"Friendly Fire"

'Friendly Fire' in the Church - Brother Yun

In recent years soldiers fighting in Iraq have used a new expression to describe the very worst kind of way to die or be injured in battle. They explain that if they were killed or wounded by an enemy bullet they would consider it a great honor, but the worst insult they could experience is to be wounded by 'friendly fire'. It is a terrible feeling to be shot by fellow soldiers whom you thought were on the same side!

Unfortunately, and tragically, 'friendly fire' is alive and well among God's people today. Christians like Brother Yun would consider it a great honour to be shot dead by a Muslim or speared by a tribesman while they are preaching the gospel in some far-flung corner of the earth. But to come under fire from fellow Christians, who are meant to be fighting on your side, is a miserable and terrible thing to have to cope with.

It is sad commentary that some Christians assume the worst about people they know nothing about. If there is a new preacher going around with a message worth listening to, assumptions about his motives and integrity are often made, such as, "They must be in it for the money," or "He is deceiving people with his false message."

How sad and grievous this is to the Holy Spirit!

Although the term 'friendly fire' may be relatively new, sadly it has been practiced among believers since the Church was birthed in the Book of Acts. All throughout Christian history we can find God's revival fires being quenched by church leaders, many of whom did so out of ignorance and zeal to 'protect' the Gospel. More often than not, however, they were persecuting that which they didn't understand.

Many of the great Christian leaders throughout history have been the subject of brutal attacks from other Christians. Journalist Alex Buchan commented on some of these in a November 21, 1997, article of Compass Direct. Buchan, whose article was actually about a slanderous attack by a prominent Chinese house church leader against another, said,
"Perhaps his reaction meant more to me because I had a similar feeling a few days before, reading about the Church Fathers. I stared aghast as the great Tertullian lays into Praxeous, the heretic, in the most uncharitable terms imaginable. I read with disappointment the downright ungraciousness of the so-called Doctor of Grace, St. Augustine, as he calls for the Donatist sect to be punished by military force.
It seems to be a fact that many of the great heroes of the faith burned with as fierce a hatred toward those they perceived to be the enemies of God, as they were inflamed with love for God."
Sadly, 'friendly fire' is not new in China either. Recently, while researching for a new book, I read how the Nestorian Christians strongly attacked John of Montecorvino at Beijing in the year 1305. John had baptized 6,000 people in the preceding years, but was called a "spy, magician, and deceiver of men" by the jealous Nestorians. John later commented, "If not for all the slanders I should have baptized more than 30,000."

During the Welsh Revival of the early 1900s God used a young man named Evan Roberts as the main instrument of blessing to a dry and thirsty nation. Most Welsh clergy of the day, however, strongly opposed Roberts' ministry, fearing the influence he would have on "their" congregations. Several full page advertisements were taken out by Welsh pastors in the newspapers of the day, denouncing Evan Roberts as a heretic and swindler. Dozens of pastors put their signature to the slanderous attacks.
Today, the name of Evan Roberts is fondly remembered around the world as the human vessel that God used to bring revival to Wales one hundred years ago. Few can remember the name of even one of his detractors. The same can be said of revivalists like Charles Finney and D.L. Moody, who were also strongly denounced by other Christian leaders.

Even Billy Graham has been strongly attacked throughout the years of his faithful ministry for his Lord. His autobiography records how a series of early meetings in England met with tremendous opposition from the churches, who opposed him and did all they could to send the evangelist back to America. A friend of mine who attended a Billy Graham crusade in the United States several years ago told me of his astonishment when he saw a group of Christians protesting outside the stadium, holding up signs saying things like, "Don't listen to this man. His teaching will send you to hell!"

The first thing we need to realize is who is really behind all attacks against the children of God. The Bible says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:12). How blind we can be! We cannot fight both the kingdom of darkness and each other at the same time, so Satan knows if he can turn Christian against Christian, he has already won the battle. Paul pointed this out to the Corinthian believers long ago, when he wrote, "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already" (1 Cor. 6:7).


From an Open Letter regarding ‘The Heavenly Man.’

Audio’s of Brother Yun may be found on Sermon Index

Obama coronated Messiah

100 days in office, coronated Messiah
Arms outstretched, he wears crown of thorns on his brow.

Depending upon your social/political/religious view-point, this will be warmly welcomed or extremely offensive. This link and accompanying article are found @ World Net Daily. We may or may not be aware of the scope and ramifications of the things that are transpiring in this hour, both nationally and around the world. On the one hand, I do not believe that we can simply hide our heads in the sand so to speak, and refuse to even look at what is taking place, while on the other, we must remain mindful of the FACT that these things must come to pass, disagreeable though they may be. What is taking place is happening on a global scale, and not limited to any one nation or people. It affects everyone, whether we like it or not.

We already know that the enemy of us all is the 'prince of the power of the air,' Ephesians 2:2-3 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. We should be cognizant of the fact that we are living according to one power or the other... God or the devil. If we are just going along with the course of this world, then we are living our lives according to the prince of the world. The only alternative is to commit to the death of self, (our flesh), and live by the power of the Spirit of God... in this world but not of it.

In previous posts, I have shared where the battleground lies, why we need to die to our flesh, and what the religious community is offering the masses. Placebos and entertainment, rather than requiring repentance and humility before a HOLY GOD.

Matthew 24:4-8 Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. The rest of the signs given by Jesus are visible as well. What are we going to do, how are we going to respond?

For starters.... Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

200 years ago Wm. Law said... "The enemies to man’s rising out of the fall of Adam, through the Spirit and power of Christ, are many. But the one great dragon enemy, called antichrist, is self-exaltation. This is his
birth, his pomp, his power, and his throne; when self-exaltation ceases, the last enemy is destroyed, and all that came from the pride and death of Adam is swallowed up in victory.

There has been much sharp looking out, to see where and what antichrist is, or by what marks he may be known. Some say he has been in the Christian world almost ever since the gospel times, nay, that he was even then beginning to appear and show himself. Others say he came in with this or that pope; others that he is not yet come, but near at hand. Others will have it, that he has been here, and there, but driven from one place to another by several new risen Protestant sects.

