Thursday, March 29, 2012

Being Secure In The Love Of God- Bro.Zac


The root cause of all our spiritual problems lies in our not knowing God as a Loving Father and a Sovereign God. One truth that has revolutionized my Christian life is the glorious revelation that Jesus gave us that the Father loves us just as He loved Him. Jesus prayed to the Father, ".....that the world may know that Thou didst love them, EVEN AS THOU DIDST LOVE ME."(Jn.17:23) Jesus prayed here that the world around us might know this truth. But it has to grip our hearts first, before the world can realise it.
All Christians believe theoretically in a loving Father in heaven. But the fact that they are often worried and anxious and so full of insecurity and fear, proves that they don't believe it deep down in their hearts. There are fewer still who would dare to believe that God loves them AS MUCH AS HE LOVES JESUS! None of us could dare to believe such a truth if Jesus had not plainly told us that it was so. Once your eyes are opened to this glorious truth, it will change your whole outlook on life. All murmuring and depression and gloom will vanish from your life altogether. I know this can happen, for it happened in my life.
This is now the unshakeable foundation of my life: GOD LOVES ME JUST AS HE LOVES JESUS. It's not because you don't fast and pray sufficiently that you are not entering into the victorious life. Victory comes, not through self-effort but through faith. "Faith in what?", you may ask. Faith in God's perfect love for you. Many believers live under the condemnation of Satan who keeps telling them, "You are not fasting enough. You are not praying enough. You are not witnessing enough. You are not studying the Bible enough", etc., etc., They are constantly being whipped up by such thoughts into an endless round of activity and into a multitude of dead works. Do you realise that all your self- discipline, fasting, praying, tithing and witnessing are dead works, if they do not originate in love for God? And they cannot originate in love unless you are secure in God's love first. Paul's prayer for the Christians at Ephesus was that they might be rooted and grounded in the love of God. (Eph. 3:16,17).
The world is full of people who are looking for someone to love them. Many Christians go from church to church, wanting to be loved. Some seek for love in friendships and some in marriage. But all this search can end in disappointment. Like orphans, the children of Adam are insecure and as a result are again and again overcome by bouts of self-pity. The sad thing is that even after conversion, many still remain insecure, when there is no need for them to be so. What is the answer of the gospel to this problem? The answer is to find our security in the love of God. Jesus repeatedly told His disciples that the hairs on their head were all numbered and that a God Who fed the millions of birds and clothed the millions of flowers would certainly take care of them. A greater argument than all of that, is: "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up freely for us, how shall He not with Him also freely give us ALL THINGS " (Rom. 8:32). As God cared for Jesus, He will care for you too.
One reason why God allows us at times to be disappointed with our fellow human beings is so that we might learn to stop leaning on man. He desires to free us from such idolatry (for it is a form of idolatry to depend on man), so that we might learn to lean wholly upon Him alone. And so when God orders your circumstances in such a way that you are disappointed on every side, that shouldn't discourage you. It is just God weaning you away from the arm of flesh so that you might learn to live by faith in Him. Learn to find your security in the fact that God loves you as He loved Jesus. All competition and jealousy among Christians arises out of this same insecurity. A man who is secure in the love of God and who believes that God made no mistake in making him the way He made him, and in giving him the gifts and talents He gave him, can never possibly be jealous of another or compete with another. All problems of relationships among believers are also basically due to this same insecurity. Just think how many of your problems will be solved when your eyes are opened to this one truth - that God loves you exactly as He loves Jesus.

