I see in the lives of others – and let’s face it, you can’t help noticing – should remind me to beware of the sin in my own life. Now, if I find myself having to deal with someone else’s sin or failure, I’d rather take Paul’s advice to heart: “Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself lest you too be tempted.” (Gal. 6:1)

Paul knew the Lord’s correction is meant to bring restoration in relationship to the Lord and in ministry – not destruction. Restoration takes time, but it’s God’s goal.

Zeal For Words

There’s another way our critical spirits can harm the body of Christ – when we fight over fine interpretations of the Bible. I’ve heard people get really nasty with each other -Christian brothers and sisters! Paul says, “Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless, and leads to the ruin of the hearers.” (2 Tim. 2:14)

When I was a new Christian I spent many useless hours wrangling over words. Added together, those hours probably amount to weeks, even months. I’d argue over anything and everything: When was the rapture going to happen? Can a Christian be possessed by demons? Do you have to be sprinkled or immersed to be truly baptized? Should you be baptized in the name of Jesus only or in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Some of the arguments produced a lot of heat that looked like zeal for the Lord – but I can’t remember any that produced much real light.

In some ways I set myself up for this. After concerts, people came up to me and said, “You know, I don’t agree with your position on this or that.” I loved it! I’d sit down on the edge of the stage, and a crowd would gather. I’d throw out scriptures, and the other person would lob different ones back at me. We’d have a great time, with our “flesh” exposed for all to see. I didn’t realize then that my arguing could cause the ruin of those who listened to me. I was just thinking I was a big shot, a spiritual authority, when really I was just a debater with a big ego. I was sharpening a human talent for debate, not a spiritual talent for being quiet, listening, and praying.

Paul also said in his warnings to Timothy, “Avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.” (2 Tim. 2:16,17) What a vivid picture. People didn’t have the benefit of tetracycline or penicillin in Timothy’s day. If you saw a big blue streak going up your arm or leg, you ran to the surgeon and had the infected limb cut off. There was no anesthetic – other than getting drunk or having someone knock you out. Get the idea? This was a drastic and painful condition. So it was the most vivid imagery Paul could use to get his point across. A dispute over words brings out a spirit of contentiousness – and this will spread infection through the body of Christ like gangrene. The only way to remove it is by major and painful surgery.

Why is it important to stay in the right spirit? Because there’s a lot more at stake than who’s right or wrong – I’m talking about eternal souls.

“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” (2 Tim. 2:24-26 emphasis added)

Immature Christians mistake a contentious spirit for true zeal. They think they know all the right answers, and that everyone has to see things their way. Paul gave some more strong warnings about this in his letter to Titus: “Shun foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law; for they are unprofitable and worthless. Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.” (Titus 3:9-11)

If we want to grow in Christ, we must ruthlessly evaluate our speech. There’s only one standard and one motive acceptable to God. Paul nailed it: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Eph.4:29)

Zeal For Power

The last thing I want to say about zeal is more than instruction, it’s God’s warning to all of us. In Acts 8:9 ff., we read the story of a man named Simon, who practiced magic and sorcery. Everyone in Samaria was astonished by the things he could do, and people called him the “Great Power of God.” Then Philip came to town preaching the good news. People began getting saved and baptized. A revival hit, and even Simon was converted. After his conversion he began following Philip around, and saw all the miracles that occurred. Word got back to the other apostles in Jerusalem about what was happening in Samaria, and Peter and John were sent to check things out. They discovered that the new converts had not received the baptism of the Spirit, so they began laying their hands on the people and praying for them. Sure enough, the people began receiving the Spirit.

“Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!”‘ (Acts 8:18 20) Sure, Simon’s idea was misguided – but didn’t he give up his sorcery business to follow the Gospel? Wasn’t Peter being a bit harsh with him?

I don’t think so. Didn’t some of us come to the Lord for the wrong motives? We came because we were sick of our lifestyle. Or becausewe couldn’t find peace. Or we needed healing, or our marriage was on the rocks. We came for any number of reasons.

From the New Testament times until today, there have been people who preach the Gospel for the wrong reasons. They’re not following Jesus; they’re building their own kingdoms and their own egos. Some people get involved in Christianity simply because it is a market for their merchandise – they can make money. They don’t care if people become Christians, they just want to sell their books or records. Some people start with sincere motives but their appetite for money and fame overcomes them – they continue doing seemingly “good” things, but for all the wrong reasons. They’re just putting up a front. They’ve learned how to effectively fake all the right moves and the right language.

But God will not be mocked. He never lets someone continue in that place for long. They either burn out because it’s a work of the flesh, or they are publicly exposed and humiliated – and the name of the Lord gets tarnished in the process.

We always need to check our motives for doing something – even a good thing. And when we are successful in the things of the Lord, we must be careful not to look at the fruit and think it proves we’re right with God. Nothing can replace our personal relationship with Him – not even the fruit produced by our ministries.

True Zeal

God wants true disciples who will move beyond selfish motives to a pure motive – and that is to know God Himself and the reason He created us. You see, Simon never made that shift. He became interested in the Gospel because of what the disciples had to offer – their “tricks” were better than his. They upstaged him. Scripture says that he truly believed in the Gospel, but it appears that he never got beyond desiring power so he could have more influence than anyone else.

Simon had zeal all right. He was ready to do whatever it took to get the power he wanted. But his zeal was directed at self-promotion – not at knowing and sharing the love of God.

Working in the music industry, I see this confusion all the time. Today, we see “stars” who become Christians – but they never lay down their music on the altar. They just begin selling Christian versions of their songs. They have lots of zeal – but are they putting it into seeking God? Before I sound like I’m back to the old mode of judging again I have to tell you what I’ve witnessed. I’ve seen celebrities come to Christ and get pushed into the spotlight by publishers and record companies before they’re ready. When they hit a “pothole,” they fall away. Then they say, “Christianity is a joke. It doesn’t work.” While people looked on and said, “They have so much zeal for God,” they were actually using their misdirected zeal to pursue their own interests.

That’s what Simon did. The whole time he followed Philip around, he didn’t accept the lifestyle of discipleship. He had plenty of zeal to pursue miracles and signs and wonders, but not much interest in pursuing God Himself. He had his eyes on the gifts of God, rather than on the God of the gifts.

Paul saw the same kind of misdirected zeal among the Jews. He said, “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” (Rom. 10:2,3)

If Paul looked at your life, would he say the same thing about you? Would he say, “I’ve got to give you credit, you sure have a lot of zeal for God. You’re doing many things in the name of the Lord. But you don’t know His righteousness. Are you using your zeal to try to gain something from God, instead of using it as an expression of your gratitude to God for all that He’s already done for you?

We can be zealous at keeping rules. We can be zealous debaters and defenders of the truth. We can zealously pursue the gifts of the Spirit. We can even be zealously contentious and fight fleshly battles. But none of this is true zeal for God.

What is zeal for God then? It’s giving all our energy and enthusiasm to God’s cause. What does that mean? Jesus made it pretty clear: “the foremost [commandment] is, ‘H ear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

We are supposed to direct all our zeal into our relationship with the Lord, and then into our relationship with our neighbor. God wants us to get our eyes on Him. Loving Him is to be our cause. He can take care of a lot of other causes without us, but He can’t make us love Him with all our heart. That’s the work we must do – pursue Him with all our heart and soul and strength.

As David said, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, 0 God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:1,2)

David was describing true zeal. He thirsted after God. Do you have that kind of desperation? Do you have within that holy fire to know God? God doesn’t want to be a casual acquaintance. He wants to be an intimate part of your life – alive and burning at the core of your being. The second part of the cause we are to advance is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Not correct our neighbor, debate with our neighbor, or judge our neighbor, but love our neighbor. And how do we love our neighbor? We love them by serving them and doing things that bless them.

“[Christ] gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:14) Are we zealous for good deeds? James says, “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:27)

Are you zealous for this pure and undefiled religion? Are you self-involved – or are you willing to serve others? The zeal that pleases God is strength and talent directed towards serving others. Jesus reminds His disciples that if we want to be great in the kingdom of God we have to be the servant of all. (Matt. 20:26)

Watch out! Our flesh doesn’t like the idea of serving others. An attitude of servanthood runs against our egos. Maybe that’s why God put so much importance on it. But God doesn’t take our flesh into account; He commands us to serve others. The disciple of Christ has no option but to do what He has told us.

I can hear what many of you are thinking: But we don’t need to prove ourselves to God, or to anybody else. He’s given us salvation as a gift. You’re right. But He needs to turn on our zeal to make salvation real in every area of our lives. He wants us to train ourselves to eagerly serve others in love and compassion.

This is true zeal for God – to know Him and love Him with a deep and consuming love, and to serve others in the same way we would serve Jesus. Anything else is an imitation.

Beware of it.

What is the Difference Between Holiness and Legalism? (Michael L. Brown)

timharris777 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:14:51 +0000

Holiness is beautiful; legalism is binding; holiness brings life; legalism brings death. They are as different as night and day, and yet at first glance, they can seem similar, because they both stand against sinful behavior and call for holy living. How can we distinguish between the two? Let me first present some thoughts on holiness before defining legalism and its dangers.

According to Samuel Logan Brengle, holiness is “pure love.” According to Samuel Lucas, “The essence of true holiness consists in conformity to the nature and will of God.” Stated another way, holiness is becoming like Jesus in thought, word, and deed, in heart, mind, and conduct. Holiness is something beautiful and wonderful!