But to know with certainty, where and what antichrist is, and who is with him, and who against him, you need only read this short description which Christ gives of Himself.
“(1) I can do nothing of Myself.
(2) I came not to do My own will.
(3) I seek not My own glory.
(4) I am meek and lowly of heart.”

Now if this is Christ, then self-ability or self-exaltation, being the highest and fullest contrariety to all this,
must be alone the one great antichrist, that opposes and withstands the whole nature and Spirit of Christ.
What therefore has everyone so much to fear, to renounce and abhor, as every inward sensibility of self-exaltation, and every outward work that proceeds from it."

I pray that we can grasp hold of and come to understand, that the battle-ground lies first and foremost, within our own hearts... who will sit on the throne? The world is going to follow its own course... right up to the consummation of all things. It really doesn't matter whether or not we figure out 'who' the 'anti-christ' is. It matters greatly whether or not we enter in to the 'new life in Christ Jesus' that He is calling us to. Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (read entire chapter).

Our strength lies in our relationship with the triune Godhead...Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

"So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors" Matthew 24:33 . We are seeing the signs Jesus warned us to look for today. We have to make the choice, will we look to men and believe according to the world's ways... or will we believe the first begotten Son of God, and follow Him to the death of self and the new life in Christ? May we choose wisely.

The Great God of Entertainment - A.W. Tozer

The Great God of Entertainment

Chapter 8

A German philosopher many years ago said something to the effect that the more a man has in his own heart the less he will require from the outside; excessive need for support from without is proof of the bankruptcy of the inner man.
If this is true (and I believe it is) then the present inordinate attachment to every form of entertainment is evidence that the inner life of modern man is in serious decline. The average man has no central core of moral assurance, no spring within his own breast, no inner strength to place him above the need for repeated psychological shots to give him the courage to go on living. He has become a parasite on the world, drawing his life from his environment unable to live a day apart from the stimulation which society affords him.

Sohleiermacher held that the feeling of dependence lies at the root of all religious worship, and that however high the spiritual life might rise it must always begin with a deep sense of a great need which only God could satisfy. If this sense of need and a feeling of dependence are at the root of natural religion it is not hard to see why the great god Entertainment is so ardently worshiped by so many. For there are millions who cannot live without amusement; life without some form of entertainment for them is simply intolerable; they look forward to the blessed relief afforded by professional entertainers and other forms of psychological narcotics as a dope addict looks to his daily shot of heroin. Without them they could not summon courage to face existence.

No one with common human feeling will object to the simple pleasures of life, nor to such harmless forms of entertainment as may help to relax the nerves and refresh the mind exhausted by toil. Such things if used with discretion may be a blessing along the way. That is one thing. The all-out devotion to entertainment as a major activity for which and by which men live is definitely something else again.

The abuse of a harmless thing is the essence of Sin. The growth of the amusement phase of human life to such fantastic proportions is a portent, a threat to the souls of modern men. It has been built into a multimillion dollar racket with greater power over human minds and human character than any other educational influence on earth. And the ominous thing is that its power is almost exclusively evil, rotting the inner life, crowding out the long eternal thoughts which would fill the souls of men if they were but worthy to entertain them. And the whole thing has grown into a veritable religion which holds its devotees with a strange fascination, and a religion, incidentally, against which it is now dangerous to speak.

For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was - a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from moral accountability. For this she got herself abused roundly by the sons of this world. But of late she has become tired of the abuse and has given over the struggle. She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers. So today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven. Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God. Many churches these days have become little more than poor theatres where fifth -rate "producers" peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text in defense of their delinquency. And hardly a man dares raise his voice against it.

The great god Entertainment amuses his devotees mainly by telling them stories. The love of stories, which is a characteristic of childhood, has taken fast hold of the minds of the retarded saints of our day, so much so that not a few persons manage to make a comfortable living by spinning yarns and serving them up in various disguises to church people. What is natural and beautiful in a child may be shocking when it persists into adulthood, and more so when it appears in the sanctuary and seeks to pass for true religion.

Is it not a strange thing and a wonder that, with the shadow of atomic destruction hanging over the world and with the coming of Christ drawing near, the professed followers of the Lord should be giving themselves up to religious amusements? That in an hour when mature saints are so desperately needed vast numbers of believers should revert to spiritual childhood and clamor for religions toys?

"Remember, (I) Lord, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. The crown Is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim."

AMEN & AMEN.... taken from The Root of the Righteous, by A.W. Tozer

Brother Tozer penned these words in 1955… my how things have changed since then. We have successfully brought what he saw in it’s infancy, to full-blown maturity. Slick marketing strategies have replaced sound Biblical teaching. Clever application of select scriptural passages and words are used as cloaks for the furtherance of Mega-Church growth, without the requirement of any genuine repentance before God, only conformity to the will of leaders. You may be shocked, as I was, to see the size and scope of this movement. There is a Hartford Institute for Religion Research Data base of mega-churches. To qualify as a mega-church; membership and attendance must average 2000 people.

For an example of the excesses churches are going to in order to keep‘the people’ entertained, look at this glowing report on the recipient of the Broadcast Engineering Excellence Award! This is fast becoming the 'norm,' not the 'anomaly.' Hmm, is this excessive use of man’s technology seriously intended to aid God in reaching the lost… or to provide enough distractions to keep those already there from recognizing that they are actually on the ‘broad path that leads to destruction?’ Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

God's ways are not man's ways... never have been, never will be. Yet these highly esteemed men and women would have us to believe that they are somehow the exception to the rule. That their way is better than God's way. If quantity overuled quality, they might have a leg to stand on, but such is not the case. The method being used is the carnal application of the mind and the exercising of the will, while God requires the renewal of the carnal mind by the Spirit of God.

By joining forces in huge numbers, people believe and are trusting in the strength of their own flesh, rather than leaning on the ‘arm of the Lord.’ The Willow Creek Association is key behind this explosion of entertainment based mega-churches. (use the Find a Church tab to get a handle on the enormous scope of influence exerted by this organization).