Monday, March 26, 2012

The Congregation, The Church, and The Club by Bro.Santosh Poonen

  • Summary: The true Church of Jesus Christ is a spiritual Body of disciples who have taken up their cross. On either side of this narrow way are these two cliffs: Congregations (comprised of people who have an Old Covenant relationship with God), and Clubs (comprised of people who have no Covenant relationship with God).
  • Quote: Jesus went to the Cross first out of love for the Father, and only then out of love for us because the Father commanded Him to (John 14:31).
  • Quote: This bi-directional love can be represented by the vertical and horizontal beams of the cross (Matthew 22:35-39).
  • Quote: The vertical beam of our cross is seen only by God in secret, because it involves the heart, mind, and soul. God has intended it this way, to see who are the ones who really fear Him alone.
  • Quote: The horizontal beam of the cross is what identifies us outwardly as followers of Jesus (John 13:35).
  • Quote: A beam by itself is no cross.
  • Quote: The cross at Calvary was only the last of over 12000 (365days * 33.5years) crosses that Jesus carried (Luke 9:23).
  • Quote: The Church today is comprised of disciples (cross-bearers) who follow Jesus in saying, “I don’t do what I want, but only what God wants.”
  • Quote: The Congregation is simply a large gathering of vertical beams, for whom the Cross has done nothing new. Their relationship with God is only external and on the basis of the Old Covenant.
  • Quote: The Church is the Body of Christ comprised of disciples whose relationship with God is on the basis of the New Covenant.
  • Quote: If you haven’t hidden your devotion to God, you haven’t understood the New Covenant (Matthew 6:1-18).
  • Quote: Uniformity in the body or the soul can be knit by human means. Church unity comes when “the two become one in spirit” (Ephesians 4:3), which is something only the Holy Spirit can knit among disciples who have surrendered their will to God (Colossians 2:2).
  • Quote: In daily situations when I give up my will, I am filled me with the spirit of Christ by fellowship in His sufferings. The more I walk this way, the more my heart is knit together in fellowship with others who have the same spirit.
  • Quote: Unity in the Body does not come from glueing organs together, but from the same blood flowing through all of them from the Head.
  • Quote: The Club is built out of love for others, driven by human compassion and care. Relationship with God is on the b
  • Summary: The true Church of Jesus Christ is a spiritual Body of disciples who have taken up their cross. On either side of this narrow way are these two cliffs: Congregations (comprised of people who have an Old Covenant relationship with God), and Clubs (comprised of people who have no Covenant relationship with God).
  • Quote: Jesus went to the Cross first out of love for the Father, and only then out of love for us because the Father commanded Him to (John 14:31).
  • Quote: This bi-directional love can be represented by the vertical and horizontal beams of the cross (Matthew 22:35-39).
  • Quote: The vertical beam of our cross is seen only by God in secret, because it involves the heart, mind, and soul. God has intended it this way, to see who are the ones who really fear Him alone.
  • Quote: The horizontal beam of the cross is what identifies us outwardly as followers of Jesus (John 13:35).
  • Quote: A beam by itself is no cross.
  • Quote: The cross at Calvary was only the last of over 12000 (365days * 33.5years) crosses that Jesus carried (Luke 9:23).
  • Quote: The Church today is comprised of disciples (cross-bearers) who follow Jesus in saying, “I don’t do what I want, but only what God wants.”
  • Quote: The Congregation is simply a large gathering of vertical beams, for whom the Cross has done nothing new. Their relationship with God is only external and on the basis of the Old Covenant.
  • Quote: The Church is the Body of Christ comprised of disciples whose relationship with God is on the basis of the New Covenant.
  • Quote: If you haven’t hidden your devotion to God, you haven’t understood the New Covenant (Matthew 6:1-18).
  • Quote: Uniformity in the body or the soul can be knit by human means. Church unity comes when “the two become one in spirit” (Ephesians 4:3), which is something only the Holy Spirit can knit among disciples who have surrendered their will to God (Colossians 2:2).
  • Quote: In daily situations when I give up my will, I am filled me with the spirit of Christ by fellowship in His sufferings. The more I walk this way, the more my heart is knit together in fellowship with others who have the same spirit.
  • Quote: Unity in the Body does not come from glueing organs together, but from the same blood flowing through all of them from the Head.
  • Quote: The Club is built out of love for others, driven by human compassion and care. Relationship with God is on the basis of no covenant, so personal devotion to God is absent, or minimal.
  • Quote: In the Club, it doesn’t matter how tall the vertical beam is, as long as the horizontal beam is sufficiently long.
  • Quote: In the Club, the emphasis is only on more activity and more time spent together, but this does not breed fellowship.
  • Quote: The members of a “Club”:
    • try to find their security in man and membership, not in God
    • get offended when corrected
    • expect others to pamper them
    • experience no spiritual growth year by year, and slowly backslide
  • Quote: The most religious thing you can do is build a house for God based on good preaching. The most spiritual thing you can do is build God¡¯s house based on obeying His Word. (Matthew 7:24-27)
  • Quote: The wise man and the foolish man both listened to the same sermons. The difference was that the wise man decided to take his secret life before God seriously, and the foolish man didn’t.
  • Quote: The foolish man’s house is a mansion, but its fall is just as great (Matthew 7:27).
  • Quote: The Club is a gathering of convenience. The Church is a uniting of fellowship in Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10).
  • asis of no covenant, so personal devotion to God is absent, or minimal.
  • Quote: In the Club, it doesn’t matter how tall the vertical beam is, as long as the horizontal beam is sufficiently long.
  • Quote: In the Club, the emphasis is only on more activity and more time spent together, but this does not breed fellowship.
  • Quote: The members of a “Club”:
    • try to find their security in man and membership, not in God
    • get offended when corrected
    • expect others to pamper them
    • experience no spiritual growth year by year, and slowly backslide
  • Quote: The most religious thing you can do is build a house for God based on good preaching. The most spiritual thing you can do is build God¡¯s house based on obeying His Word. (Matthew 7:24-27)
  • Quote: The wise man and the foolish man both listened to the same sermons. The difference was that the wise man decided to take his secret life before God seriously, and the foolish man didn’t.
  • Quote: The foolish man’s house is a mansion, but its fall is just as great (Matthew 7:27).
  • Quote: The Club is a gathering of convenience. The Church is a uniting of fellowship in Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10).



 

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Yield Yourself to God without any Reservation - Bro.Zac

The New Testament exhorts us to become bondslaves of the Lord. Paul called himself a willing bondslave of Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament, there were two classes of servants - the bondslave and the hired servant. A bondslave, unlike the hired servant, was never paid. He was bought by his master for a price - and as a result, all that he was and all that he possessed belonged to his master. This is what every believer must recognise himself to be. Our time, money, talents, families, possessions, minds and bodies - all - belong to our Master and our Lord, for they are His by right of purchase on the Cross (1 Cor. 6:19,20).


In Rom 12:2, we are therefore exhorted to present our bodies to God, once for all, as a living sacrifice, even as the burnt offering in the Old Testament. The burnt offering, unlike the sin offering, was wholly offered to God, and signified the offerer's utter dedication to the Lord. When a man offered a burnt offering, he received nothing back. God could do whatever He liked with that offering. It was symbolic of Calvary's Cross where the Lord Jesus offered Himself utterly to His Father saying, "Father, not My will but Thine be done." This is what it means to present our body as a living sacrifice to God: we must die to our own will and choice as to how and where our body should be used by Him. Only thus can we know His will.

Lack of such yieldedness is usually the main reason why we are unable to ascertain God's will. Our yieldedness to the Lord is often with reservations. We are not really willing to accept anything that God may offer.

I met a brother once who was willing to take up any vocation except full-time Christian service. I told him that it was this reservation that kept him from being clear about God's plan for his life. When he finally yielded all to the Lord, he immediately gained a deeper assurance of God's will. God did not call him to full-time Christian service, but He wanted him to be willing.


Many who come to God under the pretext of wanting to know His will really want only His approval of a path they have already chosen for themselves. Hence they receive no answer from Him. How soon our problems of guidance would be solved, if only we gave ourselves without any reserve to our Lord saying, "Lord, I am willing to accept anything, if Thou wilt only assure me that it is Thy will. Choose Thou for me, my Lord. I have no choice of my own in this matter." It was Abraham's willingness to go anywhere and to do anything at any time for God that made him the "Friend of God."


George Muller of Bristol (England) was a man of great faith and one who could ascertain the will of God with remarkable accuracy. He has said in this connection, "I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this stage, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is."


Some want to know God's will first before deciding whether to obey or not. But God does not reveal His will to such people. Jesus said, "If any man desires to do His will, he will know....." (John 7:17). A willingness to do anything that God commands will alone qualify us to know what His perfect will is. This applies to small matters as well as big.

