Marks of Authentic Mission

Wednesday, 16 November 2022

DAILY FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD by ANDREW MURRAY.

'Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.' 1 John 1.3 1. The first and chief need of our Christian life is, Fellowship with God. The Divine life within us comes from God, and is entirely dependent upon Him. As I need every moment afresh the air to breathe, as the sun every moment afresh sends down its light, so it is only in direct living communication with God that my soul can be strong. The manna of one day was corrupt when the next day came. I must every day have fresh grace from heaven, and I obtain it only in direct waiting upon God Himself. Begin each day by tarrying before God, and letting Him touch you. Take time to meet God. 2. To this end, let your first act in your devotions be a setting yourself still before God. In prayer, or worship, everything depends upon faith and adoration, speaking thus within my heart: "God is. God is near. God is love, longing to communicate Himself to me. God the Almighty One, Who worketh all in all, is even now waiting to work in me, and make Himself known." Take time, till you know God is very near. 3. When you have given God His place of honor, glory, and power, take your place of deepest lowliness, and seek to be filled with the Spirit of humility. As a creature, it is your blessedness to be nothing, that God may be all in you. As a sinner, you are not worthy to look up to God ; bow in self-abasement. As a saint, let God's love overwhelm you, and bow you still lower down. Sink down before Him in humility, meekness, patience, and surrender to His goodness and mercy. He will exalt you. Oh! take time, to get very low before God. 4. Then accept and value your place in Christ Jesus. God delights in nothing but His beloved Son, and can be satisfied with nothing else in those who draw nigh to Him. Enter deep into God's holy presence in the boldness which the blood gives, and in the assurance that in Christ you are most wellpleasing. In Christ you are within the veil. You have access into the very heart and love of the Father. This is the great object of fellowship with God, that I may have more of God in my life, and that God may see Christ formed in me. Be silent before God and let Him bless you. 5. This Christ is a living Person. He loves you with a personal love, and He looks every day for the personal response of your love. Look into His face with trust, till His love really shines into your heart. Make His heart glad by telling Him that you do love Him. He offers Himself to you as a personal Saviour and Keeper from the power of sin. Do not ask, can I be kept from sinning, if I keep close to Him? but ask, can I be kept from sinning, if He always keeps close to me? and you see at once how safe it is to trust Him. 6. We have not only Christ's life in us as a power, and His presence with us as a person, but we have His likeness to be wrought into us. He is to be formed in us, so that His form or figure, His likeness, can be seen in us. Bow before God until you get some sense of the greatness and blessedness of the work to be carried on by God in you this day. Say to God, "Father, here am I for Thee to give as much in me of Christ's likeness as I can receive." And wait to hear Him say, "My child, I give thee as much of Christ as thy heart is open to receive." The God who revealed Jesus in the flesh and perfected Him, will reveal Him in thee and perfect thee in Him. The Father loves the Son, and delights to work out His image and likeness in thee. Count upon it that this blessed work will be done in thee as thou waitest on thy God, and boldest fellowship with Him. 7. The likeness to Christ consists chiefly in two things—the likeness of His death and resurrection, (Rom. 6: 5). The death of Christ was the consummation of His humility and obedience, the entire giving up of His life to God. In Him we are dead to sin. As we sink down in humility and dependence and entire surrender to God, the power of His death works in us, and we are made conformable to His death. And so we know Him in the power of His resurrection, in the victory over sin, and all the joy and power of the risen life. Therefore every morning, "present yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead." He will maintain the life He gave, and bestow the grace to live as risen ones. 8. All this can only be in the power of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in you. Count upon Him to glorify Christ in you. Count upon Christ to increase in you the inflowing of His Spirit. As you wait before God to realize His presence, remember that the Spirit is in you to reveal the things of God. Seek in God's presence to have the anointing of the Spirit of Christ so truly that your whole life may every moment be spiritual. 9. As you meditate on this wondrous salvation and seek full fellowship with the great and holy God, and wait on Him to reveal Christ in you, you will feel how needful the giving up of all is to receive Him. Seek grace to know what it means to live as wholly for God as Christ did. Only the Holy Spirit Himself can teach you what an entire yielding of the whole life to God can mean. Wait on God to show you in this what you do not know. Let every approach to God, and every request for fellowship with Him be accompanied by a new, very definite, and entire surrender to Him to work in you. 10. "By faith" must here, as through all Scripture, and all the spiritual life, be the keynote. As you tarry before God, let it be in a deep quiet faith in Him, the Invisible One, who is so near, so holy, so mighty, so loving. In a deep, restful faith too, that all the blessings and powers of the heavenly life are around you, and in you. Just yield yourself in the faith of a perfect trust to the Ever Blessed Holy Trinity, to work out all God's purpose in you. Begin each day thus in fellowship with God, and God will be all in all to you.