God is holy, and so His very being reflects the perfection of righteousness and goodness and purity and wholesomeness and compassion and mercy and justice. As expressed by Ralph Finlayson, “The sum of all God’s attributes, the outshining of all that God is, is holiness” – and we are called to emulate that holiness. As is it written in 1 Pet 1:15 (quoting Lev 19:2), “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”

To be holy is to be separated from sin and to be separated to God, which means to be separated from that which is bad and destructive and evil and unclean and polluting and to be separated to that which is like the Lord. Sin is spiritual poison; holiness is spiritual health. As William Jenkyn explained, “There is nothing destroyed by sanctification but that which would destroy us.” In short, everything holy is good; nothing unholy is good. Everything unholy is bad; nothing holy is bad.

And yet there’s more: Holiness is our goal, our destiny, our portion. It expresses the very essence of the nature and character of God and describes the highest level of spirituality attainable by man. Listen to the testimony of the Word:

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Eph 1:4). “Husbands, love your wives, just as Messiah loved the congregation [or, church] and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant congregation [or, church], without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Eph 5:25-27).

That’s why Joseph Caryl could say, “Perfect holiness is the aim of the saints on earth, and it is the reward of the saints in heaven.” Or, as expressed by John Whitlock, “. . . the Christian’s . . . way is holiness, his end happiness.” Oswald Chambers understood this too, stating that “God has one destined end for mankind – holiness! His one aim is the production of saints. God is not an eternal blessing-machine for men. He did not come to save men out of pity. He came to save men because He had created them to be holy.”

William Gurnall was therefore entirely right when he wrote, “Say not that thou hast royal blood in thy veins, and art born of God, except thou canst prove thy pedigree by daring to be holy.” (You might want to stop for a moment and read that again. What a godly challenge!)

Why then do many believers resist holiness? One major reason is that many of them have been hurt by legalism, and so they immediately associate holiness with legalism.

What then is legalism? Legalism is rules without relationship, emphasizing standards more than the Savior and laws more than love. It is a system based on fear and characterized by joyless judgmentalism, producing futility instead of freedom.

To an unsaved person the legalist preaches justification by works, saying, “You’re a wicked sinner and you need to get rid of all your filthy habits if you want the Lord to accept you.” There is no grace in this message, no exalting of the life-changing, sin-cleansing power of the blood of Jesus, no clear proclamation of mercy.

The declaration of God’s love expressed through the cross is muffled – if it is even heard at all. Consequently, the proof of the new birth is seen almost entirely in what someone no longer does, and this continues to be the pattern for believers within the church: They are judged almost entirely by a few external standards (which, in many cases, are not even expressly mentioned in the Word) and they are monitored by conformity to the particular group’s code of conduct. And the result is external conformity rather than inward transformation – and that means either self-righteousness of self-condemnation (or both!).

Of course, it is absolutely true that God has very high standards, and for anyone honestly reading the Word, there can be no doubt that He calls us to live by very high standards – in our thoughts, words, and deeds; in our attitudes; in our sexuality; in our families; in our relationships; and much, much more. Passages like this are common in the New Testament:

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Eph 5:1-6).

Tragically, legalists, despite their best intentions, get things tragically wrong. First, they try to change a person from the outside in (whereas God deals with us from the inside out); second, they fail to present a balanced picture of the Lord, putting too little stress on His mercy and too much emphasis on His wrath; third, they do not point the struggling sinner (or believer) to the Lord’s supernatural empowerment, making holiness a matter of human effort alone; and fourth, they add laws, standards, commandments, customs, and traditions that are not found in the Word, making those things even more important than the biblical commandments themselves.

In contrast, true, scriptural holiness begins with the heart and flows from an encounter with God and His Word. It calls for repentance in response to the Lord’s gracious offer of salvation and it offers a way to be holy – the blood of Jesus and the Spirit of God. Biblical holiness is free, although it requires discipline and perseverance. For the legalist, nothing is free. Everything must be earned! That’s why legalism leads to bondage and holiness leads to liberty.

As Ralph Cudworth explained many years ago, “I do not mean by holiness the mere performance of outward duties of religion, coldly acted over, as a task; not our habitual prayings, hearings, fastings, multiplied one upon another (though these be all good, as subservient to a higher end); but I mean an inward soul and principle of divine life (Romans 8:1-5), that spiriteth all these.”

It is that inward spiritual principle that must be cultivated, the principle of intimacy with Jesus, the principle of being renewed in our minds by His Word and Spirit, the principle of being conformed to His image and character, hating what He hates and loving what He loves. As Dr. Kent Hughes expressed in his book Disciplines of a Godly Man, “There is a universe of difference between the motivations behind legalism and discipline. Legalism says, ‘I will do this thing to gain merit with God,’ while discipline says, “I will do this because I love God and want to please him.’ Legalism is man-centered; discipline is God-centered.”

To quote Oswald Chambers again, “A bird flies persistently and easily because the air is its domain and its world. A legal Christian is one who is trying to live in a rarer world than is natural to him. Our Lord said, ‘If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed,’ i.e., free from the inside, born from above, lifted into another world where there is no strenuous effort to live in a world not natural to us, but where we can soar continually higher and higher because we are in the natural domain of spiritual life.”

Unfortunately, the moment you preach biblical holiness, many Christians put their hands over their ears and say, “That’s legalism! That’s condemnation! That’s manmade religion! That’s the dead letter of the law! You won’t put me in bondage! I won’t listen to stuff like that!” As Robert Brimstead observed, “The idea of living strictly by what the Bible says has been branded as legalism.”

And so, these Christians run from the dangerous clutches of legalism and fall into the deadly grasp of license, that self-deceived state of fleshly liberty, catering to their carnality rather than crucifying it. What a terrible error!

Whatever comes naturally to these “liberated” believers is accepted as normal (and “understood,” of course, by the Lord), while biblical commandments are brought down to the level of their own experience, and anything that brings any kind of spiritual pressure to bear on them is rejected as not being the easy yoke and light burden of Jesus. And when the Holy Spirit brings conviction on people like this, they rebuke the devil for trying to condemn them – ultimately at the expense of their own souls.

To quote Oswald Chambers yet again, “The only liberty a saint has is the liberty not to use his liberty. . . . Liberty means ability not to violate the law; license means personal insistence on doing what I like. . . . To be free from the law means that I am the living law of God, there is no independence of God in my make-up. License is rebellion against all law. If my heart does not become the centre of Divine love, it may become the center of diabolical license.”

What then is the antidote? Flee from legalism, stay far away from license, and run to holiness; reject humanly birthed, external religion, give no place to false teaching that excuses carnality, and instead embrace new covenant, heart transformation — and in the power of the Spirit, supernaturally enabled by God’s grace, deal ruthlessly with sin in your life. That is the path to freedom!

Sin is so utterly awful that only the blood of Jesus could pay for it (1 Pet 1:16-19). We dare not trivialize sin in our lives.

In closing, let me bathe you with the truth of God’s liberating Word. (Yes, I know that this has been a long article, but I think you’ll agree that the subject is quite important – really, the difference between life and death.) Listen to the Word of the Lord!

“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (Rom 6:12-13, NLT).

“Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires” (Rom 13:13-14, NLT).

“Because we have these promises [of being sons and daughters of God], dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God” (2 Cor 7:1, NLT).

“For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. . . . God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you” (1 Thes 4:2, 7-8, NLT).

“Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Ps 24:3-5, ESV).

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt 5:8).

“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell” (Matt 5:29-30, ESV)

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14, ESV).

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21, ESV).

What a wonderful Savior!

Cleanse Our Eyes! A Call to Consecration in the Area of Entertainment (Bryan Purtle)

timharris777 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:57:58 +0000

“I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin? …. for that would be a fire that consumes…. and it would burn to the root all my increase.” -Job 31:1, 12

I understand that many would brand my faith antique and my convictions archaic for approaching this subject, but that is a minuscule risk for me to take. God is too glorious, His Gospel too precious, and the fate of our sons and daughters too much at stake for me to worry about the consequences that these themes bring. I am convinced that we have woefully underestimated the damage that is done to the world and to the Church, particularly with regard to the issue of so-called entertainment.

The Church is largely bored with the Scriptures, unwilling to sacrifice for eternal things, unacquainted with the Spirit of prayer, and is harboring such distorted views of God that it is often difficult to tell if the One she is proclaiming is the same Lord that the apostles and prophets set forth. There may be a litany of reasons for this decrease of majesty, but I believe that one of the greatest of these is that Hollywood has a stranglehold on the hearts and imaginations of God’s children.

The pornography epidemic could be driven home here, and to sound the trumpet against that demonic system will require the emergence of a true prophetic voice indeed. Almost 40% of American pastors admit to a current struggle with internet porn, and the numbers are even greater amongst men within our congregations. This is beyond tragic, and we are in need of a massive overhaul of repentance and mercy. Now more than ever are we in need of awakening, and if you are in this category there is deliverance and freedom from this deathtrap. The Gospel of Jesus sets us free “from all sin,” and He will give you grace to slam the door once and for all on this terribly besetting sin, when you repent and turn to Him with a whole heart, clinging to the Son of God.

Yet as horrific as the pornography phenomenon is, that is not the primary burden of my heart in this writing.

I am convinced that the Church of America, as a majority, has been removed from, or has never known, the kind of trepidation and tenderness of heart that Job was expressing when he declared, “I have made a covenant with my eyes….”

It was part and parcel with the faith of all the saints of old, that what they allowed to pass through the eye-gate, and what they permitted willingly to go into their ears, would taint their souls at best, and find residence in their lives at the worst. I am suspicious of modern “prophetic” men who commonly cite movies and shows that contain illicit sex, profane lingo and themes, glorified violence, immoral innuendo, or other defiling examples as points in their messages. The only reason these points hit home with so many church members is that they themselves are given over to the same powers and influences.