 

Friday, March 23, 2012

Proving God's Perfect Will - Bro.Zac

When faced with an issue concerning which we are unsure as to whether it is God's will or not, it is good for us to ask ourselves twelve questions. As we answer these questions honestly, it will become increasingly clear to us what the will of God is.

(1) Is it contrary to any of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, or to the spirit of the New Testament, as far as I know? (2 Tim.3:16,17).

(2) Is it something I can do with a clear conscience? (1 Jn.3:21).

(3) Is it something I can do for the glory of God? (1 Cor.10:31).

(4) Is it something I can do in fellowship with Jesus? (Col.3:17).

(5) Can I ask God to bless me as I do it? (2 Cor.9:8).

(6) Will my doing it blunt my spiritual edge in any way? (2 Tim.2:15).

(7) Will it be spiritually profitable and edifying, to the best of my knowledge? (1 Cor.6:12; 10:23).

(8) Would I be happy if I were found doing it at the moment when Jesus returns to earth? (1 Jn.2:28).

(9) What do wiser and more mature brothers think about it? (Prov.11:14; 15:22; 24:6)

(10) Will my doing it bring dishonour to God's Name or ruin my testimony, if others know about it? Rom.2:24; 2 Cor.8:21)

(11) Will my doing it cause others to stumble, if they know about it? (Rom.14:13; 1 Cor.8:9).

(12) Do I feel free in my spirit to do it? (1 Jn.2:27).
        (Look up the Scripture references and meditate on them)

  1. Proving God's Perfect Will(1)
  2. Proving God's Perfect Will(2)
  3. Proving God's Perfect Will(3)

Thursday, March 22, 2012

When Afraid, I Will Trust In God - Psalm 56:3


Psalm 56

 1Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. 2Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. 3What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 4In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

 Matthew 14

 24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

FELLOWSHIP, MEN OF GOD AND THE CHURCH - CFC

Here is an article on building fellowship in Christ’s Body – written by one of the senior elders of our churches in India:
GOD’S KINGDOM – HOW IT BEGAN
http://www.cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/articles.php?display=article40


And here is an article written 27 years ago (worth re-reading) on the type of man God is looking for:

GOD NEEDS MEN
http://www.cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/articles.php?display=article25


And here is a video that will enable you to see the identifying marks of a true church:

THE CONGREGATION, THE CLUB AND THE CHURCH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV4SuZf8t3c

http://cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/sermon.php?video_id=2060


We encourage you to pass these links on to others who may be blessed by them.


Thank you.

Newton
For Christian Fellowship Church
------------------------------

-----------------------------
Christian Fellowship Church,
40 Da Costa Square, Bangalore 560 084, India
http://www.cfcindia.com

Sunday, March 18, 2012

God is Perfectly Crafting the Circumstances of My Life - Tim Conway

Do you have a tendency to think "God has forgotten me?" John 3:27 says - "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven." - All that we have has been perfectly crated by our Father in heaven, may we not doubt the Lord, but trust Him by faith.



MP3 & iPod .MOV - http://illbehonest.com/God-is-Perfectly-Crafting-the-Circumstances-of-My-Life...

THE WONDERFUL LOVE OF GOD - by C.G.Finney

Source - http://www.gospeltruth.net/1849-51Penny_Pulpit/501222pp_wonderful_loveofg.htm



A Sermon DELIVERED ON SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 22, 1850.
BY THE REV. C.G. FINNEY, (of the Oberlin Collegiate Institute, America,)  AT THE TABERNACLE MOORFIELDS.