THE INCOMPARABLE CHRIST

More than 2000 years ago there was a man born contrary to the laws of nature. He laid aside his purple robe for a peasant’s tunic. He was rich, yet for our sake he became poor. This man lived in poverty and was raised in obscurity. He received no formal education and never possessed wealth or widespread influence. He never traveled extensively. He seldom crossed the boundary of the country in which he lived. But this man’s life has changed the course of history. In infancy he startled a king. In childhood he amazed religious scholars. In manhood he ruled the course of nature—walked on stormy waves and hushed the raging sea to sleep. He healed multitudes without medicine and made no charge for his services. He never practiced psychiatry. Yet he has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near. He never wrote a book. Yet his life has inspired more books than any other man. He never wrote a song. Yet he has furnished the theme for more songs than all songwriters combined. He never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students. He never marshaled an army. He never drafted a soldier or fired a gun. Yet no leader ever had more rebels surrender to him without a shot fired. Herod could not kill him. Satan could not seduce him. His enemies could not destroy him. The grave could not hold him. After three days he rose from the dead, alive forevermore! He is the ever-perfect One. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This man stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed by God, acknowledged by angels, adored by his people, and feared by demons as the risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What the Bible says about the incomparable Christ… All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all…he hath poured out his soul unto death…and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:6, 12 Christ Jesus…being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but…took upon him the form of a servant…and, being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9-10

A CHARGE TO KEEP I HAVE

Sometimes we lose focus in our daily lives, and due to the cares and troubles that come to us, we are tempted to lose sight of our goal in life. We then struggle on to get by in our own strength with no clear aim in view. Scripture is full of great exhortations reminding us to run the race before us and fix our eyes on Christ. In a similar vein, the hymn writer Charles Wesley encouraged himself and others through his many hymns. Here in a couple of verses, he encapsulates what we as Christian believers are about, our raison d'être, if you will, what through His grace we seek to achieve with our lives. May these words encourage us to keep our focus and motivate our actions. 'A charge to keep I have, A God to glorify, A never-dying soul to save, And fit it for the sky. To serve the present age, My calling to fulfill; Oh, may it all my powers engage To do my Master's will!' Andrew

Wednesday, 27 April 2022

Don't listen to the Devil's lies.

Satan loves to counteract God's word with his lies. He is after all the father of lies and the greatest deceiver in all of creation. To be clear, His goal in our lives is to steal, to kill and destroy. He can not steal our salvation, but he may steal our joy by trying to make us fearful or even useless. He may well try to convince us that some particular sin we have committed has not been forgiven and that we are now eternally lost, or that God can not use us, or that we will always fail to be a Christian that pleases God. However, when we hear his lies we should treat them as a back handed compliment. After all he attacked the Lord himself, even using misapplied Scripture to try to break him down. The Lord dealt with him swiftly by correctly applying the word of God. These powerful words of Paul to Timothy will also strengthen us. We would do well to memorise and meditate upon them and use against the enemy of our souls when he comes calling : 'God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self control” (2 Tim.1:7).

Sunday, 20 February 2022

The Chair Stacker

This is a true story about when I was a little boy, probably around six or seven years old and going to meetings. I was always very impressed with those few people, maybe even just one person, who would faithfully each week, put out the chairs at the beginning and stack them at the end. Certainly, they had to be physically strong which I always admired, in fact, much stronger than me, or the preacher, or the leader of the meeting who did a lot of talking about things I didn't understand. But the guy who put out the chairs was someone I could really look up to. I was impressed by his coolness, carrying out such an important job with little notice. However, I noticed him, and for me, it was the top job he was doing. He didn't say much but seemed to have such a kind heart as he put them out, then later, quietly put them away again. It didn't seem to matter to him that nobody sang his praises. I concluded that without him, there would be no meeting at all, as we would have nothing to sit on. Everything depended on him. Yet I thought it was unfair and couldn't understand that he wasn't given any recognition, or the honour I thought he deserved. Then one night, when I attended some big meeting, which must have been something like an AGM, it all became clear to me. It was then I realised, in my infant mind, that I was right in believing that he was the most significant person at the meetings and was indeed recognized as such. I even learnt his name. As I picked up the leaflet regarding the event, there in black and white, at the very top of the page, I read: CHAIRMAN Mr. John Smith. AK