Our hearts are too taken up with this world, saints, and there has never been a generation wherein the spirit of this age strikes the soul with such color, such special effects, and such mesmerizing power as the one we find ourselves in. Yet we are called to an ultimate holiness nonetheless, and it may be said that one of the distinguishing factors between those who will bear the testimony of Jesus at the end of the age and those who will take the mark of the beast during tribulational times will be this radical consecration of the eyes to God Himself.

In Eph. 5, Paul declares that there should not even be a “hint of immorality” in the lives of God’s people. Dear believer, I ask you pointedly, what constitutes a hint? How many of Hollywood’s characters, themes and plots can we drink in without receiving a “hint” of darkness?

There is something sleazy about many of our lives, charismatic or not, and while it might not be overtly recognized, I believe there is a residue of immorality resting upon those who have freely given themselves to morally compromised entertainment. There is something flimsy about our religion, and the bright burning of holiness that marked John the Baptist, the prophets of old, and Jesus Himself is conspicuously absent in the sanctuary, where His name is declared “holy” in verbal exercise, but the sense of His holiness has become foreign.

“…. it would burn to the root of all my increase.”

While we have boasted in “liberty,” and spoken poetically of our spiritual interpretations of Hollywood flicks (interpretations that Hollywood would largely reject and ridicule), we have too often condoned the spiritual pollution of our hearts.

Would the porn epidemic be so far-reaching and deeply-rooted if the Church hadn’t dropped the ball in areas of more subtle compromise? We have become arrogant in our boasting. And we wonder why our kids are prayerless and numb to eternal reality, buying into agnosticism and atheism when they graduate high-school and make it to their respective Universities. We wonder why thousands of “evangelical” teens are converting to Islam or diving headlong into the “party” life when they get out from under the wing of a youth group, and into the reality of college life. This may not be the only issue, but it is much more prevalent than we know. It’s a battle of ideologies, and hell has no greater method than to slowly dull our hearts to the God of righteousness through cute, subtle, and entertaining displays of hellish ideas. As a friend of mine so rightly wrote:

We have so saturated our minds and imaginations with man-created images that we are bound to those images and therefore subject to the agenda of the men creating them.

It has burned to the root of our “increase” in Christ. It has dulled and blurred the “inner-man” of the Church. We have lost the hunger and thirst for righteousness that Jesus encouraged, for we have given our hearts, minds, and pocketbooks to the broken cisterns of carnal entertainment.

It’s staggering to me that when the subject is raised to most believers, the tag of legalism is immediately raised. While there are legalistic souls who lack an understanding of mercy, and who often place heavy yokes upon others, the vehemence and rage of those who dish out accusations that men like myself are “legalistic” is far more widespread, at least in my own experience. I’ve never heard more warnings against “the religious spirit,” “self-righteousness,” and “legalism” than I have in the last few years.

In the area of entertainment they say, “Paul said we had liberty in Christ, and we’re walking in that freedom.” But these modern examples are usually employed in a context that is far different from the situation with the Judaizers in the churches of Galatia. There is not an iota of Scripture that would encourage me to set my eyes, ears and emotions on themes that make light of sin.

The apostles, quite contrary to the liberal ideas of today, addressed issues of righteousness with remarkable frequency and intensity in the New Testament, and I believe they would weep over the Church in our day, that we would be delivered from the murky waters that have tainted and dulled our spirits in the realm of entertainment. Gospel liberty is not license, but rather freedom from the death grip of this dying age. It is a liberty to come into the wonderful reality of communion with the Living God, and to taste of the “powers of the age to come.”

This is not about judging our movies based on their ratings. A thousand “PG” movies could be just as detrimental as one “R” movie. Addictions to political news or social networking must also be challenged if they burn up our time and keep us from the place of prayer and worship, diminish our passion for the Scriptures, and fog our awareness of the lostness of humanity. This is about a total consecration of our eyes and hearts unto Him, that we might gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, tremble before His majesty, remain in the loving counsel of His voice, and set Him forth in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Our eyes have been too opened to the lying glimmers of this age. The time is here for an ultimate consecration of the eyes to the Lord, that we would see the increase of Christ Himself in our lives. We haven’t got room even for a “hint,” friends.

Let us return to Him with weeping and mourning, that so many of us have preferred the fading lights of this age to the glorious light of God Himself. We need not buy into the lie any longer. He longs to pour out mercy upon us, to purify us down to the marrow of our bones, to make us a tender-hearted people, enjoying deep communion with Him, and walking in meekness and holiness unto the day of His return.

Oh God, cleanse and purify our hearts with the fire of Your holiness and love. Catch us up in the Spirit of prayer and the glory of worship, quicken our souls to love the Scriptures, awaken us from fantasy and bring us into eternal reality. For Jesus’ sake.

Are you Willing to be Hated for Speaking the Gospel Truth? (Randy Alcorn)

thollings5893 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:21:23 +0000

When Gianna Jessen spoke at our church a few weeks ago, she said many memorable things. The one that I’ve been thinking about is that to be a follower of Christ you need to be willing to be hated.

I agree, and that’s what I want to talk about. Of course, this does NOT mean being hateful. Nor does it mean seeking to be hated. Or having a persecution complex, so you think people don’t like you because you’re following Christ, when they actually don’t like you because you’re an idiot.

I am all for graciousness, kindness and servant-hearted love as we speak the truth. I seek to practice this with the nonchristians I’m around. But at some point the greatest kindness we can offer them, coming out of a life of humility and faithfulness to Christ, is the good news about Jesus. (That good news actually involves some very bad news about human sinfulness, which is what makes the cross an offense, meaning that it ticks people off).

The danger comes when we live in such fear of being mislabeled that we don’t step forward as unapologetic and unashamed all-out followers of Jesus. They can call us Jesus freaks or ignorant or uncool or intolerant or anything they want, that’s fine. We should do what we believe pleases our Lord, regardless of how it pans out in opinion polls. That includes loving others and giving radically and ministering to the down and out and addressing addictions and saying we think it’s wrong to kill children of all ages and helping people find alternatives. We do such things not seeking the approval of our culture, but of our King.

If we seek our culture’s approval, we’ll either never get it or get it only at the expense of failing to represent Christ. We are promised, that if we “live godly lives in Christ Jesus” we “will suffer persecution.” If we’re not suffering persecution, at some level, then what does that suggest?

We should certainly be nice, and it’s sad when Christians aren’t. But it’s also sad when we imagine “niceness” has greater impact than it really does. Niceness is not the gospel. Some modern concepts of evangelism are little more than being nice to your neighbor and loaning him your hedge clipper and hoping that somehow he will come to Christ without you actually having to say the WORDS of the gospel which would run the risk of him thinking you’re weird. Our good example is important, but it’s not sufficient. There are actual truths that must be grappled with in surrendering to Jesus (1 Cor 15:1-6). And these truths are expressed in words.

I’m all for audience analysis and understanding the perceptions of this generation and speaking in a way they can understand. But instead of letting the world set our agenda and the ground rules of what we can and can’t say, let’s ask the Lord how best to take the timeless message of the gospel to these people.

But, and I say this coming out of some of the conversations I’ve had with cool Christians, the answer is not altering the contents of the gospel to make it something everyone can easily agree with. If the gospel becomes nothing more than the reflection of a worldview they already have, it has nothing to offer them. It’s God’s gospel. Given the price He paid on the cross to offer it, He has the right to say difficult things such as Jesus is the only way to the Father and we are hell-bound without him. That message is not popular and never will be. Our job isn’t to edit the message, but to deliver it.

Among some believers the new definition of a good Christian is holding your beliefs privately, not challenging those who publicly share beliefs that dishonor Christ, and avoiding controversy at all costs lest we be perceived as “those kind of Christians” who hate gays, oppose abortion, favor inquisitions and live to burn witches. We so much want the world to like us that we end up distancing ourselves from the historic Christian faith, from biblical doctrine (including hell), and from churches (because they’re all hypocrites except us). We end up making ourselves indistinguishable from the world, and therefore have nothing to offer the world.

Sometimes we assume the moral high ground by rolling our eyes at those street preachers, congratulating ourselves that we aren’t like that. Street preaching’s not my thing, but I can give you names of people who have come to Christ through street preaching. It’s more of a stretch to name those who’ve come to Christ through Christians who think it’s not cool to tell people the biblical truth that they need to repent of their sins (a synonym for evils; basically a big insult), and turn to Christ to be saved from hell.

It’s not our job to be popular. We are not contestants on American Idol. And we are not Christ’s speechwriters or PR team, airbrushing Jesus so He has greater appeal to people who don’t want to hear what He said about sin and hell. He’s the King, He calls the shots, we’re just His ambassadors. So let’s represent the real Jesus, the whole Jesus, not just the culturally acceptable one.

There is nothing new or postmodern about the gospel turning some people off. That’s always been true, just as it’s always been true that some people are longing to hear it and will deeply appreciate it that you had enough courage to tell them about Jesus.

As D. L. Moody said when someone criticized his approach to evangelism, “I like the way I do it better than the way you don’t do it.”

It is not gracious and kind to withhold the gospel from those who, according to Jesus, are going to hell without Him. Sometimes what we imagine to be our graciousness and kindness is actually indifference or cowardice.