"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."--John iii.16

THE term world as here used does not mean the globe of earth on which we live--but the race of man. In this sense the term is often used. The world; the whole world; are terms often used to signify the men who live in the world, the race of man, as such. The term perish in this passage does not mean annihilation; it is manifestly put in contrast to everlasting life, as the opposite of that. Everlasting life, as the term is here used, is not merely everlasting existence--I know not the term is ever used in that sense in any other part of the Bible: whether everlasting existence will be a blessing or not, will depend upon the state in which individuals exist, whether in happiness or misery. Under some circumstances everlasting existence might be anything but a blessing.
This everlasting life which is here spoken of is doubtless an everlasting living with God in heaven--an everlasting existence combined with everlasting happiness; this is the eternal life so often spoken* of in the Scriptures, and, doubtless, is that which is meant in this place. Now to perish is the opposite of this; it is not annihilation or a mere ceasing from existence, because to annihilate would ofttimes be no evil to the individual on whom the sentence should be inflicted; to a wretched being it would be not an evil at all, but a great favour. In short, it is very plain that to perish is the very opposite of everlasting life, and means what is expressed in everlasting death, or a state of endless punishment.
In speaking from these words I propose to notice--
I. THE OBJECT OF THIS LOVE.
II. ITS NATURE.
III. THE REASONS WHY THIS LOVE RESORTED TO SUCH A MEASURE AS TO GIVE THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD FOR MEN.
IV. THE NATURE AND NECESSITY OF THE FAITH WHICH CAN SECURE THIS GREAT END--THE SALVATION OF THE SOUL.
I. The object of this love. The object of this love is the world; not a part of it, but the world. There is no reason in the nature of things why one part of mankind should be loved, more than another part, because, observe, this love was not exercised to saints as such, and had not respect to the character of the men of the world; but it was to a world of sinners, towards which this love was exercised. God loved men as a race, as sinners, the enemies of God. Now there was no reason why part of the race of sinners should be loved, and not all of them; and the same kind of love which could possibly love a part of men, of necessity, from its very nature loved the whole of them--this is the only love, a universal love, which could have been exercised towards man by a good being. But this leads me to inquire in the next place into--
II. The nature of this love.
And, first, I observe that it could not have been complacency, or a delight in the character of men, for there was nothing in the character of the human race that could allow God to love them, or take any delight in their character--that is most certain. It is impossible that God should have loved mankind with a complacent love; for that would have been to make him infinitely more wicked than they were themselves. What is implied in loving a wicked being? Why sympathy with his character is implied: God could not have loved them with a complacent love without being infinitely more wicked than they, because for an infinite being to sympathize with wicked natures he must himself be infinitely wicked. It is certain that this love could not have had any respect to the character of men--they were not loved for their character, it is impossible that it should have been so.
But I remark again, this love could not have been mere emotion, for emotion does not influence the life without the will, emotion is not a cause; it will not give existence, even intense emotion will not; it is a merely involuntary state of mind--something which belongs to the passions; it will often be a motive to action, and may be a stimulus to the will, but mere passion never caused anything, causality is that which produces and lives in the will of every moral agent, and is a very different thing from emotion.
Again: it was not fondness for particular persons. There was no reason in God's nature, and no reason in man, why God should exercise any such fondness. I remark again: that it was not an involuntary love, as is manifest in what it did. It must have been voluntary, because we have here before us the evidence of its efficiency; and it was an efficient love because it was voluntary love. Again: it was not an unreasonable state of mind. There was, to be sure, nothing in the character of man to admit of a complacent love, yet it was not an unreasonable state of mind at all; it was not something prohibited by reason. We sometimes see affections among men wholly unreasonable. We sometimes see deep affection in the form of what we call love, existing among mankind in a way that is totally opposite to reason. But there was some good reason for this love of God--something which his own understanding and conscience sanctioned. There was something about men which rendered it reasonable for God to love them, with a certain kind of love.
I remark again: that the love which God actually did manifest was the only kind of love that could have been important to man. If the love of God had mere emotion, or pity, it would have done man no good. This love, then, must have been a reasonable affection; it must have been a reasonable love. Now when we look at the nature of this love, if we do so in a simple and reasonable manner, there can be no doubt of what the real nature of this love is. I observe, that it was good-will or benevolence. This is evident from the fact, that it exerted itself for the good of the objects of it in a most striking and wonderful manner. It is plain that it was good-will, because it produced good action. Again: it was an unselfish kind of love. The reason why God loved men was not because they deserved that he should do them good--for they deserved evil only at his hands. Observe, there was a good reason why he should love them, but they had no right to demand his love as a matter of justice, for they had forfeited all claim to his affection or protection; and therefore, of course, justice did not demand that God should do them good.
But let me say once more, the soul of man was so valuable, its happiness would be so infinitely important, and its misery so great an evil, that God, looking at the intrinsic value of their souls, saw good reason for loving them and doing them good--that is, God did the good for the sake of the good itself; he willed good to them for the sake of the intrinsic and infinite value of this good to them considered in itself, and not because they at all deserved it. They not only had no claim upon him for this love, but there were great reasons for his destroying them; yet, nevertheless so great was the value of their souls, so much did he pity them in view of their coming and certain destruction, and so greatly did he love their happiness and desire it, that overcoming all obstacles in the way he rose above any disposition to punish them, or retaliate upon them for their wickedness, and sought only to do them good. There was good reason for this as I have said, not in view of the actions of mankind, but in consideration of the value of their souls.
I remark once more: this love was a disinterested love; I mean that he did not propose any interest to himself merely as the reason why he should do this thing--it was the love of the world--it was a disposition to do them good; it was the love of their good that led him to do it. He did not propose to benefit them, in any such sense, as to secure to himself in any selfish sense, any great good--it was a totally disinterested love. As a matter of fact he did enjoy it himself, and yet it was a totally disinterested love, and so much the more will it glorify him. Just in proportion as he aimed to secure their interest with a single eye, in just that proportion did he secure his own approbation and the admiration and glorification of all holy beings. By disinterested love I do not mean that he had no interest in it, for he had an infinite interest in what he did; but I mean that his love was wholly unselfish--he sought to do good because of the value of the good itself.
