A.B. Simpson (founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church) says (of CMA missions):
"We want men and women who can live simply, endure hardship, deny themselves, put up with every discomfort; who do not want things 'just so' for their wardrobe; who are willing to go to the nations just as they are getting on at home, if necessary; who do not need two or three trunks and a great amount of baggage; who can travel with a knapsack like a solider and sleep in their boots and will not grumble about it either, but enjoy it for Christ's sake; who have got over the romance and novelty of travel and are going to the nations for one thing only, and that is to win souls for Christ, to please HIm and hasten His coming!"
Lord, as You "carry [this good work] on toward completion" in me, may this be an accurate description of my life.
Monday, November 15, 2004
Friday, November 12, 2004
Possession
A certain uneasiness has laid heavily upon my heart as of late. It is the curious feeling that I am possessed. I assure you that this possession is not the demonic sort, but it very well may be a foe equally as dangerous. To be cliché, I fear that the things which I possess have come to possess me. Have I been duped—convinced by the leaders of my day and culture that the things I own are mine to enjoy? They are a gift from God; I have but to mumbled “thank you” and He will make them a source of endless delight. (Let us not confine our thoughts to simple material objects, I believe freedom, safety, rights, and the life of ease can be equally, if not more, dangerous.) Have I blithely accumulated the best things this world has to offer, only to realize with horror that the treacherous beasts have stuck daggers into my spiritual life? I have decorated the throne room with many a treasure unwittingly usurping Christ’s complete reign in my life.
Galatians 4 paints the beautiful picture of Christ delivering us from the bondage of sin and adopting us. “So you are no longer a slave but a son.” I believe that this deliverance is complete—efficacious for loosing the chains no matter how stubborn and numerous. So my fear is not that Christ won’t heal me from this disease; I am terrified that I won’t want Him to...
When the sower plants seed, some does fall among the thorns. The thorns never kill the plant, they simply choke it, rendering it fruitless. In the same way, “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth” will not kill the spiritual life, they will simply render it useless. Am I soothed by the voice telling me, “You will not surely die”? Do I not perceive the danger here? Or do I foresee the pain of the cure? I do not know. I do know that my heart cowers at the thought of going any further with this train of thought.
I have arrived at this point of thinking before, but mercifully I always recall the importance of attitude. ‘As long as my attitude is to serve the Lord first, it doesn’t matter if I have nice things. I know many rich Christians who have a solid relationship with Christ.’ Yet such arguments have never completely satisfied me. Let me make clear two points.
First, the disposition of the heart should be evident in the actions. This may not be a fail-proof test but is generally true. The tree will be known by its fruit, and the attitude of heart will be known by the actions of the man. So when the Christ-ruled heart learns that a brother is in dire need, it should gladly sacrifice all the excess it has to meet the need. In this world, it would seem that American Christians should be sending thousands, perhaps millions of dollars overseas to meet the needs of Christians who don’t know where their next meal will come from. The American Christian should gladly lay aside the life of ease if the life of strife will advance the Name of Christ here on earth. Furthermore, we should abandon rights and freedom if we know that our own oppression and slavery will honor our Lord. Safety should be sacrificed so that those who live in areas of violence and darkness may know the precious light of the Gospel. Does this stand to reason?
Secondly, I have vowed in my heart not to make the latter a standard by which I will judge other Christians. Perhaps there are those whose hearts are not lured by possessions. Indeed, to reach the rich, one must have some means to do so. And perhaps the Lord must deal more severely with my heart. Maybe my missions-calling will call me to levels of sacrifice not demanded by others. Conversely, I will not judge myself according to the lives of others. I will not look at a fruitful Christian and adopt their standard of living as my own. My lifestyle will be determined by the Lord.
That being said, I will say the following, which I believe to be true of many in American Christianity and certainly true of that which is sinful in me. We lack simplicity. We live cluttered lives, and our view of Christ, our brothers and sisters, and the lost and dying world around us is obscured because of it. When it comes to sacrificing for the Lord, we are cautious investors, putting on the line only that which will make little difference when lost. We are more like the servant who buries the talent, than the two who risked it all to please their ruthless master. And perhaps we are scared to find Christ to be just that, ruthless. Maybe we are afraid to see the rage and ruthlessness with which He will clear the change tables from the courts of our hearts in order to allow for uninhibited worship. Our God is a jealous God, and His fury against that which prevents His children from knowing Him fully, caused Him to sacrifice His Son. We are mistaken if we believe that He will not call us to sacrifice things as near and dear to our hearts, so that we may purely love Him. It is time to take up our crosses.