“All men will hate you because of me.” Mark 13:13

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” John 15:18

www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
http://www.epm.org/

Paralysis of Preoccupation (Leonard Ravenhill)

thollings5893 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:10:45 +0000

Caesar Augustus was having trouble with his tax income. Prices were high and armies of occupation, plus each soldier’s need of a special bonus for danger money, kept the treasury low. Caesar needed cash!

This could be part of the trouble that furrowed the brow of Herod, vassal-king in the Roman-occupied Palestine. He must channel more money to his chief.

In the midst of his quandary, some star-gazers had asked audience with Herod because their craft had revealed to them that a person of royal birth had just entered the world, and in that vicinity!

Our story says Herod “was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” I imagine that there was a touch of fear about his message to the wise men: “When ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.” Half an hour on horseback and Herod could have investigated the spot where the royal child was born. But the demanding affairs of state crowded the time sheet of the ruler. He took a short while out to inquire of scribes and chief priests, but he went no further. Just half an hour’s gallop away the greatest event in human history had taken place, and Herod had missed it. Had he gone and had he worshipped, his personal history and destiny might have been different.

Although Herod and all Jerusalem were troubled, there was a minority, too insignificant to mention, who were not troubled. Notice Mary and Joseph on their way to the temple with their holy child. The saintly Simeon is on duty to take the offering the poor couple bring at the dedication of Jesus. Notice the corners of Mary’s mouth curve upwards as the priest says, “For mine eyes have seen thy salvation.”

I think that often we overlook the first thing that Jesus ever did. Before He knew where He was, before He knew who He was, before He could walk, before He could talk-Jesus set a pattern for His life and, in measure, for eternity. He divided men!

The first thing that Jesus the Babe did was to divide the nation. Most were against Him, a few for Him. He divided men at His birth; He divided them on His blessed cross in death; He divided them in His life in the synagogue (John 7:43). He will divide them at the judgment seat. Jesus declared quite openly that His mission was to divide men (Luke 12:51). He still divides men, and He will do so until time ends.

Dr. Tozer once reminded us that after Adam sinned, he became occupied withthings. Today we are too preoccupied with the complexities of our modern “rat race.” Bunyan had an old materialist who was so busy looking down at his muck rake that he had no time to see the crown of dazzling splendor above his head.

Men are now so occupied with getting to the moon that they have forgotten how to get to heaven. They are so bent on inventing new ways to liquidate cities that they have lost sight of living. Some scientists spend their lives inventing death.

This troubled age so relentlessly broadcasts its groans over worldwide radios every hour on the hour that men have forgotten that there is a Prince of Peace.

Honesty is hard to come by even in the church of the living God. We believers are so preoccupied with the lesser things of the church that we have starved our own appetite for the moving of the Spirit.

As we enter this last phase of 1964, I challenge each reader, pastor, or missionary to check his record of soul-saving over the year gone. The strong wine of statistics has blurred the thinking of many. Just who of our group did get saved this year? Just which person was filled with the Spirit? Where are our ranks depleted because our members have moved off into full-time service for Christ at home or abroad?

Perhaps a nibble at Time magazine stirs us for a moment about the perils in Harlem. The flicker of the news on TV startles us as we see the deterioration in Vietnam and the setback in Cyprus. After our reading or seeing, we are back again so-preoccupied with events that the great event of His near return is clouded.

Had Christ come sweeping down the skies in the fiery chariot that Elijah went up in, the world would then have believed on Him. Had He come with ten thousands of His Old Testament saints and the blast of a million angelic trumpets, all men would then have fallen in worship.

Christ came veiled in flesh. He took the limits of any other infant. Today again He withholds His power and glory. Daily He hears millions blaspheme His holy name. He seems indifferent to the hourly breaking of His commandments and the wrecking of His sabbaths.

But wait! Who shall abide the day of His coming? Of this I am sure: Jesus Christ came to produce a better church than we have here at the moment. He said, “I am the door.” He is the door by which we enter to greater power. By Him we enter into all the riches of the Godhead. By Him and through Him and for Him all things exist.

If we were not so preoccupied with lesser things, we would be grief-stricken that we have failed to inherit our possessions in Him. In failing Him, we hurt His dear heart day by day.

We are too preoccupied!

COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:Used by permission of Bethany House Publishers. This article by Leonard Ravenhill appeared in DAYSPRING copyright (c) 1964 by Bethany House Publishers, a ministry of Bethany Fellowship, Inc. All rights reserved. For further information about the missionary outreach of Bethany Fellowship or for a complete listing of Ravenhill titles and others, please contact the publisher at 11300 Hampshire Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55438; ph: (612) 829-2500; FAX: (612) 829-2768.

Why I Don’t Have a Television and Rarely Go to Movies (John Piper)

timharris777 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:27:36 +0000

The first question to me and Mark Driscoll was, “Piper says get rid of my TV, and Driscoll says buy extra DVRs. How do you reconcile this difference?”

I can’t give an answer for what Mark means by “buy extra DVRs,” but I can tell you why my advice sounds different. I suspect that Mark and I would not agree on the degree to which the average pastor needs to be movie-savvy in order to be relevant, and the degree to which we should expose ourselves to the world’s entertainment.

Evangelism on Arab Soil (Author Confidential)

timharris777 — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:06:20 +0000

I have been working in the Middle East for over ten years now (1996 – 2009) and I can truly say that if evangelism was not part of my ministry, I would have packed my bags and left for my home country a long time ago. In this article I would like to mention a few things on evangelism from my experience, which might help others to put things in the right perspective.

Firstly, when talking about evangelism there are so many aspects on which one can focus; such as the content of our message, contextualization issues, etc. However, I remember a quote from George Housney on this topic in which he started by saying about evangelism: “The main thing, is to keep the main thing… the main thing.” We can easily get caught up in all kinds of strategies, and discussions, and by doing so, might loose the main focus of our ministry, i.e. actually going out there and reaching the Arabs with the message of Jesus.

Evangelism as worship

My motive for evangelism is worship. Some people get great inspiration when they worship the Lord with music and songs. I have never experienced it when I am in a worship service, BUT during and after an evangelism conversation, I get this awesome feeling of closeness to God. I go away with a feeling of YES, I have experienced God. In general the goal of worship is to experience God and that is exactly what happens with me during evangelism. Evangelism is seldom a burden for me or something extra I need to do in the Christian life. It is as normal as the blood in our veins.

This is a call to make us rethink the priority of evangelism in our lives as Christians and missionaries. Instead of putting evangelism at the background of Christian things we should do, I want to suggest that evangelism be viewed as something that will bring us into a closer walk with the Lord and experience His presence in the midst of evangelism.

Evangelism in a Foreign Language

When a person first arrives in a foreign country, the main obstacle is usually – the language barrier. Most people spend their first two years learning the language and only after acquiring some level of proficiency, they attempt to bring the gospel to this particular language group. My experience has been different. After arriving in the Middle East I was overwhelmed with the responsibility of bringing the gospel to the Arabs. But what should I do if don’t have the language, wait for two years?

So I decided to write the gospel message as I understand it, in English. Then I sat down with an Arab Christian who translated my gospel presentation in Arabic. I was not able to write Arabic at that time so I just used the western alphabet to transcribe the Arabic so that I knew how to pronounce the words correctly in Arabic.

Then I took that piece of paper and I went back to the flat I stayed in. I memorized the whole thing even though I did not understand most of the Arabic words myself. It took me a week and my flat mates thought that I was crazy as I walked up and down in the room reciting the Arabic on my paper.

Armed with this I went to a social gathering place where men would meet for coffee and tea. As soon as somebody asked me if I was a Muslim I would respond by saying: Let me tell you this story, and then I would go on giving my gospel interpretation in Arabic. Of course the objections came but I learned the phrase: “Wait a minute, you will understand later.” This worked brilliantly and I proclaimed the gospel to numerous people before I had a grasp on the Arabic grammar. Looking back ten years from now, I kind of envy the time I was not able to understand their objections. I just gave the gospel message as it is.

God can use us even if our language grasp is not at the fluency level and yes, God can use our broken Arabic. Search for creative ways by which you can proclaim the gospel. From day one you arrive in the field, focus on religious vocabulary that will help you bring over the message.

Evangelism and Methods

There are often debates about: How should we do evangelism? I remembered a lecture from John Gilchrist in which he said: “Street evangelism, Bible, Jesus film and literature distribution, friendship evangelism, one-on-one evangelism, door-to-door evangelism, I don’t care how you do it, BUT DO IT! God in His infinite wisdom can use all kinds of methods to bring somebody to Christ.

Decide on a method which suites you the best and start doing it. My suggestion is to try all methods and put it into practice. Make it an adventure by trying different methods each month.

Evangelism Requires Boldness

One day I was on a train in a Middle Eastern country. In front of me was an Islamist with a long beard busy reciting the Quran which was in his hands. I immediately took out of my pocket the gospel of John. I asked him: “Excuse me sir, would you mind reading out of this book from this passage. It was John 3 on the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus. He put away the Quran in his pocket and started to read the gospel of John. Afterwards I used the passage to tell him that what Jesus talked about in this passage has happened in my life.

Some missionaries would have thought of a thousand reasons not to have done something like that. During my time in the Middle East I have found 2 kinds of missionaries. The first are those who rarely share the gospel, rarely give out bibles or other literature. Many of these kinds of missionaries maintain such a high level security and are so protective about the platforms they use to get in the country, that in the end it does nothing but cripple their witness.

The second kind of missionary are those who dare to be bold and take some measure of risk. Admittedly these missionaries often get kicked out after say, 5 years – But in those five years they were bold witnesses for the Lord, they shared the message often and gave out bibles on a regular basis. They are fearless on evangelism because they know that this is the reason the Lord called them for to this country.