They have an interesting way of using religious sounding words:

"While we do not oversee the ministry expressions of individual churches, WCA Membership is intended solely for churches that hold an orthodox understanding of biblical Christianity"

“Serving Christ – following church leaders around the world with life-changing experiences, tools and innovation; calling churches everywhere to follow their unique, God-given vision and reach their full redemptive potential.”

What exactly is being said here? Are the different denominations now melted down to being ‘ministry expressions’… and what exactly would ‘orthodox understanding of biblical Christianity’ be? Apparently it is now preferable to follow ‘church leaders around’ rather than and opposed to ‘following Christ’ as He commanded us to. A lot of vague use of religious sounding words, without actually saying anything specifically, purposely left open to interpretation, thus more people can read into it whatever they want to hear. Orthodox: following the established or traditional rules of a political or religious belief, a philosophy, or a way of life. That didn’t work out to well for the Pharisees and Sadducees, and they were pretty good at it. Yet they rejected Jesus, to the point of crucifying HIM. He called them white washed sepulchers full of dead men’s bones. Why should we think He would respond any differently to us today?

What place does entertainment have in the Church? “It has been built into a multimillion dollar racket with greater power over human minds and human character than any other educational influence on earth. And the ominous thing is that its power is almost exclusively evil, rotting the inner life, crowding out the long eternal thoughts which would fill the souls of men if they were but worthy to entertain them. And the whole thing has grown into a veritable religion which holds its devotees with a strange fascination, and a religion, incidentally, against which it is now dangerous to speak.”

It can scarcely be denied, that these organizations are absolutely man-centered, employing the name of God as it suits their purposes. One can’t help but wonder what greater works Paul and the early church might have accomplished, if only they’d had at their disposal the lights, cameras and sound equipment we enjoy today? And notice the creative use of ‘titles’ and appointments within the organization. How did the church survive all these centuries without designations like; Redemptive Arts Pastor?

Jeremiah 14:14-16 Then the Lord said to me, The [false] prophets prophesy lies in My name. I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, nor have I spoken to them. They prophesy to you a false or pretended vision, a worthless divination [conjuring or practicing magic, trying to call forth the responses supposed to be given by idols], and the deceit of their own minds. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the [false] prophets who prophesy in My name--although I did not send them--and who say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land: By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword; and they shall have none to bury them--them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their wickedness upon them [and not on their false teachers only, for the people could not have been deceived except by their own consent].

We had better all be very careful just who and what we consent to... in "The Number Of Man", Mauro said something about the Body of Christ being a living organism made by God Himself of "lively stones". He then went on to say that Satan is incapable of creating a living organism, and the most he can do is form an organization.

Related Links:

To BE or To DO

No Saviorhood Without Lordship

Sanctifying the Ordinary

P.S. Following this posting, I came across this article in Newsweek - Generation Me -

This attitude of self-exaltation, as testified to in this secular publication, is as prevalent within the Church as it is in the world. It is a sign of the time in which we now find ourselves. I confess, I had to look up Narcissism: 1. self admiration; excessive self-admiration and self-centeredness.2. personality disorder; in psychiatry, a personality disorder characterized by the patient's overestimation of his or her own appearance and abilities and an excessive need for admiration. Signs of a narcistic person....Vanity, Self-absorption, Egotism, Selfishness, Conceit, Self-importance.

The Next Big-'Thing'

“Many earnest persons who are to-day advocating more or less of the industrial principles of Socialism are at the same time holding on (nominally at least) to the main doctrines of Christianity. But it will be readily seen that these persons as Christians are apathetic, while as Socialists they are full of propagating zeal. The converts they make are converts to Socialism, not to Christ; and the places of these propagandists, when vacant, will be acceptably filled, and all they are now doing will be just as well done, by others who make no profession at all of Christianity. It is quite compatible with much of what is taught in the churches to-day to do homage to Man himself as his own deliverer.” This quote is taken from ‘The Number of Man’ by Philip Mauro, written in 1908. Do not think for one minute that it does not apply to our generation, for our generation is seeing the completion of what began well over a hundred years ago.

This week I learned of a widely promoted upcoming event; Town Hall of Hope – Dave Ramsey. It’s all over the internet. If you are a member of one of the mega-churches, or their satellites, you no doubt have received the DVD or other information inviting you to attend and participate in this latest attempt by man to save himself.

There are two separate links in the title. The town hall of hope takes you to the internet invitation, while Dave Ramsey is a link to a wikipedia search of the man.

Here are a few things that Philip Mauro said in 1908 regarding ‘MONEY:’

“Money is also a god to those who put their trust in it; and many seek it, not for the sake of procuring supplies to meet their bodily needs and desires, but for the power and influence it confers upon its possessors.

Furthermore, money is a god in that it bestows honors, dignities, and rank upon those who serve it best. The aristocracy of to-day is not so much that of rank, or of brains, or of culture, as that of wealth. What separates humanity into distinct classes is the fact of their having or not having money. Small wonder is it then that we see the multitudes zealously and fervently engaged in the service of Mammon, the financial interest taking the foremost place in the affairs of the world, and the nomenclature of money becoming that part of human language which is most in use. There are probably no two substantives that are more frequently used in the conversations of the day than "money" and "business."

This idolatry has infected the Lord's people, who have been often seduced to set their hearts upon, and put their trust in, uncertain riches rather than in the living God. When anything is to be done, the first thought often is, not "Is this the Lord's mind?" though He will surely supply the need of all His own work, but, "How much money will it take?" In many ways, of which it is not necessary to multiply instances, the thought is expressed that, if only there were enough money, this or that result could be accomplished for God.

But the need of the Lord is not for money. His need is rather for willing hearts and fully consecrated lives. It is for the lack of these that His work lags, and the gospel is not carried into "the regions beyond." God is not straitened in His finances, but in the hearts of His people. Oh, that they, who have received His unspeakable gift, might realize that they are debtors "both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise" (Rom. 1:14), and might diligently seek opportunity to discharge that debt by communicating to those, on whose behalf they have received the Gospel in trust, the knowledge of the salvation that is in Christ Jesus!