I have here only touched the tip of the issue, or maybe just simply pointed at the problem from a distance. And I say all this, all the while my heart still cowers, begging me not to allow Christ to convict, convince, and work.
So Lord Jesus, all intellectual posturing aside, I ask Lord that the light of Your Holiness will convict my heart. Lord grant me wisdom so that I may know the grip possessions have on my life. Free me Lord, whatever that takes. Give me strength and courage to pick up my cross. The cross is ruthless and painful, but it is effective. May the throne of my life be wholly Yours. In the Son’s precious name I pray, Amen.
Galatians 4 paints the beautiful picture of Christ delivering us from the bondage of sin and adopting us. “So you are no longer a slave but a son.” I believe that this deliverance is complete—efficacious for loosing the chains no matter how stubborn and numerous. So my fear is not that Christ won’t heal me from this disease; I am terrified that I won’t want Him to...
When the sower plants seed, some does fall among the thorns. The thorns never kill the plant, they simply choke it, rendering it fruitless. In the same way, “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth” will not kill the spiritual life, they will simply render it useless. Am I soothed by the voice telling me, “You will not surely die”? Do I not perceive the danger here? Or do I foresee the pain of the cure? I do not know. I do know that my heart cowers at the thought of going any further with this train of thought.
I have arrived at this point of thinking before, but mercifully I always recall the importance of attitude. ‘As long as my attitude is to serve the Lord first, it doesn’t matter if I have nice things. I know many rich Christians who have a solid relationship with Christ.’ Yet such arguments have never completely satisfied me. Let me make clear two points.
First, the disposition of the heart should be evident in the actions. This may not be a fail-proof test but is generally true. The tree will be known by its fruit, and the attitude of heart will be known by the actions of the man. So when the Christ-ruled heart learns that a brother is in dire need, it should gladly sacrifice all the excess it has to meet the need. In this world, it would seem that American Christians should be sending thousands, perhaps millions of dollars overseas to meet the needs of Christians who don’t know where their next meal will come from. The American Christian should gladly lay aside the life of ease if the life of strife will advance the Name of Christ here on earth. Furthermore, we should abandon rights and freedom if we know that our own oppression and slavery will honor our Lord. Safety should be sacrificed so that those who live in areas of violence and darkness may know the precious light of the Gospel. Does this stand to reason?
Secondly, I have vowed in my heart not to make the latter a standard by which I will judge other Christians. Perhaps there are those whose hearts are not lured by possessions. Indeed, to reach the rich, one must have some means to do so. And perhaps the Lord must deal more severely with my heart. Maybe my missions-calling will call me to levels of sacrifice not demanded by others. Conversely, I will not judge myself according to the lives of others. I will not look at a fruitful Christian and adopt their standard of living as my own. My lifestyle will be determined by the Lord.
That being said, I will say the following, which I believe to be true of many in American Christianity and certainly true of that which is sinful in me. We lack simplicity. We live cluttered lives, and our view of Christ, our brothers and sisters, and the lost and dying world around us is obscured because of it. When it comes to sacrificing for the Lord, we are cautious investors, putting on the line only that which will make little difference when lost. We are more like the servant who buries the talent, than the two who risked it all to please their ruthless master. And perhaps we are scared to find Christ to be just that, ruthless. Maybe we are afraid to see the rage and ruthlessness with which He will clear the change tables from the courts of our hearts in order to allow for uninhibited worship. Our God is a jealous God, and His fury against that which prevents His children from knowing Him fully, caused Him to sacrifice His Son. We are mistaken if we believe that He will not call us to sacrifice things as near and dear to our hearts, so that we may purely love Him. It is time to take up our crosses.
I have here only touched the tip of the issue, or maybe just simply pointed at the problem from a distance. And I say all this, all the while my heart still cowers, begging me not to allow Christ to convict, convince, and work.
So Lord Jesus, all intellectual posturing aside, I ask Lord that the light of Your Holiness will convict my heart. Lord grant me wisdom so that I may know the grip possessions have on my life. Free me Lord, whatever that takes. Give me strength and courage to pick up my cross. The cross is ruthless and painful, but it is effective. May the throne of my life be wholly Yours. In the Son’s precious name I pray, Amen.
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