But let me say again: this must have been a love of amazing strength; it could not have been a feeble state of mind; it must have been infinitely intense! Just think of it! "For God so loved the world, that he gave this only begotten Son!" What a wonder this was! Here were on the one hand a world of enemies who were at war with him; and on the other stood his beloved Son, his only begotten, his well beloved Son. Now just look at this: and conceive of a state of mind that should prefer to give that Son, that only begotten, that well beloved Son, to die for those rebels who stood with the weapons of rebellion in their hand. They had revolted against his government, and were deserving of his frown and his wrath, his own conscience clearly affirming that they deserved to be banished from his presence; yet such was his estimate of the value of their souls, of the dreadful suffering to which they would be subjected if the penalty of the law should be inflicted upon them, that he gave his Son rather than banish that world of rebels from the glory of his power to die in their guilty state. No person, unless he ponders these things well, will understand how intensely strong this love must have been to produce such a determination as that. Let a parent conceive, if he can, who has an only child, one who has never offended him, the very darling of his soul, one whom he loves as well as he loves himself and has reason to love, if he could give up that child for the good of his enemies. Let people abuse him, do everything to injure him that they possibly could do, placing themselves in a position as obnoxious as possible so as to deserve his indignation and condemnation, incur his utter rejection and his abhorrence of them for ever. Now conceive of a state of mind that could deliberately make such a choice as God did. It was not the sacrificing of an innocent person instead of the guilty; it was not the punishment of Christ-- consenting that Christ should suffer instead of sinners being punished--no; there was no such idea in the divine mind. But we shall more fully inquire into the reasons why God gave his Son to die for the good of the world by and by. I am now talking of the intense nature of this love. Now think, if you can, with your son on one side and your enemies on the other, what struggles would be produced in your mind by reflecting upon the fact that these enemies must perish for ever or you must give up your son! You see that he has a willing heart in him, that he is ready to undertake their deliverance from death--that he is willing to take all that is implied in being their Saviour, but it demands that you consent to it, that you enter into it with your heart, and that you say to him go. Now when we realise what God must have felt under such circumstances, it is easy enough for us to understand the intense nature of the love that could have overcome that state of mind that would naturally cleave to his Son, and give him up for the good of the world. Just conceive how many things there must have been against this. God knew what it would cost him, that his Son must pass through trial, through affliction, through persecution, through poverty, through agony. His Father saw every trial and every suffering that he would have to undergo--he saw him heavy sorrowing and despised--he saw him too in the garden, when he sweat as it were great drops of blood, so great was his agony--this was all present to the divine mind when he gave up his Son to be the Saviour of the world. The Father saw his Son weary to fainting, as he carried his cross up Calvary's hill so that his barbarous persecutors were compelled to lay the burden on another. He saw him mocked and pierced when on the cross, and saw him in the agonies of death, and heard his lamentable cry, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" What a number of scenes must have clustered around the divine mind to forbid the gift of his Son for the salvation of a guilty world. Yet so great was his love that he overcame all these obstacles and freely gave him up for us all, that we might not perish but have everlasting life. Let this idea, dear hearers, take possession of your minds.
I must not enlarge upon this, however, but proceed to say, it must never be forgotten nor left out of view, that it was the love of enemies not of friends; for, observe, all the world was contemplated, and it was as sinners that God gave Christ to die for them--they were a race of sinners. Observe, it was not for a single Christian, as such, that God gave his Son, it was for sinners as such, for rebels as such; it was in view of the fact of their being sinners that God gave his Son. Now it is very important that this fact should be always kept in mind that it was not for good but for bad people, not for the righteous but for the wicked that God gave his Son.
Again: it was a forbearing love. Some persons seem to think that when we talk of the self-denial of God we imply that he is sometimes selfish. Now let me say, self-denial always implies the very opposite of selfishness in any being; it is the consenting to give up some good, or to endure some evil for the benefit of others. No individual, of course, can exercise self-denial who is living in selfishness. Now this was self-denial in God to consent to deny himself by giving up his Son; this must have been greatly trying to his feelings for him to consent to give up his Son to die for the world. But I must not enlarge upon this.
Let me say again: it was of course a universal love. It was not love to men alone; it extended to other worlds. And, no doubt, it was in reference, in a great measure, to other worlds that led him to take the course he did take in forgiving sin in this world. It was the good of his universal kingdom that led him to take this particular measure.
Again: his love was a holy love; it hated sin. It was very important, in as much as this love was exercised towards sinners, that something should be done to make the whole universe understand, that although it was the love of sinners as such, that it was not connivance at their sin. Indeed this was the grand and most material point, as every man can see, that as his love was a love manifested to sinners, how he should sufficiently guard against the impression that he connived at their sins; for, observe, he was going to express great love for sinners, by laying himself out to do them good. Now, mark, how shall it be known that he was as much opposed to their sin as he had professed to be, and as the universal conscience demanded that he should be? It is a delicate thing oftentimes for human governors to manifest love and benevolence to those who are rebels against the government. It is a very delicate thing for governments of great and extended empires to manifest deep and anxious love for those who are enemies of the law and who set it at defiance. There is also much danger that the justice of the law will be thrown into the shade, that respect for the law shall be lost sight of, and that the sin involved in the rebellion should be forgotten. Now there was infinite danger of this in the government of God; therefore it was necessary that while pardoning the sinner, he should as much as possible show his opposition to sin, and thus manifest plainly to the world that he did not connive at their sin.
But again; this love was just as truly as it was merciful; that is, it was just to the universe. There were other interests beside the interest of sinners in his government. There were reasons why he should not endanger his authority and let down respect for his law. Now it is easy to see that justice to the universe demanded that he should be careful how he expressed the great and infinite love which he had in his heart toward sinners. This leads me to notice--
III. The reasons for this wonderful measure of the Divine government. His love, observe, sought to compass the world's salvation--he sought to save those that deserved to die, and we are informed that he resorted to this measure by giving his only begotten Son for sinners--a wonderful measure indeed! Now, it is plain that the reason for this must have been anything but ill-will on the part of God. Again: it was anything else than anger at them that led him to do it. To be sure, in one point of view, he had a holy indignation at their sins; but it was not this anger that led him to give his Son--he gave him in spite of this just and holy indignation at their sins. It was not God's anger then, but a merciful disposition that led God to require Christ to die for sinners. God was disposed to be merciful; this was the secret of the whole matter; this was the grand foundation of the whole arrangement: the very reason that God undertook their salvation, was that he loved them, and was disposed to show them favour. It was not then, I say, the want of a merciful disposition, it was not hatred, but love of sinners, the one great reason that led God to show mercy to men. There was one great reason in the Divine mind, the fundamental reason, his love for sinners. Now mark, it is said that God resorted to this measure of giving his Son to secure the good of the world--for several reasons which I will name, he did not retaliate upon them for all their opposition to him. Now observe, there must have been some very weighty reasons, and some reasons that needed to be overcome, but which could not be overcome by any other measure than the one which was actually adopted. We ought always to understand that God acts rationally, and for wise and good reasons. Let no man, therefore, suppose that he resorted to any unnecessary measure of severity. No one can rationally suppose that God resorted to any means that could have been avoided in the nature of the case. Now he had set his heart upon the means--wise means, and means that were demanded by the circumstances and the occasion. Who can believe that any other means were resorted to? But let us look at the reasons for the particular measure that