The service of mammon is utterly incompatible with the service of God, for the Lord has said, "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon" (Matt. 6:24); and none have greater need to understand this than they who justify in their own eyes the pursuit and love of money by the vain thought of using it in the Lord's work. It is to His own people that Christ addresses this warning.” [end quote]

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence….Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” John 18:36-37.

Just whose voice are we seeking to hear? Whose wisdom can save us? Whose ‘truth’ are we willing to follow? Has man’s way suddenly become superior to God’s way? Is preserving our worldly wealth; maintaining the ‘lifestyle’ to which we have become accustomed a higher priority than that we be found “pleasing in his sight”…. “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” 1 John 3:22. Have we fallen for the lie that there is ‘another way?’ “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” 2 Corinthians 11:3-4.

Do we now believe that we can follow the teachings of men, and still somehow hope to meet the requirements of a Holy God? Are we now so full of ourselves, that we can proclaim, “I refuse to participate in this recession?”… and actually believe that makes any kind of difference? Maybe you would like to proclaim, “I’m not going to ever look any older than I do right now,” or how about “I will myself to grow 3 more inches, since I always wanted to be taller?” Good luck with that!

No, its being promoted throughout ‘churches,’ under the guise of being ‘spiritual help’… and is nothing more than the carnal ‘wisdom ???’ of fallen man. What relationship does preserving your monetary ‘wealth’ have to do with your relationship to God, and your spiritual prosperity?
“But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” 1 Peter 3:4.

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” 1Co 6:19-20.

Jesus said: “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” Matthew 6:25.

“And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on” Luke 12:22.

Whose disciple are you?

Related Articles:

The Great Disparity

Our Fruit Will Be What We Are

The Presence More Important Than the Program

The Missing Witness

The Transmutation of Wealth

Harvard Class Poem - 1908

Millennia ago, Solomon asked for and received wisdom. In the course of living, he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, in which he discourses on all of the many aspects of man’s life on this earth, and his summation is… our entire ‘self’ efforts amount to nothing more than ‘vanity.’ Vanity is defined as excessive pride; futility, the state of being worthless or empty. It also encompasses narcissism, conceit, arrogance, egotism; and is the exact opposite of humility. Solomon also declared, “The thing that has been--it is what will be again, and that which has been done is that which will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun” Ecc. 1:9. It is vanity for our generation to think that we are more important than all who have gone before us, or wiser, or more advanced, or any different except outwardly. Inside, we are identical… we are all fallen man. We are all equally in need of God. The only salvation available to man is through His Firstborn Son, Jesus Christ. These words are coming very close to what will soon be labeled ‘hate speech,’ right here in America. Our generation was raised on a perverted gospel, stressing only God’s love for us, without equally stressing His wrath against all ungodliness and disobedience. We have learned to conveniently overlook His commandment… ‘Be ye holy, for I am holy.’ Instead, we have found a multitude of ways to occupy our flesh, without ever taking up our own cross, without ever following Christ in obedience to all of His commandments. We fail to believe that ‘all of our works are filthy rags’… Isaiah 64:6 “For we have all become like one who is unclean [ceremonially, like a leper], and all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags or a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away [far from God's favor, hurrying us toward destruction].” Consider if you will, these words from 1908. They are evidence of a long underlying attitude in America, Europe, and most of the world. Listen to the news events, the changes that are sweeping the globe today. Look at the things people are turning to for entertainment, amusement, and out of boredom. Listen to what our politicians are deciding and imposing upon the people, with and without our consent. What is happening right now is the fruition of what began long before any of us were even born. Humanism, the new world religion, has long been entrenched in our social, political, economic and educational roots. And now it has infiltrated our self-centered purpose-driven churches as well. What follows was written 100 years ago by a man highly educated himself. Philip Mauro was a sitting member of the United States Supreme Court. You might find his view of this poem enlightening…

Excerpt from The Number of Man – Section IV –
The Harvard "Class Poem": the Refined Blasphemy of Humanism

The spirit of twentieth century intellectualism manifests itself, with a distinctness leaving nothing to be desired on that score, in the Harvard Class Poem for the year 1908. This production was highly commended and widely published, in whole or in part, in the secular press. We quote below some of the stanzas, in which Satan's creed of the Deity of Man is stated with startling distinctness, notwithstanding the obscurity which is one of the chief literary characteristics of the production.

The appropriate title of the poem is "MAN" and these are the opening verses:

"Now in the East the morning dies,
The full light of the splendid sun
Strikes downward on our lifted eyes
And the long journey is begun.
Across the shattered walls
A voice prophetic calls,
With tumult and with laughter
We rise and follow after.

"The modern world, immense and wide
Awaits us, huger than before,
With new stars swimming in the void
And science broadening evermore.
The sweep of the limitless vast,
The past is dead and past;
Yet through it all for ever
One voice is silent never."

The reader will note the tribute to the "modern world," and that to "science broadening evermore"; but he may require some help in order to identify with certainty the "voice prophetic" which is "silent never," and which is heard even above the tumult, and above the laughter, and the noise of the clanging city. As I gather from the two following stanzas, this inextinguishable voice is none other than that of MAN:

"'Mid iron wheels and planets whirled
The clanging city, in the street,
--The machinery of the modern world--
His lips cry loudly and entreat;
Like one that lifts his head
For a second time from the dead,
--Out of the Church's prison,
The new Christ rearisen!

"O holy spirit--O heart of man!
Will you not listen, turn and bow
To that clear voice, since time began
Loud in your ears, and louder now!
Mankind, the Christ, retried--
Recrowned, recrucified;
No god for a gift, God gave us,
Mankind alone must save us."