When evangelism is the focus of a missionary, the culture shock that one goes through is also minimized. Many times people start to internalize their problems during culture shock and they completely forget why they are in that particular foreign country in the first place.

Let us look for opportunities to share the gospel at all times. This is also a call to put aside our fears of witnessing (for which ever reason) and focus on the task the Lord has given us. We are messengers of love which drives away all fear. Is the message not more important than our lives and our safety? Jesus calls his followers to put down their lives and be ready to die. In evangelism are we ready to put down our lives, our safety, and our platforms for Jesus.

Evangelism Leads to Stories of Changed Lives

Because of evangelism I have many stories to tell, but I would like to tell one particular story of Abraham. One night I decided to go out for the purpose of evangelism. That specific evening I was not in the mood to go out but I went out anyway. It makes me think of a sermon I listened to by Greg Boyd. In the sermon he said that sometimes you are not in the mood to read the bible but then you just do it because you know it is the right thing to do. If you are going to wait until you feel in the mood to do evangelism you are most probably not going to get there. JUST DO IT.

Back to the story of Abraham. Abraham and his friend Jamal spent the evening at a place where young Arab men like to sit down and drink tea. I asked them if I could join them and they had no problem. We had a very good religious discussion for 4 hours after which Abraham asked me if I had a bible for him. I immediately said yes and we took a taxi to our house where I handed a bible to him and his friend. By the way, some missionaries would never give a bible in this situation but then again, that is why am here, so I just do it.

I greeted him and his friend and did not take any contact details. The next morning I had to go to the post office to pay a bill. There in the middle of the street I bumped into Abraham. Immediately he took out his pocket bible and showed me that he had read half of the gospel of Matthew already. He told me: “There is only one problem, I read and read but nowhere do they explain how do you become a Christian.” I made an appointment to meet him that evening. When we met he had lots of questions about Christianity. At one point in the conversation he told me that he and his friend have had some severe stomach problems for the past two years. (A common ailment in this part of the world.) I offered to pray for healing, they agreed and then I prayed for them. We said goodbye to each other and they asked me to have lunch with them the next day. When I met them the following day both of them were healed from their stomach problems. We met again that evening and he told me that he must return to Mecca the next day where he is employed. I realized that I had not told him how to become a follower of Jesus yet. When I shared with him about what to pray he looked at me with a funny look in his face and he said: “I have prayed that prayer already! Last night.”

So he departed for Mecca. One month after our meeting I got a phone call from him. He told me: “It is Abraham here from Mecca. I just want to tell you that I am still happy and there are six other people who are happy with me. I was overjoyed when I hung up the phone.

Evangelism and the Holy Spirit

One day I took a taxi to my house. Some days I have very good gospel conversations with taxi drivers. However, this day there was only silence in the taxi. When we stopped at our house I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to give this man a bible. I was a bit hesitant because I made a rule for myself to never give a bible to someone unless I had a spiritual conversation with him. But this time I was sure that the Holy Spirit was telling me to do it. So I overcame my fear and told him to wait a minute. I gave him the bible and told him, “This is a gift from me,” without telling him that the book was a Bible. Ten minutes later I heard a knock on our door. I must confess I was afraid that maybe the security police were coming now. I opened the door and there was the taxi driver. He thanked me for the Bible and told me that he had been listening to the Christian radio for six years, and was praying for a Bible during that whole time.

We should always be sensitive to the voice of the Lord. Be open to the thought that the Lord might ask you to share his message in new or different ways.

Evangelism and Prayer

This is fact of life we can’t get past: Evangelism without prayer is useless. This year (2009) there was one guy I had been meeting with for about 3 months, once a week. Let’s call him Mohammed. I shared all that I was able to share about the gospel. I felt that our conversations were beginning to reach an end. Then I decided not to meet him for two weeks and just to pray. My wife and I then prayed daily for his conversion. After the two weeks I met up with him again. The moment I saw him I noticed that there was something different about him. There was this joy all over his face. He told me then he became a Christian that week.

If your evangelism seems to not be going anywhere, try to focus on praying for the people that you work and talk with. If you have the opportunity to join a 24/7 prayer watch, go for it – it is ideal for the message we want to proclaim.

Evangelism and Our Responsibility

Many missionaries in the Middle East say that they don’t have the gift of evangelism. Yes, it is true that some have that gift of evangelism, but that does not justify the rest of us in the field doing nothing about it. It is each and every believer in Christ’s responsibility to be involved in active evangelism. By active evangelism I mean using words to proclaim the gospel. Some people try to get away with saying things like: “I proclaim the gospel with my life and the way I live.” While it is true that our daily life should reflect the message of Jesus, the fact remains that many atheists, Buddhists or social activists can compete with us by the good life they live. Certainly our lives as believers in Jesus are not perfect and we do make mistakes, say things we should not say, and do things we should not do. It is at this point where we can proclaim a message with words that say “Jesus has died for a sinner like me, I am a broken vessel in God’s service.” We only live by the grace of God; let us proclaim this with our mouths. Romans 10: 14 is quite relevant in the context of evangelism:

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

Humble servant of Christ
(Author’s name kept confidential for security reasons), October 2009.

This Is Brokenness (John Collinson)

thollings5893 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:29:19 +0000

Sometimes it is asked what we mean by brokenness. Brokenness is not easy to define but can be clearly seen in the reactions of Jesus, especially as He approached the cross and in His crucifixion. I think it can be applied personally in this way:

WHEN to do the will of God means that even my Christian brethren will not understand, and I remember that “Neither did His brethren believe in Him” [John 7:5], and I bow my head to obey and accept the misunderstanding, THIS IS BROKENNESS.

WHEN I am misrepresented or deliberately misinterpreted, and I remember that Jesus was falsely accused but He “held His peace,” and I bow my head to accept the accusation without trying to justify myself, THIS IS BROKENNESS.

WHEN another is preferred before me and I am deliberately passed over, and I remember that they cried, “Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas” [Luke 23:18], and I bow my head and accept rejection, THIS IS BROKENNESS.

WHEN my plans are brushed aside and I see the work of years brought to ruins by ambitions of others and I remember that Jesus allowed them to lead Him away to crucify Him [Matthew 27:31] and He accepted that place of failure, and I bow my head and accept the injustice without bitterness, THIS IS BROKENNESS.

WHEN in order to be right with my God it is necessary to take the humbling path of confession and restitution, and I remember that Jesus “made Himself of no reputation” and “humbled Himself unto death, even the death of the cross” [Philippians 2:8], and I bow my head and am ready to accept the shame of exposure, THIS IS BROKENNESS.

WHEN others take unfair advantage of my being a Christian and, treat my belongings as public property, and I remember “they stripped Him… and parted His garments, casting lots” [Matthew 27:28,35], and I bow my head and accept “joyfully the spoiling of my goods” for His sake, THIS IS BROKENNESS.

WHEN one acts towards me in an unforgivable way, and I remember that when He was crucified Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” [Luke 23:34], and I bow my head and accept any behavior towards me as permitted by my loving Father, THIS IS BROKENNESS.

WHEN people expect the impossible of me and more than time or human strength can give, and I remember that Jesus said, “This is My body which is given for you…” [Luke 22:19], and I repent of my self-indulgence and lack of self-giving for others, THIS IS BROKENNESS.

When All Men Speak Well of You (Dr. Peter Hammond)

thollings5893 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:51:13 +0000

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” – Luke 6:26

It is interesting how, in spite of all the warnings in Scripture against gossip, slander, and tale bearing, just how much stock we tend to place in people’s opinions. It is said that where there is smoke there is fire. However, the smoke may be no more than dust and hot air.

As Mark Twain observed: “A lie can travel halfway across the world while truth is still getting its boots on!”

The great Baptist preacher, C.H. Spurgeon, warned: “Believe not half you hear; repeat not half you believe. When you hear an evil report, halve it, then quarter it, and say nothing about the rest of it.”

The great Reformer, John Calvin, declared: “No greater injury can be inflicted upon men than to ruin their reputation.”

Thomas Brooks taught: “Of all the members in the body, there is none so serviceable to Satan as the tongue.”

C. H. Spurgeon wrote: “The more prominent you are in Christ’s service, the more certain are you to be the butt of calumny. I have long ago said farewell to my character. I lost it in the early days of my ministry by being a little more zealous than suited a slumbering age. And I have never been able to regain it except in the sight of Him who judges all the earth, and in the hearts of those who love me for my work’s sake.”

John Calvin wrote: “There is nothing more slippery or loose than the tongue.”

The Scriptures command us “to slander no-one, to be peaceable and considerate and to show true humility toward all men.” Titus 3:2

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Ephesians 4:31

Yet gossip remains prevalent within the church, and the arrogance, bitterness, jealousy and malice that so often accompany it generally remains unchallenged.

King David wrote: “Whoever slanders his neighbour in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.” Psalm 101:5

Today, however, it is more common to publish the slanders than to silence or rebuke them.

Few seem to consider that whoever gossips to you will gossip of you.

The teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ are very clear. “In everything do to others what you would have them do to you. For this sums up the Law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12

When we pray we are to say: “Forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors…. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:12-15

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets…Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” Luke 6:22-26

Why then do we continue to place such value upon people’s opinions? After all, mass murdering tyrants like Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse Tung have been “Man of the Year” of Time Magazine .

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I was still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

Our Lord Jesus Christ warned us: “Many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.”
Matthew 24:10

Even one of Jesus’ hand picked disciples, Judas, who was trusted as the treasurer of “The Twelve” took money from the high priests to betray our Lord Jesus Christ into their hands (Luke 22:8; John 13:21).