was resorted to. It is of very great importance to understand them. We have seen that God had a good reason for the measure which he adopted; a sufficient reason, and a reason that could not have been set aside or overcome; but let us now ascertain, if we can, what these reasons were. Whatever they were, they must have been sanctioned by the law of benevolence, or they could not have been virtue. If the measure had not been one that was sanctioned by the eternal laws of God's own reason, he never could have resorted to it. But the fact is, it is simple enough, and it does not require any great knowledge to understand it: it only needs to be looked at, and everybody can see at once that such circumstances called for such a measure. Look at the subject--mankind had resisted the government of God, had denied the justice of his law, to which even the angels conform, and which is absolutely necessary to secure the well-being of the universe, and their own salvation. Now if God had seemed to connive at man's disobedience of his law, which was the law of the entire universe, all other beings might have denied the justice of the law, and disobeyed it also. Observe, therefore, the whole universe, all the inhabitants of heaven had a strong interest in maintaining this law. Now mark! This law had been disobeyed; a public lie had been told, and persisted in: the justice of the law had been, in a most deliberate manner, denied. Now what was to be done? It is evident that something must be done which cannot be construed into a connivance of this rebellion. Now observe the relations of man and God. God's law had been trampled down, and the universe had their eye upon God to see what he would do--the well-being of the whole depended upon it. His relation to the universe demanded of him either to execute the law or to make a demonstration on his own part, from his own heart--for it was his estimation of the law that the universe needed. It was for him to act, and everything depended on the course that he took. It is easy to see that the honour of the law might be fully sustained by God himself, if he should show before the whole universe his approbation of the law, and the public good--and such a demonstration as this would answer the same end as the execution of the law upon the offenders. If God would take upon himself human nature, and in this nature of both God and man, would stand right out before the whole universe, and yield obedience to its precepts, this would be as high an evidence of his regard for the law as he could possibly give in any way whatever. By taking upon himself the nature of the violators of the law, and in that nature obeying the precept and suffering the penalty, the demonstration would be complete and the law perfectly honoured. Now suppose that Christ, his eternal Son, should in this way stand forth as the representative of the race of rebels, having no sin in himself, and yet standing in such a position as if the sin of the whole race was summed up in him, and the whole rebellion centred in him, it is easy to see that God could pardon the sinners and yet honour the law. Mark! he stands as the representative of the world, as the representative of sin, and it is easy to see that this arrangement was a vast deal more impressive than would have been the execution of the law upon the rebels themselves. The lawgiver himself stands forth as an illustration of the beauty of his own law, and in vindication of its honour. But I must not enlarge upon this. I have only to say under this head, that it is perfectly easy to see the bearing of this measure upon the universe itself: how perfectly it met the government exigency, and made it quite safe in God to pardon the guilty. I shall now in the next place make a few remarks upon--
IV. The nature of faith. Now observe, the motive that caused God to do this thing. I have sometimes heard persons talk of the atonement of Christ, and of God's motive in such a manner as to show that if they believed God had any such motive as they ascribe to him, that it was quite impossible for them to have any respect for him. They speak of the atonement as not being a merciful disposition in God, but the exacting of a debt; that God required a certain amount of payment for every sinner before he would forgive; that it was not the result of a merciful disposition. Now I say, that if anybody believes this he cannot even have respect for the character of God. Now we are taught that God gave his Son to die for men as sinners, and from love to them, and that they receive the blessing as the result of exercising faith in Christ. It is that [which] gives it all its power. Only let a sinner understand that God loves him as a sinner, and if there is anything that can break his heart that will. I do not mean to say that a knowledge of this fact will invariably do it; but I do say, that if this does not, nothing will do it. In short, the profession of love to sinners must be realized and believed by them in order to their salvation.
A few remarks must close what I have to say. First, many persons overlook the nature of this love because they cannot conceive how God can love sinners. I know by myself, for I stumbled at this point a long time. I had not experienced a benevolent love at all. I had exercised love: I know what the term meant in some of its significations. I know what it was to have complacency in those whose characters I admired; and I know what the love of fondness meant as it exists among selfish beings; but, observe, this was the only kind of love that I had exercised, and therefore I could not understand how God could love a wicked man: it appeared to me impossible that God should love a sinner. I said to myself, if God can love a sinner, he must be himself a sinner; and do you think that God can be a sinner? Now you see I judged God by my selfish love. The love that I exercised implied some fellowship and sympathy with the being loved. I was at last enabled to understand that God could love men without exercising a selfish love. A great many men speak very loosely when they speak on this subject; they do not understand the nature of God's love to sinners--the selfish mind cannot. When a sinner first becomes convicted of sin, he thinks that it is perfectly impossible for God to love him; and is ready to exclaim, he cannot love me any more than he can love the devil. And in part that is true. He cannot love the sinner with a complacent and sympathizing love any more than he can the devil--not a bit more. But there is another view of this subject, which is very important for you to take sinner; there is a kind of love to which you are a stranger--the love of your enemies. O, you say, what reason have I to love them? Why, you have the same reason to love them that God has--exactly! God does not love with a complacent love, which implies sympathy with their characters, but do not mistake, sinner, he can love you with a love of which you have no conception. Now the kind of love that God will exercise is just that kind which you ought to exercise towards your enemies; and in order to receive this love you must rise entirely above your selfishness, and give yourselves up with right good will to seek their good. Now the fact is, that because you never exercised this love you cannot understand its nature. But God can rise above--ah, he never was in the selfish slough which your soul is in. He is not filled with the spirit of retaliation which you feel--and therefore, although he sees and knows all the guilt of the sinner, he can yet look upon him with compassion, and lay himself out with all his heart to save him.
But let me say once more: the fact is, sinners mistake the nature of God's love, and so they try to make themselves happy. They always suppose that they must do something to deserve his love; you ask them to come to Christ, and they say, I must do more; I must become better; I must pray, I must do this thing or the other thing, to deserve his love. They have, you observe, the idea of complacent love, they must deserve it before they have it--they want to feel that they deserve it. The sinner never will believe that God loves him as a sinner. But let me tell you sinner that this is all wrong; you can never deserve God's love in the sense in which you hope to possess it--and if you seek to deserve it thus you will never be saved. But remember it was as a sinner that Christ died for you! It was as a rebel that God gave his Son to die for you! Just as you are in your sins God loves you, and for you just in that state he gave his Son to die for you. This is what you must believe. You will find it difficult to believe, but it is absolutely necessary that you should do so. Let me beseech you to let the idea take full possession of your minds, and say to yourself, what need then to seek to render myself deserving if God loves me now just as I am? It was as I am that Christ died for me; it was as a sinner that God loved me, and loves me still; as a sinner then I will go to Jesus, as I am, as an humble penitent, seeking, but not deserving sinner. Will you come? Will you come now? Will you believe now? or make God a liar?