This last verse contains the essence of the poem. The cardinal points of its doctrine are that Mankind is the Christ, and the heart of Man is the Holy Spirit. As the essence of the gospel of God's Word is that "He GAVE HIS ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life," so the loftiest note in this Class Poem of 1908 is struck in the line "No god for a gift God gave us," wherein that text is flatly contradicted, and in the assertion that "Mankind alone must save us." One of these statements,--that of the Gospel, or that of the Harvard poet,--is "the Truth," and the other is "the Lie." One of them proceeds from the "Spirit of Truth," and the other from the "Spirit of Error." This must be conceded by all, since the two statements are in direct contradiction, one of the other. Which is the Spirit of Truth? the Spirit who inspired the writer of John's Gospel, or the spirit who inspired the Harvard Class Poem? This is a question of life and death--of everlasting life and everlasting death; "because they which received not the love of THE TRUTH that they might be SAVED," are given over to "strong delusion that they should believe THE LIE; that they might all BE DAMNED who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in the unrighteousness" (2 Thess. I2:10-12).

The doctrine that mankind is the only saviour of men is amplified in the next stanza; and, in the next succeeding, it is declared that men's gods are within themselves, and that the new world republican is heaven reborn in man and woman:

"O world, grown pitiless and grim!
O world of men, had you but known
Your brother is your Christ, through him
You must be saved and him alone!
Love for his sorrows--love
Alone can lift you above
The pain of your misgiving,
The doom and the horror of living.

"Within ourselves we must find the light
And in ourselves, our Gods to be,
Not throned beyond the stars of night;
Here in America we must see
The love of man for man,
The new world republican--
A heaven, not superhuman,
Reborn in man and woman."

We need not quote further, nor is extended comment necessary. It is clear that what commended this poem, and procured for it the cordial reception it received, is not its poetical merit or its literary excellence, for in these particulars it is mediocre, or worse. But, as an expression of the blasphemous thought predominant in the mind of the man of to-day, though not all have the boldness to declare it so distinctly, these verses are eminently satisfactory. The lesson they emphasize for us is that, at the very centre of the culture and intellectuality of America, a stage of religious development has already been reached wherein all is fully prepared for the enthusiastic welcome of that man of prophecy "who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thess. 2:4).

[Makes one wonder what they are saying now, a hundred years later?... or we could just watch the evening news...]

Related Links:

Why Hate Crime Laws Would Ban Biblical Christianity - KJOS Ministries

America's Spiritual Slide - KJOS Ministries

Revelation or Idolatry - George David & Michael Clark

The Letter Killeth but the Spirit Giveth Life - William Law

The Letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth Life


Hence is that of the apostle, “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” But you will say, Can this be true of the spiritual divine letter of the gospel? Can it kill, or give death? Yes, it kills, when it is rested in; when it is taken for divine power, and supposed to have goodness in itself; for then it kills the Spirit of God in man, quenches His holy fire within us, and is set up instead of it. It gives death, when it is built into systems of strife and contention about words, notions, and opinions, and makes the kingdom of God to consist, not in power, but in words.


When it is thus used, then of necessity it kills, because it keeps from that which alone is life and can give life. This then is the whole of the matter; all the literal truths, and variety of doctrines and expressions of the written word, have but one nature, one end, and one errand, they all say nothing else to man but that one thing which Christ said, in these words, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you”; just the same, as when it is said, “Jesus Christ, who is of God made unto us wisdom, righteousness, and  sanctification”; this is the only refreshment from Christ. Again, “But ye are washed, but ye are cleansed in the name of our Lord Jesus”; just the same as when it is said, “Except ye abide in Me, and I in you, ye have no life in you.” Again, “By grace ye are saved, by faith ye are saved,” says neither more nor less than this, “He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life”; the same as when Christ says, “Without Me ye can do nothing”; the same as the apostle says, “Yet not I, but Christ that liveth in me”; the same as “Christ in us the hope of glory; if Christ be not in you, ye are reprobates.”


Therefore to come to Christ, to have our heavyladen, fallen nature refreshed by Him, to be born spirit of His Spirit, to have His heavenly flesh and heavenly blood made living in us, before we put off the bestial body and blood of death which we have from Adam, is the one only thing taught and meant by all that is so variously said in the Scriptures of the merits and benefits of Christ to us. It is the spirit, the body, the blood of Christ within us that is our whole peace with God, our whole adoption, our whole redemption, our whole justification, our whole glorification; and this is the one thing said, and meant by that new birth, of which Christ says, “Except a man be born again from above, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Now, the true ground why all that is said of Christ in such a variety of expressions has only one meaning, and points only to one and the same thing, is this, it is because the whole state and nature of fallen man wants only one thing, and that one thing is a real birth of the divine nature made living again in him, as at the first; and then all is done, that can be done, by all the mysteries of the birth, and whole process of Christ, for our salvation.


All the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel are fulfilled, when there is in Christ a new creature, having life in and from Him, as really as the branch has its life in and from the vine. And when all scripture is thus understood, and all that either Christ says of Himself, or His apostles say of Him, are all heard, or read, only as one and the same call to come to Christ, in hunger and thirst to be filled and blessed with His divine nature made living within us; then, and then only, the letter kills not, but as a sure guide leads directly to life.


But grammar, logic, and criticism knowing nothing of Scripture but its words, bring forth nothing but their own wisdom of words, and a religion of wrangle, hatred, and contention, about the meaning of them. But lamentable as this is, the letter of Scripture has been so long the usurped province of school-critics, and learned reasoners making their markets of it, that the difference between literal, notional, and living divine knowledge, is almost quite lost in the Christian world. So that if any awakened souls are here or there found among Christians, who think that more must be known of God, of Christ, and the powers of the world to come, than every scholar can know by reading the letter of Scripture, immediately the cry of enthusiasm, whether they be priests, or people, is sent after them. A procedure, which could only have some excuse, if these critics could first prove, that the apostle’s text ought to be thus read,

An excerpt taken from:

An Humble, Earnest, and Affectionate Address to the Clergy
William Law
(1761) 

“The Spirit killeth, but the letter giveth life.”

Page 44 – The Power of the Spirit

The Number of Man (1909) - Philip Mauro

I realize that it is unusual to read the ending of a book before the beginning; however, by reading the Conclusion of this volume, one gets a sense of the contents of the overall work. Very few of us were even born when this was written, which confirms the conviction I have had that we were all born into the ‘great falling away.’ God has warned us again and again and again. May we have ears to hear, and hearts to respond, before our opportunity passes us by.