When Moses sent out twelve scouts to explore the land, ten returned with a negative and defeatist report and“made the whole community grumble” to the point of even wanting to stone Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:36). Only Joshua and Caleb, of the twelve, came back with a good report. The Lord severely judged the ten complainers and mightily blessed the faithful Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 16:38)

Criticising Calvin

The great French Reformer, John Calvin, transformed Geneva through his preaching, teaching, writings and Academy. Under John Calvin’s ministry, Geneva became the intellectual centre and hub of the Reformation, a place of religious freedom and refuge for Protestants fleeing persecution. Geneva also became a sending base for evangelists, pastors and missionaries who established literally thousands of Reformed churches throughout Europe and further afield.

Yet historians have noted that: “No good man has ever had a worse press; no Christian theologian is so often scorned; so regularly attacked.”

Throughout his life Calvin faced major opposition, often from fellow Protestants and other theologians: “whose objections to Calvin were incessant and, usually, unpleasant.” Even today, there are those who maintain that John Calvin was a vicious tyrant who oppressed the people under an unbearable dictatorship. And that he had people executed for disagreeing with him.

Yet, the facts are: Calvin never ruled Geneva. The city was not a totalitarian society, but a republic with elections and dissent. Calvin held no civil office, he could neither arrest nor punish any citizen, nor could he appoint or dismiss any official. (To argue that his eloquence and logic constituted tyranny, is to invent a new standard.)

History records that refugees from all over Europe flooded to Geneva to find the freedom there that they were not able to enjoy in their home countries. Under Calvin, Geneva developed into Europe’s greatest concentration of printers and publishing firms. It became the epicentre of the movement for freedom world wide. Yet Calvin continues to be slandered by ignorant and prejudiced people.

Libel Against Luther

Similarly, the great German Reformer, Martin Luther, continues to be slandered to this day. Whole websites are dedicated to depicting Luther as an anti-Semite who laid the foundations for the holocaust!

The accusation that Martin Luther was an anti-Semite, responsible for massacres, reveals an ignorance of history. Luther was pro-Christ and he was zealous in evangelism. For decades he lovingly and patiently reached out to the Jewish people in his area with the Gospel. In 1523, Luther accused Catholics of being unfair to Jews in treating them “as if they were dogs”. Luther was outraged and declared that such mistreatment made it even more difficult for Jews to convert to Christ.

Luther wrote “I would request and advise that one deal gently with the Jews…if we really want to help them, we must be guided in our dealings with them, not by papal law, but by the Law of Christian love. We must receive them cordially, and permit them to trade and work with us, hear our Christian teaching and witness our Christian life. If some of them should prove stiff-necked, what of it? After all, we ourselves are not all good Christians either.”

Fifteen years later, however, the persistent rejection of Christ and repeated blasphemies of those Jewish people in his community, provoked Luther to write: “On the Jews and their Lies.” In this pamphlet, Luther wrote against the“madness and blindness that blasphemes Christ” in the Rabbinic teachings. Luther declared that he could not “have any fellowship or patience with obstinate blasphemers and those who defame our dear Saviour.” These blasphemies included describing our Lord Jesus Christ as “the bastard son” of “that whore Mary”, and even worse. Blasphemy was a civil crime. Luther taught that to tolerate such blasphemy was to share in the guilt for it. Therefore, he proposed measures of “sharp mercy” which included confiscating all Jewish literature which was blasphemous and prohibiting Rabbis to teach such blasphemy.

However, to quote these reactions of Luther without explaining their local context of opposing the repeated blasphemies of Jewish individuals in his community and then to project guilt for the continent-wide, anti-Christian holocaust of World War II upon the great 16th Century Reformer is ludicrous. How can any Christian Reformer of the 16th Century be blamed for the evils perpetrated by humanists (who clearly rejected his teachings) nearly 400 years after his death!

Hitler was a disciple of Nietzsche (the philosopher who declared: “God is dead”) – not Luther. Luther was not an anti-Semite. His arguments against Jewish individuals were theological, not biological or cultural. He was speaking out against blasphemy and heresy, not opposing an entire race or nation of people.

It is most disturbing that such a humble and God fearing man, who, against all odds, gave to the church and the world the Bible, freely available in the common tongue; who introduced congregational singing; championed justification by God’s Grace, received by faith, on the basis of the finished work of Christ; who stood for sola Scriptura – that Scripture alone is the ultimate authority; and who was so wonderfully used of the Lord to bring about the greatest Biblical Reformation and birth of freedom that the world had ever known, could be the target of such vicious slander.

The Scriptures implore us: “Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the Law and judges it.” James 4:11

Malice and a Contentious Spirit

There is a disturbing tendency throughout the church, seen regularly in homes where they have “roast pastor for Sunday lunch”, to set ourselves up continually as judges of those who are better than us. Many have the gift of criticism and a ministry of discouragement. Few recognise how seriously their casual criticism, of what are often trivial matters, erodes and undermines the ministries of those called of God to service.

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind.” 1 Peter 2:1

As the Scripture so plainly shows us, slander of every kind is inseparable from malice, deceit, hypocrisy and envy. (The middle letter of pride is “I”, the middle letter of lie is “I”, the middle letter of sin is “I”, so too the middle letter of Lucifer is “I”.) Self centred pride is often at the root of our desire to slander great men and women of the past, and to drag down others whom God has raised up.

Jonathan Edwards, one of America’s greatest theologians, and a man most closely associated with the Great Evangelical Awakening, was actually dismissed by his own church for applying Biblical discipline. The elders of his church would not accept his position that unbelievers should not be allowed to participate in The Lord’s Supper. In his farewell message, Edwards declared: “…avoid contention. A contentious people will be a miserable people…heat of spirit, evil speaking and things of the like…directly contrary to the spirit of Christianity…watch against a contentious spirit…”

Condemning Carey

The father of modern missions, William Carey, and his co-worker, John Marshman, had to endure vicious and unjust criticisms from young new missionaries who came “to help” at the mission base in Serampore, India. Many of these new volunteers actually split from the Serampore mission and spent an inordinate amount of time slandering William Carey and his co-workers (the controversy lasted thirteen years). So much so that the Baptist Missionary Society in England actually turned against William Carey for a time.

Writing of this, Carey said: “the evil they have done is, I fear, irreparable; and certainly the whole might have been prevented by a little frank conversation with either of us; and a hundredth part of that self- denial which I found necessary to exercise for the first few years of the mission would have prevented this awful rupture…but now we are traduced and the church rent by the very men who came to be our helpers…judge for yourselves whether it is comely that a man who has laboriously and disinterestedly served the mission so many years should be arraigned and condemned without a hearing by a few men who have just arrived, one of whom had not been a month in the country before he joined the senseless outcry.”

Slandering Samuel Marsden

On a recent speaking tour to Australia, a couple of people commented on my including Samuel Marsden in The Greatest Century of Missions. They frankly admitted that they had never before heard anything good about Samuel Marsden, but only that he was a vicious “hanging judge” and “religious hypocrite”.

In fact, Samuel Marsden was a pioneer missionary and founding father of Australia and New Zealand. He was a man who upheld justice impartially, and who diligently preached the Gospel. Throughout his life he remained a humble and generous Christian who laid the foundations for the Christian Church in Australia and New Zealand. Although he came to Australia as a chaplain to the convict colony of New South Wales, the Governor compelled him to also be the magistrate. Combining both demanding vocations in one person involved Marsden in one controversy after another. Samuel tried his utmost to provide for the prisoners, to establish a school for orphans, and to right the wrongs suffered by Aborigines.

His attempts to uphold principles of justice placed his life in danger and he endured many threats to his life. On one occasion, he travelled to England to call the attention of the government to the unacceptable conditions and to secure intervention. He presented these grievances to King George III himself.

Samuel Marsden had a great missionary vision which also extended to bringing the Gospel of Christ to the cannibals of New Zealand. Despite vicious disputes between some of the missionaries answerable to him, and relentless criticism, Samuel Marsden conducted the first public worship service in New Zealand, interceded between two warring tribes, and introduced education, standards of justice, and law and order to the country.

It was his sad experience to continually be a victim of malicious and unfounded charges throughout his time in Australia. His fearless denunciation of sin made him numerous enemies, but the Lord vindicated Samuel Marsden. Within 31 years of his first service in New Zealand, 98% of the Maoris had embraced Christianity.

Harrassing Hudson Taylor

In 1865, Hudson Taylor prayed for 24 “willing, skilful labourers” for his new China Inland Mission. Willing and skilful they may have been, but four of these new recruits also brought dissension and controversy. Soon these dissidents had poisoned the fellowship with their increasing bitterness and resentment. After two years of backbiting and disruption, Hudson Taylor had to dismiss the ringleader, Louis Nicole, from the mission. Other troublemakers left with him.

More unrelenting slander and lies undermined the work of the China Inland Mission. One of the accusations against Hudson Taylor was that he was “too familiar with the young ladies.” Hudson and Maria Taylor kissed some of the girls on the forehead before they went off to bed. The ladies themselves denied any inappropriate behaviour, but still the complaint reached London, and for a time led to a fall in support for the mission.

As Hudson Taylor wrote: “If the Spirit of God works mightily, we may be sure that the spirit of evil will also be active.”The China Inland Mission was engulfed in opposition, dissension, controversy, fire and death from the beginning. Their mission house in Yangchow was attacked and set on fire. Furious persecution engulfed them. Storms of criticism and controversy erupted. However, in spite of constant controversies, the number of CIM missionaries grew, in time becoming the largest mission organisation in the world. By the end of Hudson’s long life, the very mission organisations that had belittled and ridiculed his methods had begun adopting many of them.