*the original had "eternal so often life spoken" by printer's mistake.--Ed.






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Saturday, March 17, 2012

THE CHURCH of GOD'S GLORY! -by David Wilkerson

"In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel" (Isaiah 4:2).

All through the Old Testament, the branch that is mentioned as
coming forth is none other than Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. According to Isaiah, there will be a church to whom He will appear beautiful, excellent and comely. They will be passionately in love with a Man whom they see as glorious.

Right now there is a remnant church that desires nothing but Christ.
He is the center of attraction and the people focus totally on Him. These are the ones Isaiah refers to as being ". . . escaped of Israel" (same verse). Indeed, the last-days church that will be filled with God's glory is more than just a forgiven church. It is a holy church, one that has been purged by the consuming fire of God's convicting Word. Holiness and purity characterize its people. Isaiah adds, "He that is left in Zion . . . shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem" (verse 3).

The best evidence here that Isaiah is referring to the last-days church is found in verse 5: "And the Lord will create upon every
dwelling place . . . a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night" (Isaiah 4:5).

Isaiah is predicting that God will create a new pillar and cloud to
cover His people. We know that when Isaiah prophesied this, the pillar and cloud in the wilderness had already passed away. Obviously, this was something that had yet to be created—a new thing!

The cloud has to do with direction and comfort, with preservation
from evil and terror, and with guidance. This means God's last-days remnant people will have clear direction.

God is saying "I am going to see you through. Even in the worst
storm, you will have clear direction from Me because I will give you a pillar of fire to lead you as I did Israel in the wilderness!"

-Source-


http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/17277
http://sermonindex.blogspot.in/2012/03/church-of-gods-glory-by-david-wilkerson.html

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

"You Can Be An Overcomer" - Bro.Zac (AtlantaCFC - Conference)

Source - http://www.cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/live_cfcbang.php

 

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Roman 6 part - 2 and 7 by Bro.Zac

Romans 7 (KJV)

 1Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 4Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. 7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 12Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. 14For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

MP3 - Roman 6 part - 2 and 7 


 

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Romans 6 - Part 1 by Bro.Zac

Romans 6 -  (KJV) 

1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  2God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  4Therefore 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.  5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  7For he that is dead is freed from sin.  8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:  9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.  10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.  11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  15What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  16Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  17But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  18Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.  19I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.  20For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.  21What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.  22But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.  23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

MP3 - Romans 6 - Bro.Zac

Ten Shekels and a Shirt - Paris Reidhead


Source - http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=282

Scripture: Judges 17,18

Description: Paris Reidhead preaches what could be called one of the most influential sermons of the 20th century. The real point of this sermon is an indictment of individuals and organizations practising humanism behind a mask of Christianity!


MP3 - http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=282
Transcript of sermon - http://www.parisreidheadbibleteachingministries.org/tenshekels.shtml
PDF - http://www.parisreidheadbibleteachingministries.org/tenshekels.pdf


Few excerpts from the transcript of the sermon has been added below

""There alone in my bedroom AS I FACED GOD HONESTLY WITH WHAT MY HEART FELT, it seemed to me I heard Him say, "Yes, will not the Judge of all the earth do right? The Heathen are lost. And they're going to go to Hell, not because they haven't heard the gospel. They're going to go to Hell because they are sinners, WHO LOVE THEIR SIN! And because they deserve Hell. BUT, I didn't send you out there for them. I didn't send you out there for their sakes." And I heard as clearly as I've ever heard, though it wasn't with physical voice but it was the echo of truth of the ages finding its' way into an open heart. I heard God say to my heart that day something like this, "I didn't send you to Africa for the sake of the heathen, I sent you to Africa for My sake. They deserved Hell! But I LOVE THEM!!! AND I ENDURED THE AGONIES OF HELL FOR THEM!!! I DIDN'T SEND YOU OUT THERE FOR THEM!!! I SENT YOU OUT THERE FOR ME! DO I NOT DESERVE THE REWARD OF MY SUFFERING? DON'T I DESERVE THOSE FOR WHOM I DIED?"
I was there not for the sake of the heathen. I was there for the Savior who endured the agonies of Hell for me. But He deserved the heathen. Because He died for them. My eyes were opened. I was no longer working for Micah and ten shekels and a shirt. But I was serving a living God.
Do you see? Let me epitomize, let me summarize. Christianity says, "The end of all being is the glory of God." Humanism says, "The end of all being is the happiness of man."""


"" Two young Moravians heard of an island in the West Indies where an atheist British owner had 2000 to 3000 slaves. And the owner had said, "No preacher, no clergyman, will ever stay on this island. If he's ship wrecked we'll keep him in a separate house until he has to leave, but he's never going to talk to any of us about God, I'm through with all that nonsense." Three thousand slaves from the jungles of Africa brought to an island in the Atlantic and there to live and die without hearing of Christ.
In the late 1700's a British planter owned an entire island in the West Indies off the coast of South America. Several thousand black slaves toiled in the sugar cane fields under the burning sun. The atheist planter vowed that no missionary would ever set foot on the island to talk about God. 3000 slaves were doomed to live and die without hearing of Christ.
Two young Germans in their 20's from the Moravians sect heard about their plight. They sold themselves to the British planter for the standard price for a male slave used the money they received for their sale to purchase passage to the West Indies. The miserly atheist planter would not even transport them.
The Moravian community from Herrenhut came to see the two lads off, who would never return again, having freely sold themselves into a lifetime of slavery. As a member of the slave community they would witness as Christians to the love of God.
Family members were emotional, weeping. Was their extreme sacrifice wise? Was it necessary? As the ship slipped away with the tide and the gap widened. The housings had been cast off and were curled up on the pier. The young men saw the widening gap. They linked arms, raised their hands and shouted across the spreading gap "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering."
This became the call of Moravian missions. And this is our only reason for being...that the Lamb that was slain may receive the reward of His suffering! Amen.""


(Hymn) Stand Amazed How Marvelous - Chris Tomlin

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

HOW TO SEEK AFTER GOD'S WILL - Watchman Nee


The one question that troubles Christians the most is how to seek after God's will. We know that all works which are done apart from God are vanity and futile labor; they do not count before God. We are not here to do a great work, but to do God's work. Many works are great, wonderful, and beneficial, but they may not be God's work for us. We should not think that whatever is good is of God's will. If our work is apart from the will of God, the Lord whom we serve will not be happy. Although we may be busy from morning till evening, we may not reap much benefit in the spiritual realm nor receive God's praise and reward as a result of this work. We must seek after God's will in each step of our life and work. We should not work senselessly, loosely, and foolishly. Many times, in our studying of the Bible, in our prayer, and even in our preaching of the gospel, we forget to seek after the Lord's will. We may preach to others for some time without realizing why we are preaching. We have not sought after the Lord's will, yet the whole time we continue preaching! This kind of work is of little value in the eyes of God; it is worthless. Hence, it is a great matter to know how to seek after God's will. It is something all Christians must know.