The Number of Man; or, the Climax of Civilization
by Philip Mauro

New Popular Edition. 12mo, cloth net 75c.
"A starting arraignment of the man-made conditions which are combining their influence in these latter days to destroy Christianity. The author makes a careful study of the human influences, material, intellectual and of false religions, to neutralize and destroy the power of the Gospel of Christ."--Herald and Presbyter.

CONCLUSION

"And thou shalt speak My Words unto them whether they will hear, or whether they will for bear; for they are most rebellious" (Ezek. ii. 7)

And now, as a final word, I would make an earnest appeal to my countrymen of England and America--the great English-speaking nations--to whom the subjects herein discussed are matters of vital importance. In these great changes and mighty movements of our day are involved, as I firmly believe, the destinies of the noblest empires that have ever risen and flourished in the earth. Notwithstanding our many and grievous national sins and shortcomings, God has greatly blessed and prospered us above all people on earth. Our armies have been victorious in time of war, and our commercial enterprises have prospered in time of peace. By the good hand of our God upon us we have spread to every quarter of the earth, and have extended our dominion over more than one-third of its inhabitants. If the wealth of the world could be rightly computed doubtless much more than half of it would be found to be, in our custody. The whole world has felt, and feels at this moment more than ever, the influence of our language and our institutions. To us, chiefly, since the apostasy of Israel, the custody of the Holy Scriptures seems to have been entrusted; and through us the Word of God has [354] increased, and its message has been carried to all peoples and languages and tongues and nations, for our fathers feared God and trembled at His Word. Above all the nations of this or any age, we have been the people of the open Bible; and, accordingly, above all the nations of this or any age, the God of the Bible has blessed us.

But within a generation all this has changed. This change, in its magnitude and suddenness, is without parallel in the history of nations. Mr. White has good ground for saying that "Christianity in the sense of its Founder has a little in common with Europe" (and he might have added America) "as with Asia"; and that "if He were to appear in the flesh He could not call Himself a Christian." The substance of all that we have been considering is briefly this, that we are entering the dark shadow Of THE GREATEST NATIONAL APOSTASY IN ALL THE HISTORY OF MANKIND. The Bible does not occupy the place in England and America which, until this generation, it has always occupied. Our leaders once bowed to its authority; now they reject it. They have turned away from the God of Revelation, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and have discarded Christianity for Pantheism, the degrading religion of the Hindoos. What does this portend, what can it portend, but the greatest national overthrow, ruin, and disaster, that the world has ever seen!

"What shall we then say to these things?" Shall we forget the lesson of the olive tree? Because of [355] unbelief the natural branches (Israel) were broken off. "Therefore," we Gentiles are warned (for, says the apostle, "I speak unto YOU GENTILES"), "Be not high-minded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee, Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. xi. 13, 19-22). We have experienced His goodness, and now have incurred, more than any other nations, His severity. Let us then not follow any longer these evil men, who are leading the deceived masses away from the Source and Giver of all good, the Author of all our national wealth and greatness. Whether reverend doctors, or learned professors, or ecclesiastical reformers, or social economists, or philanthropists, they are leading us into the pit wherein many nations have fallen, and from which none has ever risen again. "For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed" (Isa. ix. 16). God is giving now a little space for repentance ere the storm of His well-merited wrath breaks upon us. This is the meaning of that strange "hush" which has fallen upon Europe, to which England's greatest living orator lately called attention in words that have been read throughout the world. But during this period of strange and ominous stillness there is proceeding a stranger and more ominous preparation for war, upon a scale hitherto unprecedented, and that at a time of profound peace. Let there be no mistake as to the meaning of this. It is not merely England's [356] national supremacy, but her national existence that is at stake. And the destiny and interests of America are so identified with those of the mother country that the former will also be inevitably involved in the impending crisis. Moreover, the daughter has fully shared in the mother's sins, and will surely participate in the punishment thereof. For in this "as is the mother, so is her daughter" (Ezek. xvi. 44).

Shall it be in vain that the instruments of God's righteous anger are being made ready under our very eyes? Is it nothing that England's naval supremacy, upon which the existence of the Empire absolutely depends, has been definitely challenged by a great and warlike nation, whose ruler is a God-fearing monarch, who maintains the "Divine right of Kings?" Is it nothing that America's western border is menaced by a mysterious people, stimulated by conquest, capable of nurturing revenge for years until the moment comes, and then of striking a fatal blow? Is it nothing that while England and America are busy accumulating wealth, Germany and Japan are training every male subject for war? 1 Let us then consider our ways; and let us be not so foolish and so oblivious of the plainest lessons of history as to suppose that these menacing evils may be averted by maintaining the [357] "two-power standard," and by expending vast sums for armament. There is but one way whereby the English-speaking nations may escape the unparalleled disaster that menaces them; and that is, by repenting and forsaking their sins, and returning to the God Who gave them wealth and greatness. The prophecies we have been examining must indeed be fulfilled; but there are to be some nations which, as nations, shall be admitted to blessing when the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and shall sit upon the throne of His glory. For then "before Him shall be gathered ALL NATIONS; and He shall separate THEM one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats" (Matt. xxv. 31, 32). It may be, therefore, that God will be entreated for us, that the storm of His wrath may not overwhelm us, and that we may be hidden in the day of his fierce anger, "when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth."

However that may be, there can be no question that, in a condition so serious as that which now exists, there is a special call to God's people, few and feeble though they be, for an unflinching manifestation of individual faithfulness to Him, and to His Word: "For thou hast a little strength, and has kept My Word, and hast not denied My Name" (Rev. iii. 8). There is also a special call to them, at such a time as this, to separate themselves from that system of confusion which will soon experience the severity of… His righteous judgments. For that vast system, religious and commercial, which has been the [358] subject of our study, is none other than "Babylon the Great," whose destruction has been decreed (Rev. xviii. 1, 2). But Scripture shows us that on the very eve of her overthrow there are some of God's people who yet linger within the dangerous sphere of her showy allurements. To these there comes "from heaven" a clear and urgent message: "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER, My People, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. . . . She shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her" (Rev. xviii. 4, 5, 8). [359]

1 Prominent English journals have repeatedly called attention to the significant fact that Germany and Japan are the only two nations on earth which compel every man to undergo a military training. The world has two, and only two, nations of trained warriors. The God of nations has a great purpose in this. [357]

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How Christ Is To Be Found

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” 2 Corinthians 11:3.