Presumed Guilty

On his Zambezi expedition, pioneer missionary explorer David Livingstone was afflicted by interpersonal conflicts amongst his team leading to everyone abandoning him in the field, even his own brother Charles. By the time he returned to England seven years later, Livingstone found that his disgruntled ex-co-workers had so spread an ill report against him, that no-one even came out to welcome him back. He was ostracised. Presumed guilty without even a chance to defend himself.

From Outcasts to Textbooks
The greatest Baptist preacher of all time, Charles Spurgeon, was actually the target of vicious and slanderous attacks by the Baptist Union of his day. Now his books are textbooks of Baptist colleges and his statue stands outside the Baptist Union headquarters.

George Whitefield, one of the greatest evangelists of all time and a key figure in the Great Evangelical Awakening, was actually excluded from the Church of England that he had served so faithfully. Today the Church of England in South Africa has named its college after George Whitefield.

A Price of Success

Dr James Kennedy in his book, Delighting God, writes “if you rise just a little bit above the common herd, if you achieve just a modicum more success than your neighbours, most surely those barbs of criticism are going to be shot your way.

“To avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” “There is no defence against reproach – except obscurity.”

Delighting God quotes one wise old man “if I tried to read, much less answer all the criticisms made of me, and all the attacks levelled against me, this office would have to be closed to all other business. I do the best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing this, down to the very end. If the end brings me out all wrong, ten angels swearing I had been right would make no difference. If the end brings me out alright, then what is said against me now will not amount to anything.”

An Opportunity to Glorify God

There is no doubt that adversity builds character. A faith that can’t be tested, can’t be trusted. Smooth seas do not make skilful sailors.
But unjustified criticism is still better than flattery – and less dangerous! We can always benefit – even from the most unbalanced criticism. What man means for evil, God can use for good. (Genesis 50:20)

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

Such trials should drive us to prayer, humble us and deepen our devotional life as we search the Scriptures and ask: “What is God saying to me through this?”

It can also enable us to empathise with and comfort others who suffer such injustices.

Christians suffering unjust criticism should find opportunities to glorify God and to witness for Christ. Ultimately, God’s opinion and approval is the only One that counts. It is He whom we should continually be seeking to please.

And one thing that Christ requires is that we forgive those who sin against us – unconditionally, wholeheartedly. We who have been forgiven much should love much. “Blessed are you when men hate you and when they exclude you, and revile you and cast out your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy. For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets…Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” Luke 6:22-26

It’s Not The Critic That Counts

As United States President Theodore Roosevelt wrote: “It is not the critic that counts nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled; nor where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and; who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while doing greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat!”

A Test of Character

Everything in life is a test of character. Extreme situations expose and bring out the best, or the worst, in people. A person’s character is accurately measured by their reaction to unfairness or bad treatment. The measure of a person’s character can be seen by the size of those things which upset him. The true flavour of a tea bag is only tasted after it has been placed in hot water, and so it is with ourselves. Our reputation is what men think we are. Our character is what God knows we are. And this is only revealed under extreme crisis situations.

So, when troubles and tribulations come, when you are insulted, excluded, reviled and mistreated, do what our Lord Jesus commanded; “rejoice in that day and leap for joy!”

On the other hand; “Woe to you when all men speak well of you…” Luke 6:26

Dr Peter Hammond

An Exhortation to Serve the Lord (Edward Griffin)

thollings5893 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:40:18 +0000

‘And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.‘ Deut. 10:12.

Complaints are often made against the ministers of Christ that their preaching is too rigorous and pungent. I sincerely wish that the world might once see what discourses the eternal God would himself deliver should he undertake to preach to men. —What do I say? He has published a volume of discourses, and they have been more harshly treated than any of the sermons of his ministers. The words which I have read were taken from a sermon which God delivered in tones of awful grandeur from Mount Sinai, or else through the medium of Moses. If it seems hard to you to be required ‘to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and to love him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,’ be it remembered that the source of this command is not ministers, but God himself. If any murmur at this, I have no controversy with them; I leave it to be settled between them and their Maker. Having often preached with little effect myself, I would now retire and leave the God of Israel to preach to you. I would stand concealed in humble awe behind him, while he delivers his heavenly instructions to the people. Sermons are often heard as the words of men. It is difficult, to a distressing degree, to produce a realizing sense that the truths we preach proceeded from the lips of God. In the present case I hope this difficulty will not be felt. Had you stood at the foot of Sinai and heard the trumpet and the thunders, and heard the words of our text issuing from the thick darkness, you would not have doubted that they came from God. But they were heard in substance by a million people, who trembled and fled as these sentiments were poured upon their ears from the burning mount. And now, after the lapse of more than three thousand years, it is still as true as ever that they proceeded from the lips of God. Receive them therefore with as much veneration as though a throne were set in this house, and the God of glory were seated on it, and these words were sounded from his divine lips. And now, my people, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul?

Who obeys this command? A part of my hearers obey it in some degree. They esteem God above every other object. They consider his glory as their highest interest, and communion with him as their supreme happiness. They would sooner forget father and mother than forget him. It is their greatest grief that their treacherous hearts are so prone to wander from him. Their most fervent desires pant after him. And when in a favored hour they find him whom their ’soul loves,’ they hold him fast and will not let him go. I have no reproaches for these. It is our Master’s will that we should speak kindly to them and encourage them in his name. But are all such? Would to God all were. But charity herself would blush should we so far profane her sacred office as to lend her sanction to such an opinion. Charity herself must fear that in such a congregation as this there are many who have never yielded any service to God. Yet in most cases it is difficult to fix the charge where it ought to lie. So superficial are men’s ideas of God’s service, that they often think themselves his servants merely because they have been baptised, and attend public worship, and are charitable to the poor, and free from scandalous vices. But there is no service without love. ‘Love is the fulfilling of the law.’ ‘Good,’ you say, ‘and I love the Lord. I should be very sorry not to love so bountiful and good a God.’ Do you indeed? Do you indeed? Let us see. ‘If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.’ ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other: you cannot serve God and mammon.’ There is no love to God which is not habitually supreme. For though love enough to give a cup of cold water constitutes a disciple, none are disciples but those who love Christ supremely. ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.’

Supreme love to God will certainly produce self denial for his sake. It will habitually avoid every thing which he has forbidden, and obey, not a part, but all his commands. He that offends ‘in one point,’ knowingly and habitually, ‘is guilty of all.’ Supreme love will seek communion with its object more than any worldly pleasure. It will pant after him and after greater conformity to him; it will seek his glory as the highest interest; it will count him the most desirable portion; it will delight in thinking of him more than in any worldly thoughts; it will delight in prayer, —will renounce the world and idols and cultivate a heavenly mind. Unless we have that which will produce all these effects, we have no supreme love to God; and if we have no supreme love, we have no love at all; and if we have no love, as there is no neutral state, we are his enemies. ‘He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad.’ As humiliating as the thought is, we know that no man is otherwise than God’s enemy until he is born again. ‘The carnal mind is enmity against God.’ Hence it is that so many people who attend public worship and lead regular lives, are unmindful of God from day to day, neglect prayer, put eternal things out of view, and lose themselves in the eager pursuit of the world. They must be conscious, if they will but reflect, that the world engages more of their care than God or their souls, and is of course their supreme deity. They must be conscious that the Sabbath is a burden unless devoted to sloth or amusement,—that prayer is a burden,—that religious society is a burden,—that the thoughts of God which sometimes intrude are unwelcome,—that the divine service is not agreeable to their taste,—that they would rather be employed in business or pleasure than in religion, in reading an amusing story than in searching the Scriptures. Surely such people do not love God. Such minds could not be happy in heaven if admitted to the place. They must undergo a radical change or certainly they can find no happiness beyond the grave. Ah Lord God, how many such are to be found among us,—among the dearest friends of our hearts. It is distressing to look through our congregations and see how men neglect God; how they live without him in the world, —live as though there were no God. Is there no remedy for our lost brethren? Will nothing awaken them to their duty and danger? The necessity of making some attempt to rouse them is so pressing, that I trust Christians will excuse me if I turn my attention altogether to these. Let them stand by and assist me with their prayers, while I attempt to recall from death this interesting multitude.

Come, my unhappy friends, and let us reason together. Lend your whole attention while one who hopes he is a friend to both parties, makes an humble attempt to reconcile you to your Maker. It is not an enemy you hear; not one who would needlessly disturb your peace. God knows I wish you nothing but happiness in time or eternity; and if the present address might be the instrument of making you all blest, I should account this the happiest day of my life. But in what language shall I address you? What new arguments shall I set before you? The enemy of God in your breast has resisted so many sermons, that those who love you are afraid that nothing will ever avail. O when shall it once be? Would God that this might be the sermon. But so many better discourses have been lost upon you, that I tremble for the fate of this. The longer you hear without improvement the longer you may. Every resisted sermon renders future resistance more easy and certain. And this very address, unless it softens will harden you; unless it proves a ’savour of life,’ will become a ’savour of death.’—Shall I stop or shall I proceed? —I must proceed; but first let me entreat you to lift one earnest prayer to God that he would carry the truth home to your hearts. You may have sometimes complained that your fears, rather than your reason, were addressed. You shall have no cause for this complaint now. I mean to appeal to your understandings and to treat you like rational beings. For such indeed you are,—rational beings, endowed with Godlike faculties, capable of enjoying and adorning the heavenly city; infinitely too precious to be lost and devoted to eternal blasphemy and pain.