The first step in seeking after God's will is to cast aside our own opinions. Our prejudices often hinder God from revealing His will to us. Once a man has some prejudice, even if God were to show him His will, he probably would not be able to hear it or even be aware of it. Furthermore, even if he were to be aware of God's will, he would probably not do it.

In my own experience, every time I do not understand God's will, it is because I already have my own will. Sometimes my own intention is hidden in the deepest part of my heart. If I do not remove my own self-will, there will be many difficulties in seeking after the Lord's will. As soon as our self-will is removed, God will show us His will.

I cannot overemphasize the fact that self-will must be removed before God's will can be known. This point is most crucial and deserves our full attention.

Our heart is very wicked. Sometimes we seek after God's will superficially, but within we are full of self-will and prejudice. Our one great goal is to please ourselves. Sometimes when we kneel down, we say with our mouth, "Lord, show me Your will. I am willing to obey Your will." But in our heart we are not willing and would not agree. Sometimes we pray with our mouth, "Father, Your will be done. I want only to seek after Your will." Apparently the heart sympathizes with the mouth and is willing to do God's will, but in the deepest part of our heart there is another intent which seeks for our own will. If this is the case, I am afraid that we cannot find God's will. This is a false seeking; it will not find. The promise of "seek and you shall find" is not given to those who are not honest. If we are not genuine in seeking after God's will, we will not receive the revelation of God's will. We may console ourselves by saying, "I have obtained God's will," but what we have probably obtained is a product of our mind and a counterfeit of His will!

If due to some desire in our heart we have already made up our mind concerning a certain matter, it would be vain for us to seek after the Lord's will. When one already has his own will and his own desire, his prayers will be in vain. Even if he prays and begs every day, it will be of no use. Hence, every time we want to seek after the Lord's will, we must ask ourselves in the Lord if there is self-will or prejudice or any hidden desire in the deepest part of our being. We must seek after the Lord's will with a clean and undefiled heart. Otherwise, what we do will have no effect.

For this reason, when two or more ways are placed before you, and you prefer one over the other, you should ask yourself if you are willing to take the way that you do not prefer, should the Lord so choose. If you are not willing to take the way that you do not prefer, what is the use for you to seek after the Lord's will?

Whenever you come to a crossroads, the best way is to have a heart free of preference. This is to have an unbiased heart, neither preferring one way nor being afraid of another way but considering either way to be the same. Then, whichever way the Lord may point to, you will be able to take that way. If there is no preference in our heart, the Lord can easily show us His will. Inward preferences and our unwillingness to obey are the main hindrances to the Lord's will.

To have no preference in one's heart does not mean that one is passive. To be without preference means that one exercises his own judgment, resolving to do God's will. To be free from preference does not mean that one no longer has "wants" or "don't wants." It means that before one is clear concerning God's will, though the heart may not prefer any way, he is determined to do God's will and is willing to carry it out once he is clear about it. We should not have the choice between "I want" and "I don't want" when it comes to our own will deciding the way we are to take. However, when it comes to deciding between God's will and our will, we must choose between the "I want" and "I don't want," which is, we should "want" to do God's will and should "not want" to do our own will. We should choose God's will and reject our own will. It is not that we do not have a will or a choice. We do, but our will and our choice is to do God's will and take His choice. We are not void of choice. We have our choice. However, we choose to want what God wants.

Simply put, the first step in seeking after the Lord's will is to have no inclination or rejection in our heart toward the ways ahead of us, assuming that we do not know which one is God's will. Yet at the same time, our heart should hold to the attitude that we want to do God's will. We should be willing to submit our will to the Lord's will. The reason that we do not know God's will is because we fail in this one point. The Lord is happy to reveal His will to those who are willing to do His will. For those who are not willing to do God's will, their seeking after His will is false. Hence, it cannot be found by them. Therefore, if there is prejudice in the heart, it is better not even to talk about seeking after God's will. One should first trust in the Lord's power to deal thoroughly with the inclinations in the heart before he can expect the Lord to reveal His will to him. Otherwise, even if he knows all means and exhausts all means, they will be useless to him.

What we have said so far concerns our side. If we have fulfilled God's requirements, how will He then show us His will? He will show us His will by the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and the environment. When the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and the environment all line up together, we can affirm that such is indeed the will of God.

We should seek after the Lord's will in this way in everything that comes upon us in our daily life. In the many small things in our daily life we act carelessly, according to our own will. It is not until the big things come that we try to seek after the Lord's will, but then He seems to be far away from us. This seems to be the Lord's will, and that also seems to be the Lord's will. Every way seems to be the right way. We may spend a lot of time seeking for the Lord's will without finding it. Therefore, we should seek after the Lord's will in small things as well as big things. If we are in the habit of seeking after the Lord's will in our daily life, it will not be difficult to know His will when special events happen. We should be experienced in seeking after the Lord's will and have a habit of seeking after His will. If we do, then whenever something happens we will know what the will of the Lord is.

Sometimes God does not reveal His will to us immediately. The Father is never wrong. If He sees that it is more profitable to reveal His will to us at a later time, He will do so. At such times we should hold the attitude that as long as we do not know, we will not act. The danger lies in our desire to move. We want to move before we know the Lord's will. The Lord wants us to wait for Him, to move on slowly together with Him, and to take our steps only when we are certain of His will. Unfortunately, we are often hurried by the circumstances; we love to act quickly. As a result, we often move away from the track of the Lord's will. I can say one thing for sure: eight out of ten things done in a hurry are not of the Lord's will. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, we do not see Him do one thing in a hurry. We should learn of Him. We should not act rashly, that is, before we are certain of the Lord's will. We should make up our mind not to initiate anything until we have found out what the will of the Lord is. It is not too slow to walk with the Lord. The quickest way to go on is to go forward on our knees with the Lord. May the Lord give us much strength to be quiet before Him and to wait for and seek after His will. May the Lord deliver us from times when we have to confess before Him the sin of acting too quickly. From this time forth, may we stop our self, leave our self, and solely seek after the Lord's will.