From: The Power of the Spirit, by William Law (1761) & Andrew Murray (1895)
Letter X, pages 80-81.

16. How Christ is to be Found.

If you ask where, and how Christ is to be found? I answer in your heart, and by your heart, and nowhere else, nor by anything else.

But you will perhaps say, it is your very
heart that keeps you a stranger to Christ, and Him to you, because your heart is all bad, as
unholy as a den of thieves.

I answer, that the finding this to be the state of your heart, is the real finding of Christ in it.

For nothing else but Christ can reveal, and make manifest the sin and evil in you. And He
that discovers, is the same Christ that takes away sin. So that, as soon as complaining guilt, sets itself before you, and will be seen, you may be assured, that Christ is in you of a truth.

For Christ must first come as a discoverer and reprover of sin. It is the infallible proof of
His holy presence within you.

Hear Him, reverence Him, submit to Him as a discoverer and reprover of sin. Own His
power and presence in the feeling of your guilt, and then He that wounded, will heal, He that found out the sin, will take it away, and He who showed you your den of thieves, will turn it into a holy temple of Father Son, and Holy Ghost.

And now, sir, you may see, that your doubt and inquiry of me, whether your will was really free, or not, was groundless.

You have no freedom, or power of will, to assume any holy temper, or take hold of such
degrees of goodness, as you have a mind to have. For nothing is, or ever can be goodness
in you, but the one life, light, and Spirit of Christ revealed, formed, and begotten in your
soul. Christ in us, is our only goodness, as Christ in us, is our hope of glory. But Christ in
us is the pure free gift of God to us.

But you have a true and full freedom of will and choice, either to leave, and give up your
helpless self to the operation of God on your soul, or to rely upon your own rational industry, and natural strength of mind. This is the truth of the freedom of your will, in your first setting out, which is a freedom that no man wants, or can want so long as he is in the body. And every unregenerate man has this freedom.

If therefore you have not that which you want to have of God, or are not that which you
ought to be in Christ Jesus, it is not because you have no free power of leaving yourself in the hands, and under the operation of God, but because the same freedom of your will, seeks for help where it cannot be had, namely, in some strength and activity of your own faculties.

Of this freedom of will it is said, “According to thy faith, so it be done unto thee;” that is to say, according as thou leavest and trustest thyself to God, so will His operation be in thee.

This is the real, great magic power of the first turning of the will; of which it is truly said,
that it always hath that which it willeth, and can have nothing else.

When this freedom of the will wholly leaves itself to God, saying, not mine, but Thy will be done, then it hath that, which it willeth. The will of God is done in it. It is in God. It hath divine power. It worketh with God, and by God, and comes at length to be that faith, which can remove mountains; and nothing is too hard for it.

And thus it is, that every unregenerate son of Adam hath life and death in his own choice,
not by any natural power of taking which he will, but by a full freedom, either of leaving, and trusting himself to the redeeming operation of God, which is eternal life, or of acting according to his own will and power in flesh and blood, which is eternal death.

And now, my dear friend, let me tell you, that as here lies all the true and real freedom,
which cannot be taken from you, so in the constant exercise of this freedom, that is, in a continual leaving yourself to, and depending upon the operation of God in your soul, lies all your road to heaven. No divine virtue can be had any other way.

All the excellency and power of faith, hope, love, patience, and resignation, etc., which are the true and only graces of the spiritual life, have no other root or ground, but this free, full leaving of yourself to God, and are only so many different expressions of your willing nothing, seeking nothing, trusting to nothing, but the life-giving power of His holy presence in your soul.

To sum up all in a word. Wait patiently, trust humbly, depend only upon, seek solely to
a God of light and love, of mercy and goodness, of glory and majesty, ever dwelling in the inmost depth and spirit of your soul. There you have all the secret, hidden, invisible upholder of all the creation, whose blessed operation will always be found by a humble, faithful, loving, calm, patient introversion of your heart to Him, who has His hidden heaven within you, and which will open itself to you, as soon as your heart is left wholly to His eternal ever-speaking word, and ever-sanctifying Spirit within you.

Beware of all eagerness and activity of your own natural spirit and temper. Run not in any hasty ways of your own. Be patient under the sense of your own vanity and weakness; and patiently wait for God to do His own work, and in His own way. For you can go no faster, than a full dependence upon God can carry you.

Nothing that you do, or practice as a good to yourself, and other people, is in its proper state, grows from its right root, or reaches its true end, till you look for no willing, nor depend upon any doing that which is good, but by Christ, the wisdom and power of God, living in you. I caution you against all eagerness and activity of your own spirit, so far as it leads you to seek, and trust to something that is not God, and Christ within you.

I recommend to you stillness, calmness, patience, etc., not to make you lifeless, and
indifferent about good works, or indeed with any regard to them, but solely with regard to
your faith, that it may have its proper soil to grow in, and because all eagerness, restlessness, haste, and impatience, either with regard to God, or ourselves, are not only great hindrances, but real defects of our faith and dependence upon God.

Lastly, be courageous then, and full of hope, not by looking at any strength of your own, or fancying that you now know how to be wiser in yourself, than you have hitherto been; no, this will only help you to find more and more defects of weakness in yourself; but be courageous in faith, and hope, and dependence upon God. And be assured, that the one infallible way to all that is good, is never to be weary in waiting, trusting, and depending upon God manifested in Christ Jesus.

March 20, 1756.

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Fear of WHAT...the Roaring Lions?

Fear of WHAT… the Roaring Lions?

People today have many things they fear: the state of the world; the rise in crimes (especially against children); political and economic turmoil. All the things that once seemed so securely established are now in question if not in outright collapse. Where do we turn for solace? Who and what can we trust today? Is religion the answer? Should we fear the government? Should we listen to and believe the leaders that tell us this is just a little bump in the road, that things will get better? Many people are asking themselves these kinds of questions today, and with good cause.