The great reason of your insensibility is, that under the stupifying influence of unbelief, you have secretly doubted whether there is a God, or if there is, whether you have any thing to do with him or he with you. The thought has lurked in your heart, that if there is a God, he is so far from you, and so unconnected with you, that you have nothing more to do with him than with an inhabitant of another planet. You have never conceived that you owed him your whole heart and life. But now for God’s sake attend.

‘What dost thou here, Elijah?’ Child of dust, what dost thou here in this world? Who sent you hither? and for what end? You are conscious that you did not create yourself, and your parents know that they did not create you. It was God that made you what you are, and put you into a world which he had richly furnished for your use. Have you nothing to do with him or he with you? You are absolutely his property, and he is your Lord and Master, and has a right to you and to the use of all your talents. What was the precise end for which he sent you into the world? I wish to draw your attention to this single point: for I am persuaded that if this one consideration could be fastened on your mind, you would be convinced that you have neglected the great end of your being. Do you imagine that he created you and raised you so much above the brutes, and put you into a world on which he had expended so much labor, that you might wander from him into the regions of darkness? That you might seek your happiness out of him, and live in rebellion against him? that you might spend your life only in preparing to live in this transitory state? Or that you might live only to eat and drink? The latter the brutes are fitted to do; but can you imagine that you have no higher end than they? Indulge no such fatal mistake. As God is true, he sent you into his world for the same end that a master sends a servant into his vineyard,—to labor for him. The sole reason that you are in this world rather than not here, is that you may have an opportunity to serve and enjoy God. He has sent you into the field abundantly furnished with powers and means to serve him, and has strictly commanded you to use these talents in his service. Say not that he is too far above you to be apprehended.

He has brought himself down and spread himself out before you in his works and word, and it is only to unbelief that he is invisible. As your Proprietor and Master, he has a right to expect that all your time and talents, all your wealth and influence, should be consecrated to his service; that your affections should all be engaged for him; that every motive and aim should be ‘holiness to the Lord;’ that ‘whether you eat or drink’ or whatsoever you do, you should do all to his glory; that this should be the general scope of every action and the leading care of every hour.

Having sent you into his vineyard, he looks after you to see whether you are faithful or not. Has he nothing to do with you? His eyes are upon you every moment,—upon the very bottom of your heart. They follow you wherever you go, and mark you out and contemplate all you do, as though you were the only object of his attention in the universe. The fixed design for which they follow you is, to observe whether you perform or neglect the great business for which he sent you into the world. Dream not that he is too distant to concern himself with you; he is ‘not far from everyone of us.’ He is by your side and on the very seat with you this moment. Has he nothing to do with you? In him you ‘live and move and have [your] being.’ For so many years he has sustained you out of hell, and suffered you to live on his earth and breathe his air. And why is all this? I beseech you to consider the end for which he has done all this for you. Why do you feed and clothe your bond servant? It is that he may not die but live and labor for you. And what would you think, if, while living at your expense and sharing your kindness, he should altogether neglect your service? Should you assign him his task for a certain day in the field, and lie behind the hedge and watch him, and see him all day long doing nothing but wasting your property, what would be your feelings towards that servant? God has sent you into his field,—has solemnly charged you to be faithful to him,—has supported your life,—has fed and clothed you,—and from his invisible seat has kept his eye upon you through all the day of life; and now the day is drawing to a close, and you have not yet begun your work, but have been only marring his estate. And now you are about to return from the field with nothing done, to give in your account to your Master. And what, in the name of eternal justice, will your account be? How will your Master receive you? Ah think of it; it will be a serious hour.

Your Lord and Master, having sent you into his world to serve him,—having sustained you from year to year, with great expense and care, and kept you from the eternal pit, for the express purpose that you might live and labor for him; has added one mercy more which has astonished heaven and earth. At the expense of the life of his own Son he has redeemed you from death. And why was all this? For no other purpose than that you might yet live and labor for him. He has given you opportunities for the means of grace,—has followed you with calls,—has offered to pardon the past if you will only be faithful in future,—has waited upon you and labored with you, with so much pains, for so many years, under so many discouragements, to see if you would not at length feel some sincere regrets and return to his service; and yet, to the shame of all creation, you refuse to serve him still. These amazing kindnesses have well entitled him to the name of Father. He is your Father, and as such you owe him honor. He is your Redeemer, and as such you owe him the tenderest thanks that a grateful heart can render. And have you nothing to do with him? Is he so distant and unconnected with you, that you have no cause to move a thought towards him? Better to say that the inmost fibre of your heart is a stranger and foreigner. Better to sever the bonds of nature and turn off your dearest friends as outcasts from your love.

Did your Creator turn you loose into the world, to run wild in pursuit of your own imaginations, without law or restraint, intending to look no further after you, but to throw you out from his care? Woe to you if he had done this; though this, I fear, you have often wished. But he did no such thing. His intention was still to follow you with his cares, as beloved creatures whom his own bands had formed,—to exercise government over you,—to establish eternal communion with you,—to lead your desires up to him,—to fill you with his own sublime happiness, and to make you a part of an harmonious, blessed, and glorious kingdom. To accomplish these ends he put you under law,—a law admirably calculated to unite you to him and to consummate your happiness. As he is infinitely the greatest and best of beings, whom no man can hate and be happy; who, in order to further an harmonious kingdom, must be acknowledged as the Head, and must be the centre of affection and the great bond of attraction; therefore he has commanded all his rational creatures to love him supremely. In this he has required no more than was his due, and the very least that it was for his honor to accept. Indeed he has conferred an infinite favor on creatures by making a law so essential to public order, and pointing out the only way to individual happiness. The unreasonable will complain of anything, and murmurs have filled the world because this law requires the heart. But were it otherwise,—were God to relinquish his claims on the heart and compound for outward service only, would it be better then? Could they be happy here, could they be happy in heaven, without a holy heart? They had better never been born than be excused from loving God. Should God give up his law, still they are wretches to eternity without love to him. The law enjoins nothing but what in the nature of things is essential to happiness. Have you nothing to do with God or he with you? You have forgotten that you are subjects under law, bound by all the authority of Jehovah. ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.’ This comes to you under the great seal of heaven. It is the express command of the eternal God. Whatever you may think of it, neither the praise nor the blame of making or publishing it belongs to men. From this moment you must either renounce your Bible, or understand that God accounts you rebels for not loving and serving him with all the heart and soul. He admits no excuse. Your plea that you cannot, is only pleading guilty. A heart that refuses to love the Creator and Redeemer of the world, is the very thing for which God condemns you,—is the vilest rebel in the universe.

And now have you nothing to do with God or he with you? Know well, my unhappy hearers, that God will have to do with you through the interminable ages of eternity, and on his sovereign pleasure it depends whether you shall spend your eternity in heaven or hell. You cannot be disconnected from him if you would. You are in his hands, and you must remain in his hands to eternity.
O my dear hearers, my flesh and blood, you have not sufficiently considered these things. There is no realizing sense of one of these truths in minds that can remain at ease in a state of enmity against God. You have not considered who sent you into the world, and for what end,—who supports your lives, and for what end they are supported,—who redeemed you from death, and why you were redeemed. You have not considered what God has earnestly commanded you to do, and what connexion you must have with him to eternity. These things you have not considered; but God considers them all. He indeed keeps silence, because this is not the state of retribution, but of trial. He keeps silence, but is angry. He is angry, and he will one day speak. He will speak in a manner which does not admit of present description, but it will be such as fully to assert his rights and wipe off the stigma which his long silence has occasioned, that he is ‘altogether such a one as’ yourselves. He will take account of his servants to whom he committed the talents. ‘Every work [shall be brought] into judgment, with every secret thing whether it be good or evil.’ At the close of all he will command them to cast ‘the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

And now what will you say to these things? Has not every word been calmly addressed to your reason, and been supported by positive declarations from the Word of God? If then the Bible is not a fable,—if it is the book by which you will be judged at the last day, your case is such as calls for immediate attention. God has a very heavy account against you. There is wrath gone out against you. It behooves you to get the sentence repealed without delay by deep contrition and application to the blood of atonement. Do you think it will answer for you to live any longer idle under the very eye of your Master? At this late hour ought any more time to be lost? I wish I knew what resolutions you are forming. My dear hearers, what do you intend to do? What use will you make of this exhortation when you depart? Some, I fear, will think no more of it until it meets them in judgment. Others may be impressed for a season and afterwards return to stupidity. But will not some one be wise enough this once to believe God? O God, if any are hesitating, interpose and fix their resolves! Nay, let not that thought arise again, When I have got a little more of the world I will attend. So thought Felix, but the thought was fatal. A resolution to postpone, is half a resolution to die as you are. If it were not so pressing a case, I would not be so pressing. But you have souls capable of amazing happiness or amazing woe, and they are now under sentence of eternal death. ‘He who does not believe is condemned already.’ Can a rational being rest in such a state? You see also what pressing claims your Creator and Redeemer has upon you. Most of you would be agonized at the thought of defrauding one of your fellow men. But will you be scrupulous to ‘render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s,’ and feel no concern to ‘render unto God the things that are God’s?’ O that this sentiment might vibrate in your ears and be deposited at the bottom of your hearts, ‘Render unto God the things that are God’s.’ Let every thing sincere in you be stirred up at the names of Father and Redeemer, and arouse you to ‘render unto God the things that are God’s.’ Then will he no longer frown, but smile upon you as dear children, and our joy on your account will be full. Amen.