Monday, 3 January 2022

What wilt Thou have Me to do? SMITH WIGGLESWORTH preached October 1914

Read Acts 19. As soon as Paul saw the light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, he said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). And as soon as he was willing to yield he was in a condition where God could meet his need; where God could display His power; where God could have the man. Oh, beloved, are you saying today, “What wilt thou have me to do?” The place of yieldedness is just where God wants us. People are saying, “I want the baptism, I want healing, I would like to know of a certainly that I am a child of God,” and I see nothing, absolutely nothing in the way except unyieldedness to the plan of God. The condition was met which Paul demanded, and instantly when he laid hands on them they were filled with the Spirit and spake in other tongues and prophesied (Acts 19:6). The only thing needed was just to be in the condition where God could come in. The main thing today that God wants is obedience. When you begin yielding and yielding to God He has a plan for your life, and you come in to that wonderful place where all you have to do is to eat the fruits of Canaan. I am convinced that Paul must have been in divine order as well as those men, and Paul had a mission right away to the whole of Asia. Brothers and sisters, it is the call of God that counts. Paul was in the call of God. Oh, I believe God wants to stir somebody’s heart today to obedience; it may be for China or India or Africa, but the thing God is looking for is obedience. “What wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). …God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Acts 19:11,12 If God can have His way today, the ministry of somebody will begin; it always begins as soon as you yield. Paul had been bringing many people to prison, but God brought Paul to such a place of yieldedness and brokenness that he cried out, “What wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). Paul’s choice was to be a bondservant for Jesus Christ. Beloved, are you willing that God shall have His way today? God said, “I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). But Paul saw that these things were working out a far more exceeding weight of glory. You people who have come for a touch from God, are you willing to follow Him; will you obey Him? When the prodigal son had returned and the father had killed the fatted calf and made a feast for him, the elder brother was angry and said, “…thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends,” (Luke 15:29) but the father said to him, “...all that I have is thine” (v. 31). He could kill a fatted calf at any time. Beloved, all in the Father’s house is ours, but it will come only through obedience. And when He can trust us, we will not come behind in anything. “...God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul” (Acts 19:11). Let us notice the handkerchiefs that went from his body; it means to say that when he touched and sent them forth, God wrought special miracles through them, and diseases departed from the sick, and evil spirits went out of them. Is it not lovely? I believe after we lay hands on these handkerchiefs and pray over them, that they should be handled very sacredly, and even as the one carries them they will bring life, if they are carried in faith to the suffering one. The very effect of it, if you only believed, would change your own body as you carried it. A woman came to me one day and said, “My husband is such a trial to me; the first salary he gets he spends it in drink, and then he cannot do his work and comes home; I love him very much, what can be done?” I said, “If I were you I would take a handkerchief and would place it under his head when he went to sleep at night, and say nothing to him, but have a living faith.” We anointed a handkerchief in the name of Jesus, and she put it under his head. Oh, beloved, there is a way to reach these wayward ones. The next morning on his way to work he called for a glass of beer; he lifted it to his lips, but he thought there was something wrong with it, and he put it down and went out. He went to another saloon, and another, and did the same thing. He came home sober. His wife was gladly surprised and he told her the story; how it had affected him. That was the turning point in his life; it meant not only giving up drink, but it meant his salvation. God wants to change our faith today. He wants us to see it is not obtained by struggling and working and pining. “…the Father himself loveth you...” (John 16:27). “...Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17). “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Who is the man that will take the place of Paul, and yield and yield and yield, until God so possesses him in such a way that from his body virtue shall flow to the sick and suffering? It will have to be the virtue of Christ that flows. Don’t think there is some magic virtue in the handkerchief or you will miss the virtue; it is the living faith in the man who lays the handkerchief on his body, and the power of God through that faith. Praise God, we may lay hold of this living faith today. “The blood has never lost its power.” As we get in touch with Jesus, wonderful things will take place; and what else? We shall get nearer and nearer to Him. There is another side to it. “...exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth...and the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” (Acts 19:13,15). I beseech you in the name of Jesus, especially those of you who are baptized, to awaken up to the fact that you have power if God is with you; but there must be a resemblance between you and Jesus. The evil spirit said, “…Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” (Acts 19:15). Paul had the resemblance. You are not going to get it without having His presence; His presence changes you. You are not going to be able to get the results without the marks of the Lord Jesus. The man must have the divine power within himself; devils will take no notice of any power if they do not see the Christ. “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” The difference between these men was they had not the marks of Christ, so the manifestation of the power of Christ was not seen. You want power: don’t take the wrong way. Don’t take it as power because you speak in tongues, and if God has given you revelations along certain lines don’t take that for the power; or if you have even laid hands on the sick and they have been healed, don’t take that for the power. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...” (Luke 4:18); that alone is the power. Don’t be deceived; there is a place to get where you know the Spirit is upon you, so you will be able to do the works which are wrought by this blessed Spirit of God in you, and the manifestation of His power shall be seen, and people will believe in the Lord. What will make men believe the divine promises of God? Beloved, let me say to you today, God wants you to be ministering spirits, and it means to be clothed with another power. And this divine power, you know when it is there, and you know when it goes forth. The baptism of Jesus must bring us to have a single eye to the glory of God; everything else is wasted time and wasted energy. Beloved, we can reach it; it is a high mark but we can get to it. You ask how? “What wilt thou have me to do?” That is the plan. It means a perfect surrender to the call of God, and perfect obedience. A dear young Russian came to England. He did not know the language, but learned it quickly and was very much used and blessed of God; and as the wonderful manifestations of the power of God were seen, they pressed upon him to know the secret of his power, but he felt it was so sacred between him and God he should not tell it, but they pressed him so much he finally said to them: “First God called me, and His presence was so precious, that I said to God at every call I would obey Him, and I yielded, and yielded, and yielded, until I realized that I was simply clothed with another power altogether, and I realized that God took me, tongue, thoughts and everything, and I was not myself but it was Christ working through me.” How many of you today have known that God has called you over and over, and has put His hand upon you, but you have not yielded? How many of you have had the breathing of His power within you, calling you to prayer, and you have to confess you have failed? I went to a house one afternoon where I had been called, and met a man at the door. He said, “My wife has not been out of bed for eight months; she is paralyzed. She has been looking so much for you to come, she is hoping God will raise her up.” I went in and rebuked the devil’s power. She said, “I know I am healed; if you go out I will get up.” I left the house, and went away not hearing anything more about her. I went to a meeting that night, and a man jumped up and said he had something he wanted to say; he had to go to catch a train but wanted to talk first. He said, “I come to this city once a week, and I visit the sick all over the city. There is a woman I have been visiting and I was very much distressed about her; she was paralyzed and has lain on that bed many months, and when I went there today she was up doing her work.” I tell this story because I want you to see Jesus. We had a letter which came to our house to say that a young man was very ill. He had been to our Mission a few years before with a very bad foot; he had no shoe on, but a piece of leather fastened on the foot. God healed him that day. Three years after, something else came upon him. What it was I don’t know, but his heart failed, and he was helpless; he could not rise or dress or do anything for himself, and in that condition he called his sister and told her to write and see if I would pray. My wife said to go, and she believed God would give me that life. I went, and when I got to this place I found the whole country was expecting me; they had said that when I came this man would be healed. I said to the woman when I arrived, “I have come.” “Yes,” she said, “but it is too late.” “Is he alive?” I asked, “Yes, just alive,” she said. I went in and put my hands upon him, and said, “Martin.” He just breathed slightly, and whispered, “The doctor said if I move from this position I will never move again.” I said, “Do you know the Scripture says, ‘God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever’?” (Psalm 73:26). He said, “Shall I get up?” I said, “No.” That day was spent in prayer and ministering the Word. I found a great state of unbelief in that house, but I saw Martin had faith to be healed. His sister was home from the asylum. God held me there to pray for that place. I said to the family, “Get Martin’s clothes ready; I believe he is to be raised up.” I felt the unbelief. I went to the chapel and had prayer with a number of people around there, and before noon they too believed Martin would be healed. When I returned I said, “Are his clothes ready?” They said, “No.” I said, “Oh, will you hinder God’s work in this house?” I went in to Martin’s room all alone. I said, “I believe God will do a new thing today. I believe when I lay hands on you the glory of heaven will fill the place.” I laid my hands on him in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and immediately the glory of the Lord filled the room, and I went headlong to the floor. I did not see what took place on the bed, or in the room, but this young man began to shout out, “Glory, glory!” and I heard him say, “for Thy glory, Lord,” and that man stood before me perfectly healed. He went to the door and opened it and his father stood there. He said, “Father, the Lord has raised me up,” and the father fell to the floor and cried for salvation. The young woman brought out of the asylum was perfectly healed at that moment by the power of God in that house. God wants us to see that the power of God coming upon people has something more in it than we have yet known. The power to heal and to baptize is in this place, but you must say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” You say it is four months before the harvest. If you had the eyes of Jesus you would see that the harvest is already here. The devil will say you can’t have faith; you tell him he is a liar. The Holy Ghost wants you for the purpose of manifesting Jesus through you. Oh, may you never be the same again! The Holy Spirit moving upon us will make us to be like Him, and we will truly say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” • FAITH THAT PREVAILS