For many of us, our fear is directed at any and everything… but God. In our mad rush to preserve our selves, we ignore the only real remedy available to us. Our many religions offer us platitudes and formulas, but cannot give the one thing needed… which is LIFE. There is the natural life we know while in this body, and there is the spiritual life that can only be found in a relationship with God. Jesus said in John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

This ‘abundant life’ is not measured by the world’s standards… it is not based on our social status, our bank account, our education, our achievements, none of those things which are esteemed as having worth in this world can even come close to understanding or evaluating the abundant life our Lord is speaking of here. This LIFE is wholly spiritual. Being in union with God, by His Spirit.

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For All Saints - Andrew Murray

FOR ALL SAINTS
“Let none that wait on Thee be ashamed.” —Ps. 25:3.

Let us now, in our meditation of to-day, each one forget himself, to think of the great company of God’s saints throughout the world, who are all with us waiting on Him. And let us all join in the fervent prayer for each other, “Let none that wait on Thee be ashamed.”

Just think for a moment of the multitude of waiting ones who need that prayer; how many
there are, sick and weary and solitary, to whom it is as if their prayers are not answered, and
who sometimes begin to fear that their hope will be put to shame. And then, how many servants of God, ministers or missionaries, teachers or workers, of various name, whose hopes in their work have been disappointed, and whose longing for power and blessing remains unsatisfied. And then, too, how many, who have heard of a life of rest and perfect peace, of abiding light and fellowship, of strength and victory, and who cannot find the path. With all these, it is nothing but that they have not yet learned the secret of full waiting upon God. They just need, what we all need, the living assurance that waiting on God can never be in vain. Let us remember all who are in danger of fainting or being weary, and all unite in the cry,

“Let none that wait on Thee be ashamed”!

If this intercession for all who wait on God becomes part of our waiting on Him for ourselves, we shall help to bear each other’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.2 There will be introduced into our waiting on God that element of unselfishness and love, which is the path to the highest blessing, and the fullest communion with God.

Love to the brethren and love to God are inseparably linked.

In God, the love to His Son and to us are one:
“That the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me, may be in them.”3
In Christ, the love of the Father to Him, and His love to us, are one:
“As the Father loved me, so have I loved you.”4
In us, He asks that His love to us shall be ours to the brethren:
“As I have loved you, that ye love one another.”5

All the love of God, and of Christ, are inseparably linked with love to the brethren.

And how can we, day by day, prove and cultivate this love otherwise than by daily praying for each other? Christ did not seek to enjoy the Father’s love for Himself; He passed it all on to us. All true seeking of God and His love for ourselves, will be inseparably linked with the thought and the love of our brethren in prayer for them. “Let none that wait on Thee be ashamed.” Twice in the psalm David speaks of his waiting on God for himself; here he thinks of all who wait on Him. Let this page take the message to all God’s tried and weary ones, that there are more praying for them than they know. Let it stir them and us in our waiting to make a point of at times forgetting ourselves, and to enlarge our hearts, and say to the Father, “These all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due season.”6 Let it inspire us all with new courage—for who is there who is not at times ready to faint and be weary? “Let none that wait on Thee be ashamed” is a promise in a prayer, “They that wait on Thee shall not be ashamed”! From many and many a witness the cry comes to every one who needs the help, brother, sister, tried one, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that wait on the Lord.”7

Blessed Father! we humbly beseech Thee, Let none that wait on Thee be ashamed; no, not
one. Some are weary, and the time of waiting appears long. And some are feeble, and scarcely know how to wait. And some are so entangled in the effort of their prayers and their work, they think that they can find no time to wait continually. Father! teach us all how to wait. Teach us to think of each other, and pray for each other. Teach us to think of Thee, the God of all waiting ones. Father! let none that wait on Thee be ashamed. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God!”

2 Galatians 6:2
3 John 17:26
4 John 15:9
5 John 13:34
6 Psalm 104:27

Day 6 from Andrew Murray’s – Waiting On God

What Is 'Dying to the Flesh' Anyway?

What Is ‘Dying to the Flesh’ Anyway?

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” Proverbs 29:18.

There is a blindness across the minds and hearts of people today. Does that statement offend you? Well, we can hardly deny that we are fulfilling what Jesus said in Revelation 3:17, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Jesus is not speaking to the world here… He is addressing the Church. Ridiculous as it sounds, many today are still looking for the ‘great falling away;’ the ‘great apostasy’ as something that is yet to come… utterly failing to comprehend that we were all ‘born into it.’ We only have to go back a hundred or so years to see the glaring difference between what we have been taught and what generations long gone understood. That it is our duty to ‘serve’ God, not the other way around. Everything today is ‘self-serving’… including our perceptions of God, and how we choose to interpret His Word to us. We are inundated with all manner of ‘experts’ in every arena, claiming to possess insights and knowledge regarding all things spiritual, eager to set us straight. Many people are swayed by peer pressure and public opinion. Many are moved by great oratory ability and impressive presentations. All the things in this world that appeal to our senses are avenues for deception. Our ‘flesh’ responds to things that promote the preservation, comfort, safety and gratification of the ‘flesh’… regardless of what venue that may be. Religion, social, educational, physical, political, possessions, power, you name it, and the flesh is out for all it can get.

We are well versed and very adept at keeping within the (ever-changing) boundaries of man’s laws; [speaking here of religious creeds and doctrines, although secular also applies]. However our competence level drops significantly when it comes to fulfilling the ‘law of Christ.’

Simple things like being obedient, keeping His commandments, complying with Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ,” are all too frequently cast-aside. It is far easier to fulfill man’s laws and meet man’s expectations, than it is to obey God and keep His commandments. It is sad but true, our vision today is geared toward pleasing men rather than pleasing God. We have been taught to ‘imagine’ a god of our own making, one that is less demanding, one that is geared towards loving us in spite of our sin, one that is more concerned with keeping us happy than with making us Holy. Our little, manageable god has been relegated to select time slots in our busy week, when we go through our rituals and feel justified in having met our obligation to him.

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